Life in Texas Cities

Life in Texas Cities

Not the Frontier

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Life in Texas Cities

Texas Cities

Most Texans lived on farms or in small communities. However, there were some places with more than 1,000 people. These were Texas cities at the time.

San Antonio and Nacogdoches were two of the larger cities in Texas at the time.

Cities in Texas in the 1830s had a few differences. 

Ayuntamiento

The government in Texas cities was called an ayuntamiento

Responsibilities of this local government were:

- Establishing police forces

- Providing food inspection, maintaining roads, keeping sanitation, and other necessary keeping of city life.

 These services were all paid for by taxes collected from those in the city.

Multiple Choice

What was an ayunamiento?

• The government in Mexico

• The government in the US

• The government in Texas

Multiple Choice

What types of responsibilities did ayuntamientos have?

• making a police force

• food inspection

• maintaining roads

• all of these

San Antonio

San Antonio (the oldest settlement) was also the largest.

It had more than 2,000 people by the 1820s, and the population steadily grew.

Many of the residents were still farmers, but many merchants and artisans lived there as well.

The roads were not paved, though, and disease and pollution were commonplace. 

Nacogdoches

After the Mexican Revolution, Nacogdoches experienced a steady increase in population.

Although not as populated as San Antonio, it did boast over 1,000 settlers at one time.

It had almost been abandoned

Business in TX Cities

Craftsmen and merchants lived in Texas towns. They would provided services to the surrounding people.

Because money was not easy to come by, these merchants and craftspeople conducted payment via barter (trade).

Texas business and trade increased during the Mexican period

Multiple Choice

What is a barter?

• When you buy goods for money

• When you trade for goods

• When you steal goods

Multiple Choice

Which was a larger citiy: nacogdoches or san antonio?

• nacogdoches

• san antonio

Business in TX Cities

Transporting goods by road and river was not easy or efficient in those days, though.

Roads were often dirt, bumpy, and muddy after rain.

Rivers had many sandbars in them, making it hard for smoothe transportation.

Still, Texas economy was healthy; exporting raw materials and importing finished and luxury goods

Multiple Choice

What is an export?

• something that a state or country sells

• something that a state or country buys

Multiple Choice

What is an import?

• The opposite of an export

• something that a state or country sells

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• As much as the Anglos loved cheap land

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San Antonio (the oldest settlement) was also the largest.

It had more than 2,000 people by the 1820s, and the population steadily grew.

Many of the residents were still farmers, but many merchants and artisans lived there as well.

The roads were not paved, though, and disease and pollution were commonplace.