Texas began as a vast frontier, where 19th century settlers carved out cotton farms in the humid east and cattle ranches in the arid west. A century later, Texas fueled the automobile revolution with a booming oil industry. At the start of the 21st century, the economy has been transformed again. Predominantly urban, with some 22 million residents, the Lone Star State is an industrial giant. One in four Texans is Hispanic, and Texans generally embrace the cultural influences of Mexico. National parks in Big Bend country and the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas preserve the state's natural heritage.