Interesting facts about Texas

texas flag

Texas is a state in the South Central region of the United States.

It is bordered by Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the southwest, while the Gulf of Mexico is to the southeast.

As of January 2019, the population of Texas was estimated to be about 28.3 million people. It is the 2nd most populous state in the United States.

It is also the 2nd largest state in the United States in terms of total area with 696,241 square kilometers (268,581 square miles).

Austin is the capital and 4th-most populous city in Texas. In the 1830s, pioneers began to settle the area in central Austin along the Colorado River. In 1839, the site was chosen to replace Houston as the capital of the Republic of Texas and was incorporated under the name “Waterloo.”

austin

Houston is the most populous city in Texas and the fourth largest in the US.

In the south, the Gulf Coast Plain meets the Gulf of Mexico. The North Central Plains slope upward creating some hills. The Great Plains extend to the Panhandle where they are broken by low mountains, a southern extension of the Rocky Mountains called Trans-Pecos.

Guadalupe Peak, also known as Signal Peak, is the highest natural point in Texas, with an elevation of 2,667 meters (8,751 feet) above sea level. It is located in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, and is part of the Guadalupe Mountains range in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas.

guadalupe peak

Although Texas is popularly associated with the U.S. southwestern deserts, less than 10% of Texas’s land area is desert.

Texas has over 480 kilometers (300 miles) of coastline.

The state has 14 national parks and 51 state parks.

The most popular national park in Texas is Big Bend National Park. It is located in the southwestern part of the state on the frontier with Mexico around the great bend in the Rio Grande from which it takes its name. The park encompasses an area of 324,219 hectares (801,163 acres). Lying at altitudes of between 570 and 2,400 meters (1,870 and 7,875 feet), it’s made up of three different zones: the valley of the Rio Grande, the desolate landscape of the Chihuahuan Desert, and the Chisos Mountains.

big bend national park

The San Antonio Riverwalk is the most visited tourist attraction in all of Texas. The river channel was originally developed as a means of flood control to protect the city. Today, guests can sample the best of food, shopping, art, museums, and lodging at the dozens of businesses that line the 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) walkway along the San Antonio River.

san antonio riverwalk

The Alamo is one of the most important historic sites in the United States. Part of a mission station established in 1718, it was built by Franciscans in 1744 and by 1836, had been converted into a fort. It became famous during the Texan War of Independence after a small force barricaded themselves in against an overwhelmingly superior Mexican army some 3,000 strong.

alamo

Space Center Houston is a leading science and space learning center, the official visitor center of NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston and a Smithsonian Affiliate museum. The center opened in 1992 and hosts more than 1 million visitors annually in its 23,225-square-meters (250,000-square-foot) educational complex. It is one of the top destinations in Houston holding the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.

space center houston

It was from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas that the fatal shot that took President John F. Kennedy’s life was fired. Now home to the Sixth Floor Museum, this tall red brick building offers a detailed account of the assassination, as well as Kennedy’s legacy.

texas school book depository

Created by three members of the avant-garde San Francisco design practice, Ant Farm, Cadillac Ranch is a public art installation in North Texas, which reimagines a popular US icon. Dating from 1949 to 1963, a row of 10 used and junk Cadillacs lie buried nose-first in the ground, at an angle corresponding to that of the Great Pyramid of Giza. The installation is west of Amarillo on the famous former Route 66.

ant farm

The recorded history of Texas begins with the arrival of the first Spanish conquistadors in the region of North America now known as Texas in 1519, who found the region populated by numerous Native American tribes.

The Native Americans’ ancestors had been there for more than 10,000 years as evidenced by the discovery of the remains of prehistoric Leanderthal Lady.

Texas comes from the Hasinai Indian word tejas meaning friends or allies.

texas map flag

During the period of recorded history from 1519 to 1848, all or parts of Texas were claimed by five countries: France, Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the United States of America — as well as the secessionist Confederate States of America in 1861–1865, during the American Civil War.

The term “six flags over Texas” refers to several nations that have ruled over the territory.

Texas is popularly known as The Lone Star State.

the lone star state

Though 10% larger than France and almost twice as large as Germany or Japan, it ranks only 27th worldwide amongst country subdivisions by size.

If it were an independent country, Texas would be the 40th largest behind Chile and Zambia.

The King Ranch in Texas is bigger than the state of Rhode Island.

Edwards Plateau in west central Texas is the top sheep growing area in the country.

More wool comes from the state of Texas than any other state in the United States.