What Texas is Famous for?

The second largest state in the United States (after Alaska), second most populated also (after California), home of Beyoncé, Matthew McConaughey and that old robber Willie Nelson, Texas represents a specific idea of America all by itself. The rodeo and cowboys. Giant barbecues and vast expanses. Oil and guns. Ready for a ride?

  1. Texas is the only State that has conducted a revolution against another country (Mexico). It is also the only state, along with Hawaii, that has existed as an independent republic that has itself consented to its annexation to the United States.
  2. That’s the Tornado State, with an annual average of 139 tornadoes, Texas leads the other 49 states. Galveston, Texas, was the site of the biggest natural disaster in the United States. In 1900, a Category 4 hurricane hit the city’s coastline, killing at least 8,000 people and causing damage estimated to cost around $ 700 million today.
  3. In Texas, you can find the largest bat colony in the world. The largest bat colony in the world is located in San Antonio, in the Bracken Cave. About 20 million individuals remain from March to October. The place is protected. Texas is also the state with the most different species of these charming little insectivorous bugs.
  4. 6 different flags flew over Texas – The history of Texas is one of the most turbulent. It was first the Spanish who settled there, then the French, via an outpost near Matagorda Bay. The Mexicans took over, but not for long, as Texas gained its independence and became the Republic of Texas in 1836. He soon joined the United States but was part of the Confederate States during the Civil War. At the end of the war, Texas returned to the United States. A summary is given of Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the United States, and the Confederate States.
  5. This is the American state where you can drive as fast as you can. You can drive on two sections of motorway where the speed is limited to 80 mph (130kph), which is higher than any other speed limit anywhere in the United States.
  6. It is one of the largest producers of wind power. In Texas, they may have oil, but they also have wind. In 2006, the largest wind farm in the country was completed, covering 400,000 hectares. Ranches and farms occupy 74% of the territory.
  7. The motto of Texas is ” friendship”. They did not look for it very far since the name of the state is itself derived from the word ” Tejas,” which means in the Caddo language (an Indian nation notably established in the east of the State), “friend” or ” ally.”
  8. “Everything is bigger in Texas.” This famous phrase is part of the clichés, but also the culture and pride of the solitary Star State. Why do Texans say everything is bigger in Texas? The expression is explained first of all by the size of its territory, whose surface area of 700,000 km2 brings it to the second place of the largest American States, after Alaska. But geography doesn’t explain everything. The expression comes from immigration.” You have to look at this phrase throughout Texas history. Between 1845 and 1915, hundreds of thousands of Europeans flocked to the coast of Texas, much of them of German origin.
  9. Texas culture is often associated with the cowboy myth, which symbolizes the skillful, courageous, enterprising and individualistic man. It represents the founding values of the United States. In the field of culture, Texas has many assets. For example one of the largest concentrations of museums in the United States in downtown Houston, several reputable universities, extensive newspapers or even talented artists.
  10. What Would Texas be without the barbecue? Smokehouses are part of the Texas landscape and are not about to disappear. But why Texas barbeque is so famous. With more than 2,200 establishments, Texas is the state with the most barbecues throughout the United States. The first smokehouses appeared in Texas in the late 1800s when European (mostly German) immigrants settled in Central Texas. At the time, refrigeration did not exist and to avoid losing meat, and butchers smoked the unsold of the week.” The barbecues were public and free; people gathered around the leftovers of meats that farmers agreed to share.

Texas is one of the most exciting States in the 50 states. Its ultra-conservative politicians arouse controversy and ridicule, while its economic power arouses envy. Despite all the criticism, often exaggerated and even false, of this state, millions of people have been emigrating for a better future for decades. Some consider Texas to be another nation, culturally different from the United States, while one might also say that this state sometimes resembles an exaggerated version of the United States, thus “extremely” American.