Texas: The Lone Star State
Everything is bigger in Texas.
This phrase is often used to describe the state’s larger-than-life personality, culture, and landscape. The saying is so popular that it has become a part of Texas’s identity and is often used in pop culture references.
With a population of 29,145,505 as of 2020, Texas is the second most populous state in the United States, after California. The state’s population has been growing at a rate of 1.80% per year, which is the third-highest growth rate in the country. By 2040, Texas is projected to have a population of over 45 million.
Texas is known as the Lone Star State because of the single star present on the 1836 flag of the Republic of Texas. The nickname originated during the time when Texas was fighting for independence from Mexico. The star represented Texans’ wish to be a separate state and their bravery in demanding their own rights from Mexico. It is also said that the star symbolizes the state’s independent spirit and its history of independence.
Texas is the second largest state in the United States, after Alaska, with a total land area of 268,596 square miles. It is the southernmost part of the Great Plains, which end in the south against the folded Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico. To put this into perspective, Texas is larger than France and almost twice the size of Germany.
Texas is the second most populous and the second most extensive state in the United States. It lies in the South Central region of the country and is bordered by New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Here are some interesting facts about Texas:
• Texas has 254 counties.
• The state’s capital is Austin, and its abbreviation is TX.
• Sam Houston was the first president of the Republic of Texas. The Sam Houston statue is the largest statue in America that is modeled after a real person. It is 67 feet tall and was erected in 1994 with 30 tons of concrete and steel. The statue is called “Big Sam” by locals, but its official name is “A Tribute to Courage”.
• The Texas State Fair is the largest in the U.S. It is estimated that almost 3.5 million people attended the fair in 2015.
• Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin of John F. Kennedy (the 35th President of the United States, shot dead on 22 November 1963) was arrested in Texas Theater in Dallas, Texas.
• The Texas State Capitol Building is taller than the nation’s Capitol building (the U.S. Capitol in Washington) by almost 15 feet and is the sixth tallest state capitol.
• Texas has the second-highest number of professional sports teams. The only state that beats Texas in this regard is California.
• The highest national speed limit is observed in Texas on a stretch between San Antonio and Austin on Texas State Highway 130. Here it is allowed to drive up to 85 miles per hour.
• Texas is also the birthplace of Dr Pepper, the first carbonated soft drink making Dr. Pepper Snapple Group the oldest soft drink manufacturer in the U.S.
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