Texas in Transition

In the 1970s, oil prices increased, which brought jobs, immigration, and prosperity to Texas.
The boom transitioned into a bust in the mid-1980s when world oil prices decreased dramatically.
The state slowly recovered throughout the 1990s.
Texas emerged from this period with a more diversified economy.
In 2000, Texas surpassed New York to become the 2nd largest state, with a population of 21 million people.

The 1970s and 1980s marked a political transition.
Conservative voters began to leave the Democratic party.
In 1990, Republicans started winning elections.
In 1998, the GOP won every statewide race, and former President George Bush's son became President of the United States.
The number of children and elderly people increased in Texas.

In 1970, $71\%$ of Texans were natives of the state, but by 2000, this percentage decreased to $62\%$ , with many new residents coming from the Midwest.
By 2005, African Americans made up $11\%$ of the population.
The Hispanic population grew by $35\%$ by 2005.
The Asian American population grew by $4\%$ .
By 2005, the combined increase in African American, Hispanic, and Asian populations accounted for more than $50\%$ of the total population growth.

In 1990, immigration from Mexico and Latin America became a prominent issue, including both legal and illegal immigration.
By 2005, the legal immigrant population was 2 million.
In 2005, the estimated number of illegal immigrants was 1.4 million.
In 1980, 2 million Texans ( $15\%$ ) lived below the poverty level, which was worse than the national average.
By 2004, $16.5\%$ of the population lived below the poverty level, placing Texas in the bottom 5 states in this regard.