20 Awesome Facts About Texas

1. Geography and Demography

Texas is the second most populous and second most Extensive State among the 50 of the United States.10% of all Americans live there and if it was a country itself, it would have been ranked at 39th position, above all the European countries. The state lies in the South-Central Region of the United States, bordering with New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. It has 254 counties, which is the highest number of counties for any state f United States. Austin is the capital and the state has three of North America's ten largest cities, which are Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas.

2. The Lone Star

Texas is known for its sense of local identity and independence. The Lone Star State has a premium on its unique and glorious history and tradition. The Lone Star always represented the uniqueness of the state that makes it stand out. There are many things, for instance, Texas's role in the independence movement, the notables, the foods, and the fastest-growing economy. The state knows how to cash this uniqueness. Only this state can place its flag parallel to that if the United States. This state has the flag that represents that Lone Star.

3. Flagged by Six Nations

Six nations have raised their flag over Texas through its history. Texas belonged to Spain from 1519 to 1685, was ruled over by France from 1685 to 1690, then by Spain again from 1690 to 1821. After Mexico went independent from France, Texas remained a part of Mexico from 1821 to 1836. It stayed independent as the republic of Texas from 1836 to 1846, then joined the United States from 1846 to 1861. During the civil war, Texas was with confederate states of America and in 1865 it rejoined the U.S.The state houses Six Flag amusement Park to pay homage to history. The park was opened in 1961 in Arlington.

4. A Stormy State

Texas is a stormy state, it endures 139 Tornadoes every year, on average. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 was the deadliest natural disaster in the history of the united states which took the life of around 8,000 people. The casualties of this storm were greater than the total of those killed in all the tropical cyclones that have hit the United State since. It had such a strong psychological impact that the authorities had to supply whiskey to mitigate the trauma of the tormented men who wee collecting and burning the dead bodies.

5. Echoed From the Moon

"Houston" First Word uttered on The Moon — we knew it from the billboards in the Salt Lake City area. We saw them in Austin, too. We also read the fact in several articles, including a 2001 Philadelphia Inquirer travel about Texas' largest city. It refers to the instantly historic line uttered July 20, 1969, by NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong to a worldwide television and radio audience after he and fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin landed the lunar module, Eagle, on the moon: "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

6. Sam Houston Statue

"A Tribute to Courage" monument is the statue of Sam Houston located in Huntsville, Texas. Sam Houston was one of the founding fathers and the first president of the Republic of Texas. He was actually born in Virginia. The Sam Houston Statue is the largest statue in America that is modeled after a real person. It is 67 feet tall. It was erected with 30 tons of concrete and steel. The statue is by sculptor David Adickes. It is huge enough to be visible to the motorists heading north on Interstate 45. It was engraved with graffiti in March 2008.

7. Highest National Speed Limit

If you are “Fast and Furious” you have a road to ride as fast as 85 miles per hour, and no one would stop you at the roadside to pay penalty for speeding. Highway 130 between Austin and Seguin has a speed limit of 85 miles per hour. The brand new toll road is likely to cut the drive from Austin to San Antonio in half. Not only this, the state possesses more than 70,000 miles of highway. Each year about 1.6 million gallons of white and yellow paint are used to line this long highway. Have a safe ride.

8. Patent That Changed the World

There are multiple inventions that took place in Texas and changed the world. Silicone Breast Implants were invented by Houston surgeons Frank Gerow and Thomas Cronin. Dell Computers has its origin in Texas. In 1959, Jack Kirkby of Texas Instruments created the first integrated circuit that eventually led to the invention of the microchip. Dr. Pepper, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Fritos Frozen Margaritas, are also the inventions of this Lone Star State. Whole Food Market and Seven-Eleven started there and spread all over the world. We are to thank Texas for Handheld calculators, 3d printings, and various other inventions that are not mentioned here.

9. Texas Owns a Power Grid

Texas has its own power grid. That means it would shine even if the whole United States faces a blackout. There are three power grids in the united states: one for the United States’ east of the rocky fountains, one for the states between the pacific and the rocky mountains, and one for Texas alone. The grid is called ERCOT and is managed by The Electricity Council of Texas. This Texas interconnection was established as a separate grid for the political, rather than technical reasons. The power grid was established during world war two assure the weapon production, as the state was producing critical war supplies.

10. The State Symbols

Texas has the state slogan “The Friendly State”.The official seashell of Texas is the Lightning Whelk. The state's dinosaur is the Pleurocoelus; the state's dog is Blue Lacy; bird is Northern mocking bird; fish is Guadalupe bass; insect is monarch butterfly; reptile is Texas Horned Lizard; flower is bluebonnet; dish is chili; instrument is Acoustic guitar; gemstone cut is Lone Star Cut, folk dance is square dance; Ship is USS Texas; colors are red white and blue; tree is Pecan; and the state's song is “Texas, Our Texas". The official sports of Texas is Rodeo.

11. Largest Urban Bat Colony

The Mexican free-tailed bat is the fastest bat in the world that can reach a speed of more than 100 miles per hour. Austin's South Congress Avenue Bridge is home to the world's largest urban bat colony. Around the sunset, the city's 1.5 million bats take off into the night and it is nothing short of the sight to behold. If you are in Austin between March and October, there are great chances that you come across this amazing view, and to ultimate the fact, San Antonio’s Bracken Cave is home to the world's largest bat colony. Austin is full of bat symbols and illusions.

12. Helium Capitol of the World

The Helium Centennial Time Columns Monument is the worth visiting site. the monument was built in 1968, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of helium, in Amarillo, Texas. Amarillo is home to America's National helium reserves and contains 90% of the world's recoverable helium supply. Before this discovery, scientists believed that helium did not exist on Earth due to various failed experiments to replicate the gas. There is a passbook The Helium Centennial Time Columns Monument to an account which is anticipated to be worth $1 quadrillion in 2968 for the deposit of only $10.

13. Tex-Mex Cuisine

It is the most delicious food you can have in Texas. This is a combination of Texan traditions and Mexican cuisine that includes nachos, fajitas, burritos, and hard tacos. One of the lovable and unavoidable food here is a scoop up of chili, which is the official state dish. The chips and salsa here are also unmatched, as they are prepared by keeping in mind the fact that these are state appetizers. Every item of this tex-mex cuisine is delicious in every bite. And no one is here for a day or forever, can dare to miss the chance to have it. Today this food generates more than $40 billion per year in the united states.

14. Texas Ranching

The cowboy is widely seen as the icon of Texas. While the iconic cowboys are not common in today's Texas, the famous King Ranch in West Texas which is popularly known as “The birthplace of Texas ranching” is stretched over 1289 square miles(825,000 acres). This large expansion makes it much larger than the State of Rhode Island that is 1212 square miles. It spans across six different counties of Texas and was designated as the National Historic Land Mark in 1961. There is also a windmill farm that is about seven times the size of Manhattan. It inhibits around 35,000 cattle and 200 quarter horses. Rodeo, the states official sports is all about ranching skills

15. The Chilling Devil's Backbone

The Devil's Backbone, a famous scenic drive through the mounting Texas hills is haunted enough to send chills down your spine. According to the legends and stories, the highway is haunted by the spirits of Confederate Soldiers, Spanish Monks, Cattle herders with there animals along the highway, a wolf spirit, a miner's widow, and the scariest, and creepy ghost who loves to appear on the hoods of the cars driving along Purgatory Road. Recently, the twisty stretch of the highway has seen numerous fatal car accidents. The ghost hunters are frequently there and have seen shadow people and recorder EVO ( Electronic Voice Phenomenon)

16. DISH Town

The Town of Dish located in Denton county used to be called Clark when it was established in June 2000. But on a promotional day in 2005, satellite television company Dish Network made this town an offer that was really tough to refuse. In exchange for renaming the town DISH, all the 201 inhabitants were to be provided with free basic television service for ten years with a video recorder.There was no known resistance against renaming. Twelve out of 201 residents attended the council meeting to support the measure.

17. Earth is Located in Texas

Texas has many towns that boast awesome names. If you can’t afford to visit Europe, just hop in your car and choose a drive through Paris, Athenes, Naples, London, Dublin, and Florance, situated in the town. There is even a town called Earth in the planes of Liano Estacado. It is the only town on the face of Earth that bears this name. it is a small rural city in Lamp County, in West Texas. It was originally named Fairlawn, but in 1925 it has to rename as Earth when it was learned that there is already a town in Texas with the name of Fairlawn. This Earth inhibits the population of 1065 according to the 2010 Census.

18. Live Music Capital of the World

Music is in every vein and artery of Texas. Musicians play everywhere from grocery stores to the city council meetings. As the music capital of the world, the capital of the state is the exquisite place to find various bands playing live at concerts and festivals. Austin has more than 1,900 bands and performing artists, and more than 250 concert venues. The state houses most live music venues per capital in the world. Whether you come in the state for one of the many music festivals, or you are just enjoying a walk in the iconic Sixth Street, you are going to hear some incredible music while you are there.

19. Don't Mess with Texas

Texas used the phrase “Don't Mess with Texas” as an anti-litter message during a cleaning campaign in 1985. It was in the time when the cowboys were normal to be seen tossing a beer can out of the window. The Transportation Department of the State had to hire an advertising agency to spread awareness in this regard. The agency came-up with this phrase. The slogan got popularity very rapidly, Everyone who lived in the ’90s will remember the slogan from the classic commercials coming on T.V and since then it has turned into the unofficial slogan for the Texas Pride and is still used to educate the people against littering.

20. Oscar is Named After a Texan

It is because of a Texan that the Academy Award Statuette is named Oscar. Yeah, you read it right. The Librarian and eventually executive director of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, Margaret Herrick thought that the statuette resembled his Texan uncle Oscar Pierce, and said so. Hence the staff started referring to it as Oscar. The name used in a column by Sidney Sikorsky, and officially used by the academy in 1939. This is how an ordinary man of Texas became the name of the world's leading artistic and technical merit award of the film industry with a huge recognition.

Thomas Moore is a proud American with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from the University of San Diego. He has been in the financial industry since 2007 holding numerous licenses in multiple states. He currently helps operate cashkingco.com and our resident expert on all things finance. LinkedIn Profile