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- Texas is popularly known as The Lone Star State.
- The Alamo is located in San Antonio. It is where Texas
defenders fell to Mexican General Santa Anna and the phrase
Remember the Alamo originated. The Alamo is considered the
cradle of Texas liberty and the state's most popular
historic site.
- The lightning whelk is the official state shell.
- 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
- The King Ranch in Texas is bigger than the state of
Rhode Island.
- 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.
- 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.
- Texas is the only state to enter the United States by
treaty instead of territorial annexation.
- The state was an independent nation from 1836 to 1845.
- Texas boasts the nation's largest herd of whitetail
deer.
- 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.
- Sam Houston, arguably the most famous Texan, was
actually born in Virginia. Houston served as governor of
Tennessee before coming to Texas.
- Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in the state.
- The first offensive action of the Texas Revolution
occurred in Goliad on October 9, 1835 when local colonists
captured the fort and town.
- On December 20, 1835 the first Declaration of Texas
Independence was signed in Goliad and the first flag of
Texas Independence was hoisted.
- The Hertzberg Circus Museum in San Antonio contains one
of the largest assortments of circusana in the world.
- The capital city of Austin is located on the Colorado
River in south-central Texas. The capitol building is made
from Texas pink granite. It served as the capital of the
Republic of Texas in 1840-1842.
- 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.
- Professional sports teams include the Dallas Cowboys,
Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Stars, Houston Astros, Houston
Comets, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, and Texas
Rangers.
- 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.
- 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 in Austin opened May 16, 1888. The dome of
the building stands seven feet higher than that of the
nation's Capitol in Washington, D.C.
- Texas comes from the Hasinai Indian word tejas meaning
friends or allies.
- The armadillo is the official state mammal.
- Texas has the first domed stadium in the country. The
structure was built in Houston and opened in April 1965.
- The Houston Comets are the only team in the country to
win four back-to-back WNBA championships. 1997-2000 Cynthia
Cooper remains the only player to win the WNBA Championship
MVP.
- The worst natural disaster in United States history was
caused by a hurricane that hit Galveston in 1900. Over 100%0
deaths were recorded.
- The first word spoken from the moon on July 20, 1969 was
Houston.
- Texas' largest county is Brewster with 6,208 square
miles.
- Texas possesses three of the top ten most populous
cities in the United States. These towns are Houston,
Dallas, and San Antonio.
- El Paso is closer to Needles, California than it is to
Dallas.
- Texas includes 267,339 square miles, or 7.4% of the
nation's total area.
- The state's cattle population is estimated to be near 16
million.
- More land is farmed in Texas than in any other state.
- More species of bats live in Texas than in any other
part of the United States.
- Laredo is the world's largest inland port.
- 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.
- The Heisman trophy is named for John William Heisman the
first full-time coach and athletic director at Rice
University in Houston.
- 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.
- Jalapeno pepper jelly originated in Lake Jackson and was
first marketed in 1978.
Thanks to: San
Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau, Rebecca Edinger, Brien
Segers, Hill DeWolfe, Cari Murtagh, Eric Gomez, Valorie75,
Mary Chastain, pkimbrel
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