By Todd Short, COO – YTexas
April 17, 2020
Texas is famously known as the Lone Star State, that’s a fact. We decided to dig deeper and enlighten you on a few more Texas facts – 34 to be exact:
- 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.
- 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.
- The King Ranch in Texas is bigger than the state of Rhode Island.
- More wool comes from the state of Texas than any other state in the United States.
- 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 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 central Texas is often referred to as the Silicon Valley of the south.
- Professional sports teams include the Dallas Cowboys (NFL), Dallas Mavericks (NBA), Dallas Stars (NHL), FC Dallas (MLS), Houston Astros (MLB), Houston Texans (NFL), Houston Rockets (NBA), Houston Dynamo (MLS), San Antonio Spurs (NBA), and Texas Rangers (MLB).
- 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 worst natural disaster in United States history was caused by a hurricane that hit Galveston in 1900. Over 8000 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 (Austin is #11).
- 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.
- Laredo is the world’s largest inland port.
- 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.
