Last updated on November 7th, 2025
Texas is the 2nd most populous and the 2nd most extensive of the 50 states of the United States. Although many people think that Texas is the largest state in the U.S., it comes in second behind Alaska and is 2nd in population, next to California. It lies in the South Central region of the United States. Texas attained statehood on December 29, 1845, becoming the 28th state to join the union. Its four bordering states are New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. See the full list of the 50 states and their borders here. Texas (nicknamed: the Lone Star State) has 254 counties. While the capital city is Austin, there are several popular large cities in the state, including Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston. The abbreviation for Texas is TX. With these facts about Texas, let us learn more about its history, geography, people, culture, economy and more.
Interesting Facts about Texas
1. Before the settlement of the Europeans in Texas, the land was home to Indians of Texas (Native American Tribes).[12]
2. Sam Houston was the first president of the Republic of Texas. Sam Houston statue is the largest statue in America that is modelled after a real person. It is 67 feet tall. It 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.” Did you know that Sam Houston was born in Virginia?[16]
3. Texas has three of the ten most populous cities in the United States – Houston, San Antonio and Dallas.
4. Texas has more farms and land in farms than any other state in the U.S.[31]
5. The Texas State Fair is the largest in the U.S. It is also the longest-running state fair in the U.S., starting in 1886. The fair is home to the iconic 55 foot tall cowboy statue called Big Tex. Each year, the state fair is held at Fair Park in south Dallas and takes up over 277 acres. The fair has only been cancelled twice, due to World War I and World War II. The first running of the Texas State Fair saw over 100,000 visitors in a week.
6. 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 Theatre in Dallas, Texas. [18]
7. 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.[19]
8. Texas has the second highest number of professional sports teams. The only state that beats Texas in this regards is California.
9. Adopted in 1997, the official sport of Texas is rodeo. The state houses many successful sports teams including the Dallas Cowboys NFL team, the San Antonio Spurs NBA team, and the Texas Rangers MLB team. The Dallas Cowboys and the San Antonio Spurs each claimed 5 championships in their sport for the state. Texas also hosts major events such as FIFA World Cup, T20 Cricket World Cup, and the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix. Texas houses 11 professional football teams, three basketball teams, and two baseball teams.
10. 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.[20]
11. A couple from Texas has claimed the Guinness World Record title of the oldest married couple in the world with their combined age of 211.
12. Texas (695,662 km²) is about twice the size of Germany (357,376 km²). And Texas is larger than any country in Western Europe.[12]
13. There are more than 1.5 million undocumented immigrants in Texas.[11]
14. Dell and Whole Foods both started in Austin, Texas.
15. Southwest Airlines which started as Air Southwest Co. on March 9, 1967, and adopted its current name in 1971, began its operations as an intrastate airline wholly within the state of Texas, connecting Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
16. There’s a town in Texas called Bug Tussle, another called Cut and Shoot, and even Ding Dong.
The Flag of Texas (8 facts about the flag)
17. The state’s nickname the “Lone Star State” comes from the fact that it was once an independent country with its own single star flag. The lone star flag adopted by the Republic of Texas in 1839 became the flag of the lone star state when Texas became part of the United States in 1845.[3]
18. The ballon-expendable stent that is used to unclog the blocked vascular vessels during coronary surgery was invented by Julio Palmaz at the University of Texas Health Science Center. The patent for the stent was awarded in 1985 and it was recognized in Intellectual Property International Magazine as one of the “Ten patents that changed the world”.[25]
19. The popular soft drink Dr. Pepper was invented in Waco, Texas in 1885. As one of the top ten soft drinks in the U.S., Dr. Pepper was created by Charles Alderton just one year before the development of Coca-Cola. Originally served at the Old Corner Drug Store in Waco and was first referred to as “Waco” by customers. The official name, Dr. Pepper, was a suggestion from the drugstore owner. The company was incorporated in Dallas in 1923 and became Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. In 2008. Dr. Pepper has earned its spot as one of the most popular brands in Texas and the U.S.
20. In 1827, 7-Eleven opened its first chain in Dallas, Texas. Originally name “Tote’m Stores,” the name was changed to 7-Eleven in 1946. The store began as an ice dock, called Southland Ice, Co., selling milk, eggs, and bread before expanding into the Tote’m Stores brand. The name was changed to 7-Eleven to reflect the hours of operation, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, the brand took over Stripes and Laredo Taco Company in 2018, expanding the company even more to cover 19 countries with over 86,000 stores.
21. Frozen Margarita machine was invented in Texas by Mariano Martinez in 1971.[8]
22. Two doctors namely Frank Gerow and Thomas Cronin are credited with the invention of breast implants. In 1962, the first of these implants were done on Texan Timmie Jean Lindsay.
The State Quarter
23. The Highland Park Village in Texas is the first planned shopping centre in the U.S. It was constructed in 1931.[7]
24. Texas is the largest of the 48 contiguous states of the U.S., and the second largest overall, behind Alaska.[3]
25. The name Texas has originated from the word taysha, which means “friends” in the Caddo (native american) language.[1]
26. Less than 10% of Texas’ land area is desert.[1]
27. Texas is 790 miles long and 660 miles wide at its most distant points.
Texas on the U.S. map
28. Texas in the earlier times was ruled by several nations including Spain, France, and Mexico.[1]
29. The deadliest national disaster in U.S. history occurred in Texas in 1900. The Great Galveston Storm of 1900 killed an estimated 6,000 to 12,000 people. This hurricane was a category 4 storm and caused irreparable damage to the area. The storm had winds up to 145 miles per hour and made landfall with little warning. The winds and rains nearly wiped out the city of Galveston, destroying thousands of homes. This disaster led to the construction of the seawall, which is still in place today to protect the city from future storms.
30. Prior to World War II: cattle and bison, cotton, timber, and oil were the four industries that shaped the state’s economy.[1]
31. It is also a hot spot for the second-largest group of fortune 500 companies in the U.S.
32. The Rio Grande is the largest river in Texas.[1]
The Seal of Texas
33. Rocks as old as 1600 million years have been recognized in Texas.[1]
34. Texas has the largest state capitol building in the U.S. (51.4 acres)[2]
35. Austin, Texas was named after Stephen Austin, who established the state’s first American colony. Texas is named after the Indian word “Tejas” meaning “friends” or “allies”.[3]
36. Texas is the leading producer of oil, natural gas, and sulphur in the country.[3]
37. Two of the United States presidents were born in Texas. Lyndon Johnson and Dwight Eisenhower.[3]
38. In 1980s Texas spent a whopping $20 million a year on cleaning up trash along its highways. The phrase “Don’t mess with Texas” was created by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in 1985 as an anti-littering campaign. Advertising executive Tim McClure launched the campaign in 1986 and aimed to reduce litter on Texas highways, who saw large clean-up bills every year. Campaigns for the cause also featured celebrities of the time, such as Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett, to entice people to get behind the cause. The slogan became popular and is since then an unofficial slogan for Texas pride.
39. Texas is generally divided into East and West. The eastern part of the state is known for cotton while the western part of the state is characterized by cattle ranching. Top exports for the state include gas, oil, petroleum products, chemicals, computer and electronics products, and transportation equipment. The state is a leading producer of crude oil and refined petroleum products. Texas is also a major exporter of agricultural products including cotton, beef cattle, feed grains, and pecans. Mexico is the largest destination for Texas exports, followed by Canada. In 2024, Texas exported $455 billion dollars in products, making it the largest exporter in the United States.
40. Opening on April 9, 1965, the Astrodome in Houston, Texas is the world’s first multi-purpose domed sports stadium. The stadium was originally called Harris County Domed Stadium and nicknamed “Eighth Wonder of the World.” It is also now on the National Register of Historic Places. This stadium has hosted major sporting events and the Republican National Convention. The Astrodome was the first to use artificial turf, known as AstroTurf. The design of the stadium was inspired by the Colosseum in Rome and was built to withstand the heat and rain of Houston. The stadium is home to the Houston Astros MLB team and the Houston Oilers NFL team.
41. Spanish explorer Alonso Alvarez de Pineda was the first European to visit Texas in 1915.[27]
42. Between 1836 and 1845, Texas was an independent nation. It is the only state to enter the United States by treaty instead of territorial annexation.[5]
43. Six flags have flown over Texas (Spanish, French, Mexican, Republic of Texas, Confederate, and United States).[5]
44. George W. Bush, the ex-president of the United States of America (between 2001 and 2009), was the governor of Texas for two terms (served as the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 until 2000). He was also the first Texas governor to be elected for two consecutive terms since Dolph Briscoe was re-elected in 1974.[26,43]
45. Texas has more species of birds than any other state, including screech owls, hummingbirds, and the Northern mockingbird. The state features unique species such as the alligator snapping turtle, which is the largest freshwater turtle species in North America and can weigh over 200 pounds. The only armadillo species to range the U.S., the nine-banded armadillo, is the official state small mammal. Texas has more white-tailed deer than any other state. Many other reptiles and amphibians call Texas home, such as the horned lizard, the Texas map turtle, and the vinegaroon. The official large mammal of Texas is the Texas Longhorn, representing the long ranching history of the state.
46. Texas has more cattle than any other state in the country.[23]
47. Texas also has one of the world’s largest wind-power-producing farms. Texas has its own power grid. There are three grids in the Lower 48 states: the Eastern Interconnection, the Western Interconnection — and Texas. The power grid in the state was established during the WWII so that the factories producing critical war supplies remain self-sustainable.[6,28]
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