55 Interesting Facts About Texas That You Should Know

Last updated on December 8th, 2022

45. King Ranch, located in Kingsville, is larger than the state of Rhode Island. As the home of 35,000 cattle and over 200 Quarter Horses, King Ranch is one of the largest ranches in the world today.^[30]

46. Texas has three of the ten most populous cities in the United States – Houston, San Antonio and Dallas.

47. Texas has more farms and land in farms than any other state in the U.S.^[31]

48. Texas has experienced the most number of tornadoes since 1950. On average, Texas experiences 120 tornadoes a year. A tornado can roar along as fast as 300 miles an hour. Kansas stands second on the list.^[32,33]

49. The Texas Rangers is the oldest statewide law enforcement agency in the U.S. It was established in 1823.^[21]

50. Armadillos are mammals that wear shells. Armadillo in Spanish means “little armored one”. The mammal has bony plates that cover the back, head, legs, and tail of most of these creatures. Out of the 20 varieties of armadillos, only one lives in the United States. The mammal can be found throughout Texas except in the Trans-Pecos. The shell on their bodies acts like armor and provides protection from predators.^[34,35]

51. Bessie Coleman born in Atlanta, Texas, is the first woman of African-American descent and the first woman of Native-American descent to hold a pilot license. She was also the first black person to earn an international pilots license.

52. In the spring of 1978, the bone of a Columbian mammoth was identified by Paul Barron and Eddie Bufkin while they were searching for arrow heads and fossils near the Bosque River. With the help of volunteers, excavation started at the site. Until today, the fossil remains of 24 Columbian mammoths were discovered on the site. The fossils recovered from the site date back to some 65,000 years. The site is famously known as the Waco Mammoth Site. After more than 30 years of careful excavation to uncover the mysteries of the past, it was opened to the public in December 2009.^[36]

53. Widely known as the Texas oil boom, the oil revolution started in Texas after the discovery of the Spindle Top Oil Field. On January 10, 1901, a geyser of oil exploded from a drilling site at Spindletop hill. Continuing for 9 days, the geyser spat more than 10,000 barrels a day and it reached more than 150 feet in the air. This is considered as the beginning of the oil industry in America and many of the top oil companies in the world including Exxon and Gulf Oil can trace their origin here.^[37,38]

54. Before Texas was a part of the United States of America, it was fighting for freedom from Mexico. During the Battle of Alamo, the Texans fighting with the Mexican troops took shelter in the Alamo, a besieged fort. However, ultimately, the Mexican troops who outnumbered the Texans took control of the fort and killed all of the Texans. Henceforth “Remember the Alamo!” became a battle cry which was used by Americans in the Mexican War.^[39,40]

55. The name Big Bend in “Big Bend National Park” comes from a large bend in the Rio Grande River along the park boundary. The Big Bend is one of the most remote national parks in the U.S. At least 450 species of birds inhabit the park—more than any other national park in the United States. Approximately, 400,000 people visit the park every year.^[41,42]

Texas – quick facts and state symbols