It’s huge. Unapologetic. Contradictory. And growing rapidly. Here are 25 random facts about Texas, with the disclaimer that as the state changes, so, too, might these numbers.
1
The population of Texas is approximately 30 million, second in the US behind California and ahead of countries such as Venezuela and Australia.
2
The so-called Texas Triangle, formed by Dallas/Forth Worth, Houston, and Austin/San Antonio, consists of about 21 million people and is considered one of 11 megaregions in the US.
3
In 2022, Texas experienced the second largest net domestic migration (behind Florida), gaining 230,961 residents from other states.
4
At 268,596 square miles, the area of Texas comprises just over 7% of the total area of the US.
5
The US power grid has three sections—one for the East, one for the West, and one for…just Texas.
6
Texas borders a total of eight states, four in the US (Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico) and four in Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas). Here’s a map.
7
Although Texas is often assumed to be flat, its highest peak lies 8,751 feet above sea level (compared to 345 feet in Florida, the country’s flattest state).
8
A very brief telling of Texas history must include mention of native groups, French and then Spanish colonization, a brief stint as part of Mexico after the country gained independence from Spain in 1821, an even briefer stint as an independent country after gaining independence from Mexico in 1836, US statehood starting in 1845, secession from the US during the Civil War (1861-1865), and a return to the US thereafter.
9
Six flags over Texas, a slogan made famous by an amusement park, actually refers to the six countries that have had control of some or all of Texas—France, Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas (the independent country), the Confederate States (during the Civil War), and the US.
10
The nickname Lone Star State and the presence of a single star on the state flag are in reference to the aforementioned blip of independence (1836-1845).
11
Juneteenth commemorates the day—over two months after the end of the Civil War—when slaves in Galveston, Texas, were notified that the war had ended and their freedom had been granted.
12
In keeping with the history above, 40% of the state is classified as Hispanic or Latino.
13
The wave of German immigrants that settled in parts of Texas in the 19th century gave rise to a dialect known as Texas German, now approaching extinction.
14
Two US presidents—Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lyndon B. Johnson—were born in the state.
15
Many point to an event in 1901 when a drilling derrick near Beaumont, Texas, was rewarded with a gusher of crude oil as the start of the Texan oil industry.
16
While the oil industry helped build Texas, the current economy is highly diversified, incorporating basically everything and explaining the net domestic migration above and the GDP below.
17
The annual nominal GDP of Texas is around $2.4 trillion, close to 10% of the entire American GDP. If Texas were its own country (again), it would have the eighth largest nominal GDP in the world. Of course, these impressive numbers are balanced by the fact that the state has the highest percentage of residents without health insurance in the US.
18
With a huge economy come the headquarters of some big-name companies—Texas Instruments, Waste Management, American Airlines, Kimberly-Clark, Oracle, Tesla, Sysco, Dell Technologies, AT&T, ExxonMobil, and McKesson are but a few.
19
Per 2016 data, 64% of Texan adults are highly religious (compared to 33% of adults in Massachusetts), explaining some random facts about Texas, also known as state legislation.
20
Texas has over one million registered guns, the most of any state and almost double the amount of its nearest competitor (yes, Florida).
21
High school football stadiums in Texas can approach a seating capacity of 20,000, an interesting twist for a state with a high school graduation rate of 84%, the second lowest in the US (just behind the graduate-deprived California).
22
Texas is one of nine states with no state income tax.
23
The Lone Star State has played a key part in space exploration thanks to the Houston location of NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (think Mission Control). Private companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin also have test facilities in the state.
24
Thanks to the Texas Hill Country wine region, the state is the fifth-largest wine producer (measured by gallons of wine produced) in the US behind California, Washington, New York, and Oregon.
25
In keeping with its massive size, Texas has contributed generously to the American music scene, claiming the likes of Beyoncé, ZZ Top, George Strait, Don Henley, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, Selena, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Janis Joplin, and many others.
The bottom line: Don’t mess with Texas.
4 Responses
when is compose M.D migrating down to How-di country (sorry, i could not insert a winking imoji)
Haha. Not quite ready to contribute to the net domestic migration figures, but that could change…
Sorry to note that Texas, a prosperous state, has a high percent of uninsured people..
Yes, the decision to keep taxes low makes it attractive to private business, but government services like Medicaid end up being far less generous than in places like New York and California.