Interesting Texas Facts

The name Texas comes from the word “tejas” meaning “friend” in the language of the Hasinai Indians of the Caddo Nation.   The nickname for Texas is “The Lone Star State”

Texas declared independence from Mexico on On March 2, 1836. After the battle of San Jacinto, Texas became a free republic on April 21, 1836. The Republic of Texas was admitted to the US on Dec. 29, 1845 as the 28th State.  There were six nations that had sovereignty over portions of the territory of the U.S. state of Texas.


At over 1,000 acres, the Texas Medical Center of Houstan is worlds largest medical complex.

The Capitol of Texas is Austin.

Texas is the 2nd largest state with 268,601 square miles bordered by the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma.  Mexico borders the south across the Rio Grande river.

The geographic center of Texas is 15 miles northeast of the town of Brady in McCulloch County.

Texas has 254 Counties. Texas has more counties than any other state.

According to the 2010 U.S. census,  population of Texas is 25,373,947 with three of the 10 largest U.S. cities: Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio.

The Port of Houston is the largest port in Texas, the 3rd largest in the US and the 8th largest port in the world.  The ships that dock in The Houston Ship Channel carry more cargo than any other port in the United States.

The Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is the 4th busiest in the U.S. and 8th in the world.  At 18,076 acres, it is the 2nd largest in the U.S. and claims to be larger than the island of Manhattan.

The only natural lake in Texas is Lake Caddo, in North East Texas.

There are 190 man made lakes and reservoirs in Texas.

Texas has 80,000 miles of rivers and streams.

The longest river in Texas is the Rio Grande which is 1,254 miles long.

The major rivers in Texas are the Brazos River, Canadian River, Colorado River, Guadalupe, Nueces, Neches, Pecos River, Red River, Rio Grande, Sabine, Trinity River.

The tallest mountain in Texas is Guadalupe Peak which is 8,749 feet above sea level.

Texas has 126 State Parks, 50 wildlife management areas, 8 state fish hatcheries, 13 National Wildlife Refuges, 4 National Forests and 5 National Grasslands.

The top exports in Texas agriculture are cattle, cotton, feed grains, greenhouse plants, poultry and dairy products.  The main food crops grown in Texas in order of volume are corn, sorghum, wheat, onions, peanuts, rice, watermelons, pecans, cantaloups, potatoes, cabbage, sugar cane, soybeans, cucumbers, honeydews, and grapefruit.

The top Texas Industries are chemical industry, petroleum and natural gas, electronic components, telecommunications, biotechnology, machinery, mining, tourism.

 

About Cassidy

Hello! I’m Cassidy Lackey and I'm fascinated by the pride Texans have for their great state. While not a native Texan, I’ve been here for about 30 years, first arriving in 1991 to attend Baylor University. I spend my days on an entrepreneur journey primarily focused on my small businesses, Texas Marimbas, Drone Pilots Media, and TexasProud.com.