Above grade houses are common in Texas and The South in general........................
Used to be.
Raised (or pier and beam) foundations were once the standard for all residential homes in the U.S. Not anymore.
Once concrete slab foundations were perfected in the mid sixties, it was all over for pier and beam. At least that's true for the western half of the country, though I suspect that slab foundations are now the norm for the eastern half, as well.