Fun Facts About Texas

Fun Facts About Texas: all 30, explained

1. Texas was an independent country for almost ten years.

   After winning independence from Mexico in 1836, the Republic of Texas had its own president, army and currency until it joined the United States in 1845.

   Source: Republic of Texas (Wikipedia) · Fact card

2. Texas is bigger than any country in Europe except Russia.

   Texas covers about 696,000 square kilometres, more than France or Ukraine. It is the second-largest US state after Alaska.

   Source: Texas (Wikipedia) · Fact card

3. One Texas ranch is bigger than the state of Rhode Island.

   King Ranch in South Texas covers about 825,000 acres, larger than Rhode Island. It was founded in 1853 and is one of the largest ranches in the world.

   Source: King Ranch (Wikipedia) · Fact card

4. Six different flags have flown over Texas.

   Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States and the United States have all governed the area, which gave the Six Flags theme park chain its name.

   Source: Six flags over Texas (Wikipedia) · Fact card

5. The Texas State Capitol is taller than the US Capitol.

   Built in the 1880s from pink granite, the capitol in Austin stands about 92 meters tall, a few meters higher than the US Capitol in Washington.

   Source: Texas State Capitol (Wikipedia) · Fact card

6. Dr Pepper was invented in Waco, Texas, in the 1880s.

   Pharmacist Charles Alderton created the drink at a Waco drugstore. It is older than Coca-Cola, which was introduced in 1886.

   Source: Dr Pepper (Wikipedia) · Fact card

7. Austin’s Congress Avenue Bridge is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America.

   Up to 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats live under the bridge in summer, and crowds gather at dusk to watch them fly out.

   Source: Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge (Wikipedia) · Fact card

8. Texas runs most of its own electricity grid, separate from the rest of the US.

   The grid run by ERCOT covers most of the state and has only limited connections to the two big national grids.

   Source: Electric Reliability Council of Texas (Wikipedia) · Fact card

9. The State Fair of Texas is greeted by a cowboy statue about 17 meters tall.

   Big Tex has welcomed visitors to the fair in Dallas since 1952. The fair is also where many deep-fried foods made their debut.

   Source: Big Tex (Wikipedia) · Fact card

10. The first word spoken from the Moon was "Houston".

    Neil Armstrong’s first words after landing in 1969 were "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." Mission Control was at what is now the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

    Source: Johnson Space Center (Wikipedia) · Fact card

11. Texas has more farms and ranches than any other US state.

    Texas leads the country in the number of farms and in cattle production.

    Source: Agriculture in Texas (Wikipedia) · Fact card

12. The name Texas comes from a Caddo word meaning "friends".

    Spanish explorers heard the word táyshaʼ used by the Caddo people and applied it to the region.

    Source: Texas (Wikipedia) · Fact card

13. Texas is called the Lone Star State.

    The single star on its flag recalls the time it was an independent republic from 1836 to 1845.

    Source: Flag of Texas (Wikipedia) · Fact card

14. "Remember the Alamo" was a battle cry of the Texas Revolution.

    The Alamo in San Antonio fell to Mexican forces in 1836. Weeks later, Texans won independence at the Battle of San Jacinto.

    Source: Battle of the Alamo (Wikipedia) · Fact card

15. Texas has the second-largest population of any US state.

    Only California has more people. Texas passed 30 million residents in the early 2020s.

    Source: Texas (Wikipedia) · Fact card

16. Three of the ten largest US cities are in Texas.

    Houston, San Antonio and Dallas are all in the top ten by population, and Austin and Fort Worth are not far behind.

    Source: List of United States cities by population (Wikipedia) · Fact card

17. The bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas.

    Fields of bluebonnets bloom along Texas roads in spring, and planting wildflowers along highways has been state policy for decades.

    Source: Bluebonnet (plant) (Wikipedia) · Fact card

18. Big Bend National Park has some of the darkest night skies in the US.

    The park, on a curve of the Rio Grande, is certified as an International Dark Sky Park.

    Source: Big Bend National Park (Wikipedia) · Fact card

19. A single oil well in Texas launched the modern oil age in 1901.

    The Spindletop gusher near Beaumont produced more oil than any well before it and turned Texas into an oil giant.

    Source: Spindletop (Wikipedia) · Fact card

20. The nine-banded armadillo is the official small mammal of Texas.

    Armadillos almost always give birth to four identical babies from a single egg.

    Source: Nine-banded armadillo (Wikipedia) · Fact card

21. Chili is the official state dish of Texas.

    Texas-style chili, or "bowl of red", is traditionally made without beans.

    Source: Chili con carne (Wikipedia) · Fact card

22. The mockingbird is the state bird of Texas.

    Northern mockingbirds copy the songs of other birds and even mechanical sounds.

    Source: Northern mockingbird (Wikipedia) · Fact card

23. The pecan is the state tree of Texas.

    Texas is one of the largest pecan-producing states, and the pecan is native to the region.

    Source: Pecan (Wikipedia) · Fact card

24. NASA’s astronaut training center is in Houston.

    The Johnson Space Center trains astronauts and runs Mission Control for human spaceflight.

    Source: Johnson Space Center (Wikipedia) · Fact card

25. Texas has 254 counties, more than any other state.

    The county count is far ahead of second-place Georgia, which has 159.

    Source: List of counties in Texas (Wikipedia) · Fact card

26. Tex-Mex is a cuisine born in Texas.

    It blends Mexican and American cooking, with dishes such as chili con queso, fajitas and nachos.

    Source: Tex-Mex cuisine (Wikipedia) · Fact card

27. Padre Island is the longest barrier island in the world.

    It runs about 180 kilometers along the Texas coast and protects nesting sea turtles.

    Source: Padre Island (Wikipedia) · Fact card

28. The highest point in Texas is Guadalupe Peak.

    It rises to 2,667 meters in Guadalupe Mountains National Park in West Texas.

    Source: Guadalupe Peak (Wikipedia) · Fact card

29. Texas is the largest state in the contiguous United States.

    Only Alaska is bigger. Texas covers about 7% of the total area of the US.

    Source: Texas (Wikipedia) · Fact card

30. Rodeo is the official state sport of Texas.

    The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is one of the largest in the world.

    Source: Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (Wikipedia) · Fact card