" So and So is in Texas too... is that close to you all? "
At this we have to laugh... and start with the answer
" Probably NOT! "
We thought we would gather up a few dozen Fun / Wierd / Really Cool facts about Texas to give y'all a better perspective of our beloved State!
Just how BIG is Texas ? !
Texas includes 267,339 square miles, or 7.4% of the nation's total area the nations 2nd largest state [......well real Texans don't count all that ice as land in that other state.....but to keep the peace, we let them think they are bigger]
- Texas is as large as all of New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois combined.
- El Paso, Texas is closer to Needles, California (516 miles) than it is to Dallas, Texas (571 miles)
- Perrytown to Brownsville 830 miles, El Paso to Texarkana is 814 miles.
- Texas' largest county is Brewster with 6,208 square miles. Connecticut (5,544 Sq Mi), Delaware (2,489 Sq Mi) and Rhode Island (1,545 Sq Mi) can fit inside this county.
- The King Ranch itself near Corpus Christi is larger than the state of Rhode Island and includes 50,000 head of cattle.
- Texas possesses 23,292 farms with 1,000 acres or more for a total of 132 million acres, or 80% of the state land area
- The tidewater coastline of Texas stretches 624 miles along the Gulf of Mexico and contains more than 600 historic shipwrecks.
- Laredo is the world's largest inland port.
- The largest body of water completely within the boundaries of Texas is Sam Rayburn Reservoir in East Texas, which covers 113,400 acres
- The state's longest river is the Rio Grande at 1270 miles.
- As Red Skelton said... "miles and miles, of miles and miles. "
Just how many people live in Texas?
- The population of Texas is 21 million, not including the 16 million cattle and nation's largest herd of whitetail deer.
- Texas' most populous county is Harris county with 3.4 million residents in Houston.
- The least populated county is Loving county with 67 residents.
- Texas possesses three of the Top Ten most populous cities in the U.S. - Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.
- Texas has 215 cities with a population of 10,000 or more.
- The Dallas-Fort Worth area has more residents [5,221,801] than 31 U.S. states. For example, Arizona has about 5.1 million residents.
How's the weather in Texas? [ Wait 10 minutes...it'll change! ]
Is it all tumbleweeds and jackrabbits?
- Average yearly rainfall totals in West Texas are less than 8 inches while in East Texas totals exceed 56 inches.
- The average January temperature for Amarillo is 36.7 degrees while in Brownsville the average is 61.4.
- On March 27, 1984, the temperature in Brownsville was 106 degrees while Amarillo reported snow and 35 degrees.
- During the period of July 24-26, 1979, the Tropical Storm Claudette brought 45 inches of rain to an area near Alvin, Texas, contributing to more than $600 million in damages. Claudette produced the United States 24 hour rainfall record of 43 inches.
- The worst natural disaster in United States history was caused by a hurricane that hit Galveston in 1900. Over 8000 deaths were recorded.
- "You know you are in Texas when.....You use the heater and air condonditioner in the same day."
Texas has 90 mountains a mile or more high, with Guadalupe Peak in West Texas at 8,751 feet being the tallest.
- Almost 10% of Texas is covered by forest which includes four national and five state forests.
- Texas has four national forests (Angelina, Davy Crockett, Sabine and Sam Houston), two national parks (Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains), one national seashore (Padre Island), one national preserve (the Big Thicket), two national recreation areas (Amistad and Lake Meredith) and one national monument (Alibates Flint Quarries).
- More land is farmed in Texas than in any other state
- More wool comes from the state of Texas than any other state in the United States. Edwards Plateau in west central Texas is the top sheep growing area in the country.
- Brazoria County has more species of birds than any other comparable area in North America.
- The Aransas Wildlife Refuge is the winter home of North America's only remaining flock of whooping cranes.
- More species of bats live in Texas than in any other part of the United States.
6 Flags and other brief History lessons...
- Texas is the only state to have the flags of 6 different nations fly over it. They are: Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Confederate States, and the United States.
- Although six flags have flown over Texas, there have been eight changes of government: Spanish 1519-1685, French 1685-1690, Spanish 1690-1821, Mexican 1821-1836, Republic of Texas 1836-1845, United States 1845-1861, Confederate States 1861-1865, United States 1865-present.
- On December 20, 1835 the first Declaration of Texas Independence was signed in Goliad and the first flag of Texas Independence was hoisted
- The state was an independent nation from 1836 to 1845
- Texas is the only state to enter the United States by treaty instead of territorial annexation and it retained the right to fly its flag at the same height as the national flag.
- In 1836 five sites served as temporary capitals of Texas: Washington-on-the-Brazos: Harrisburg: Galveston: Velasco: and Columbia. Sam Houston moved the capital to Houston in 1837. In 1839 the capital was moved to the new town of Austin.
- The capitol building is made from Texas pink granite. The dome of the building stands seven feet higher than that of the nation's Capitol in Washington, D.C.
The Fun, the Cool, the Wierd, and the just plain Crazy...
- A coastal live oak located near Fulton is the oldest tree in the state. The tree has an estimated age of more than 1,500 years
- Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in the state.
- The Hertzberg Circus Museum in San Antonio contains one of the largest assortments of circusana in the world
- Austin is considered the live music capital of the world.
- Texas is home to Dell and Compaq computers and central Texas is often referred to as the Silicon Valley of the south.
- Dr. Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. The Dublin Dr Pepper, 85 miles west of Waco, still uses pure imperial cane sugar in its product. There is no period after the Dr in Dr Pepper.
- The first suspension bridge in the United States was the Waco Bridge. Built in 1870 and still in use today as a pedestrian crossing of the Brazos River.
- Texas comes from the Hasinai Indian word tejas meaning friends or allies.
- Texas has the first domed stadium in the country. The structure was built in Houston and opened in April 1965.
- The first word spoken from the moon on July 20, 1969 was, "Houston..."
- Port Lavaca has the world's longest fishing pier. Originally part of the causeway connecting the two sides of Lavaca Bay, the center span of was destroyed by Hurricane Carla in 1961.
- The Tyler Municipal Rose Garden is the world's largest rose garden. It contains 38,000 rose bushes representing 500 varieties of roses set in a 22-acre garden.
- Amarillo has the world's largest helium well.
- The world's first rodeo was held in Pecos on July 4, 1883.
- The Flagship Hotel on Seawall Boulevard in Galveston is the only hotel in North America built entirely over the water.
- Jalapeno pepper jelly originated in Lake Jackson and was first marketed in 1978.
- Your local grocery store sells cactus in the Fresh Produce department
- If you have spent time in West Texas....you probably have seen a "Christmas Tree" made of spraypainted Tumbleweeds.
Texas Official State....well all sorts of things....
State Bird: Mockingbird
State Flower: Bluebonnet (lupinus)
State Tree: Pecan (carya illinoensis)
State Song: Texas, Our Texas
State Web Site: State Mammal (Large) : Texas Longhorn
State Mammal (Small): Armadillo State Reptile: Horned Lizard State Flying Mammal: Mexican Free-tailed Bat
State Plant: Prickly Pear Cactus
State Grass: Sideoats Grama
State Ship: Battleship Texas
State Folk Dance: Square Dance
State Fruit: Texas Red Grapefruit
State Gemstone cut: The Lone Star Cut
State Stone: Petrified Palmwood
State Seashell: Lightning Whelk
State Dish: Chili
State Pepper: Jalapeno
State Fish: Guadalupe Bass
State Insect: Monarch Butterfly
