Texas - Fun Facts About the Lone Star State

"Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible."

Historians tell us that "Remember the Alamo" was shouted by Sam Houston during the battle against Santa Ana.

The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal point for Texas. It began on February 23, 1836 and ended March 6, 1836. The battle ended with Santa Ana defeating the Texian defenders. Then, the Texians gained revenge against the Mexican army at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. This defeat ended the Texas Revolution.

• Santa Ana (February 21, 1794 – June 21, 1876) was the President of Mexico for eleven non-consecutive terms. Santa Ana fought for and against Mexico's Independence from Spain.
• Sam Houston (March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) -  was the first and third President of the Republic of Texas. He later became a Senator for Texas after it became a part of the United States. He also served as the 7th governor for the State of Texas. The City of Houston is named after Sam Houston. A memorial statue can be found along Interstate 45 in Huntsville, Texas. Interestingly, Sam Houston was not a native to the Texas region. Sam Houston was born in the State of Virginia.

Nickname: Lone Star State

Sate Song: "Texas, Our Texas"

State Motto: Friendship

Origin of name: The Caddo Indians called their tribe tejas, which translates to friends. Tejas is the also the spanish word for Texas.

Popular Slogans:

• It's a whole other country.
• Don't Mess with Texas
• Everything is bigger in Texas.

State Mammal (small): Armadillo

State Mammal (large): Longhorn

State Bird: Mockingbird

State Flower: Bluebonnet

State Tree: Pecan

State Capital: Austin

State Insect: Monarch Butterfly

State Plant: Prickly Pear Cactus

State Shell: Lightning Whelk

State Reptile: Texas Horned Lizard

State Flying Animal: Free tailed bat

State Grass: Sideoats Grama

State Shrub: Chinese Crape Myrtle

State Vegetable: Sweet Onion

State Fiber: Cotton

State Stone: Petrified Palmwood

State Gem: Blue Topaz

State Folk Dance: Square Dance

State Fruit: Texas Red Grapefruit

Did you know Texas is home to Dell computers? Central Texas has been called the Silicon Valley of the south. (Compaq computers was also based in Texas and has now been purchased by HP)

Did you know Dr Pepper was invented in Waco, Texas? If you travel to Waco you can visit the Dr. Pepper Museum.

Did you know that the first suspension bridge in the USA was built in Waco, Texas in 1870? It is still used today as a pedestrian crossing for the Brazos River.

Did you know Port Lavaca had the world's longest fishing pier? It was originally a causeway for a portion of Lavaca Bay and was later used as a pier. Although it is still a pier today it is no longer the longest. A fire consumed over 1,000 feet of the pier.

Did you know that the world's largest rose garden is the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden? It cultivates over 500 variety of roses on a 22 acre rose garden.

Did you know Amarillo has the world's largest helium well?

Did you know we have our own Grand Canyon? Palo Duro Canyon is known as "The Grand Canyon of Texas" and is located in the Pan Handle of North Texas. It is the second largest canyon in the country. Its longest point is 120 miles long and has areas that are 20 miles wide.

State Date: Texas reached statehood on December 29, 1845.

State number: Texas is state number 28.

Counties: Texas has 254 counties.

Highest Elevation: Guadalupe Peak is 8,750 feet above sea level.

Flag Facts: Six Flags have flown over Texas;Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Confederate States, and the United States.

Largest Cities: Of the ten largest cities in the USA, Texas has three; Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.

Area:

• The LARGEST State in the contiguous area of the USA. 262, 015 square miles.
• 2nd largest state overall. 
• Texas is as large as all of New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New England combined.
• El Paso, Texas is actually closer to Needles, California than it is to Dallas, Texas.
• The Dallas Fort Worth Airport is larger than Manhattan Island in NY.
• Brewster County is the largest county at 6,208 square miles. The State of Connecticut would fit inside Brewester County as it is measured at 5,554 square miles.
• King Ranch is larger than the state of Rhode Island and is bordered by over 2,000 miles of fence.

Water:

• With the exception of Alaska, Texas has more fresh water than any other state: an impressive 4,959 square miles of water with another 191,000 miles of streams and rivers.
• The largest body of water within the State line of Texas is the Sam Rayburn Reservoir in East Texas. The reservoir covers a whopping 113,400 acres.
• The Texas coastline measures 624 miles along the Gulf of Mexico.

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Everything is BIGGER in Texas

• Home of the world's largest Longhorn. Housed at the University of Texas the burnt orange steer (UT's colors) measures 12 ft high, 17 ft long and features a 9ft span on its horns. Although it is the largest it isn't real - it is made of fiberglass.
• San Jacinto Memorial. Listed as the tallest column structure in the world. The monument is a 570-foot shaft topped by a 34-foot star. It is 15 feet taller than the Washington Memorial.
• The State Capital of Texas is taller than the U.S.Capital. The top of the rotunda features a statue of the Goddess of Liberty.
• The Sam Houston Monument is 65 feet tall and more than twice the size of the Lincoln Memorial. If Lincoln were to stand from his seat it is estimated he would be 28 feet tall.

Square Dancing was proclaimed as the State Folk Dance of Texas.

• State Representative Edmund Kuempel filed the Concurrent Resolution on March 19, 1991.
• The Texas House of Representatives approved the Resolution on May 21, 1991
• The Senate followed suit shortly after on May 30, 1991
• The proclamation was finalized with then Governor Ann Richards signature on May 30, 1991.

Interesting tid-bit - Square Dancing has now been identified as the State Folk Dance in over 22 States across the United States. There is is currently a campaign to make Square Dancing the Official Folk Dance of the USA.

Traditional square dancing features four couples and a caller. The caller prompts the dancers into a variety of steps through and across the partners within the square. Dancers need to be quick and knowledgeable in order to effectively follow the calls.

Square Dancing is a popular activity among visiting "Winter Texans" at the various RV parks across the state. Watch the video below and listen to the caller. Would you be able to keep up?

Texas is home to many musicians in a variety of genres...

Here is a list of just a few of the many famous Texan musicians...

Kenny Rogers

Willie Nelson

Freddy Fender

Flaco Jimenez

Buddy Holly

Roy Orbison

Ray Price

George Strait

Waylon Jennings

Buck Owens

George Jones

Selena Quintanilla

Janis Joplin

ZZ Top

Los Lonely Boys

Stevie Ray Vaughn

Texas Flag - The State Flag of Texas has gone through an interesting evolution. To learn more about its design and what it symbolizes click here; Texas State Flag Design - Symbolization for the Lone Star State

Texas Tourism - Texas has many interesting places to visit. Here are some neat offbeat ideas for your next road-trip. Places to Visit in Texas

Austin's Bats - Austin, Texas is not just known for its eclectic blend of music. It is also well know for its bats! Take a look at Bat City - Austin, Texas - Keep Austin Weird

Spanish Missions - San Antonio has an amazing amount of history. Check out the Spanish Missions of San Antonio, Texas The Spanish Missions of San Antonio, Texas

Austin, Texas - Austin, the Capitol of Texas Fun Tour - Get the inside scoop on secret things to do in Bat City, River City, etc...

Facts will be updated and revised as needed. Feel free to post any updates or corrections in the comment box.