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Texas Facts
The population of Texas is over 22 million, not including
the 16 million cattle.
70% of the population of Texans lives within 200 miles of Austin
(the State Capitol).
Texas possesses 3 of the Top Ten most populous cities in the U.S.
- Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. Also, 6 of the Top 30 cities
- Austin, El Paso, and Fort Worth all over 1/2 million.
Texas has 215 cities with a population of 10,000 or more.
Texas has more than 2,064 towns with a population of less than
150.
Texas has more than 176 towns with a population of 10 or less.
( Arden, in Irion County, and Pueblo, in Callahan County, have
a population of 1.)
The Dallas-Fort Worth area has more residents (6,003,967) than 33 of the United States. (Maryland, for instance, has about 5.6 million residents.)
Texas includes 267,339 square miles, or 7.4% of the nation's total
area. Texas is 801 miles from north to south; and 773 east to west.
El Paso, Texas is closer to Needles, California (516 miles) than it
is to Dallas, Texas (571 miles)
Dallas-Fort Worth Airport is larger than New York City's Mahatten
Island.
Texas' largest county is Brewster with 6,208 square miles. Connecticut
(5,544 Sq Mi) can fit inside this county.
Texas' smallest populated county is Loving County with a population
of 67. It is the smallest populated county in the US, also. Loving
county has no cemeteries, and only 5 marked graves
(all on private land.)
The King Ranch near Corpus Christi is larger than the state of
Rhode Island and includes 50,000 head of cattle.
Texas possesses 23,292 farms with 1,000 acres or more with a total of
132 million acres, or 80% of the state land area,
Texas has 90 mountains a mile or more high, with Guadalupe Peak in West
Texas at 8,751 feet being the tallest.
Caddo Lake (northeast Texas) is the only natural lake in the state. (Texas has 6,736 lakes for a total of 4,959 square miles)
Almost 10% of Texas is covered by forest which includes four national
and five state forests.
Average yearly rainfall totals in West Texas are less than 8 inches
while in East Texas totals exceed 56 inches.
The average January temperature for Amarillo is 36.7 degrees while in
Brownsville the average is 61.4. On March 27, 1984, the temperature in
Brownsville was 106 degrees while Amarillo reported snow and 35 degrees.
The six flags that have flown over Texas belong to Spain (1519-1685);
France (1685-1690); Spain (1690-1821); Mexico (1821-1836); Texas
(1836-1845); CSA (1861-1865); USA (1865 to present)
Texas is the only state to enter the United States by treaty; as
opposed to territorial annexation. Texas was an independent nation
from 1836 to 1845.
There is a clause in the treaty admitting Texas to the United States
that allows the Texas flag to fly at the same height at the US flag.
No other state flag has that privilege.
The state capitol dome in Austin is 7 feet higher than the dome
on the US capitol.
The figure of the Statue of Liberty on the state capitol building
is facing south, forever shunning the North and it's aggression.
The same is true of all state government figurines throughout the
state.
Dr Pepper was invented in 1885 at Waco, Texas. (There is no period
in Dr Pepper.)
The first suspension bridge in the US was build at Waco in 1870
for pedrestrian traffic over the Brazos River.
The first domed staduim was built in Houston, Texas.
The first word spoken on the moon was "Houston, ..."
July 29, 1969.
Laredo is the world's largest inland port (trucks).
Port Lavaca has the world's longest fishing pier. (Once a causeway.)
College Football's Heisman Trophy was named after John William
Heisman, Athletic Director and coach at Rice University, Houston,
Texas.
Aransas Wildlife Refuge near Port Aransas is the winter home of
the only migrating flock of Whooping Cranes.
The first rodeo in the US was at Pecos, Texas on July 4, 1883.
Texas has more churches than any other state with 31,041.
Texas lead the nation in miles of highway with over 70,000. It
also ranks as #1 in Railroad miles and airports.
Texas ranks #1 in total pick up trucks sold (2005).
Tyler (Texas) Municipal Rose Garden is the world's largest. It
sits on 22 acres, 500 varieties of roses are shown on 38,000 rose
bushes.
Amarillo (Texas) has the third longest runway in the world (as
of 2000). It is designated as an alternate landing site for space
shuttle craft.
Galveston (Texas) had the first post office, first bakery, first
grocery store, first electric lights, and the first medical college
in the US.
Lubbock is the largest city in the United States that is dry.
Waco is one of only two cities in the U.S. that has a radio station
whose call letters spell out the name of the city.
The first film made in Texas to have won an Academy Award was Wings
in 1927. The film starred Clara Bow and was directed by William
Wellman.
The smallest Catholic church in the world still in operation is
in Warrenton, Texas. Measuring 12 feet by 15 feet, the church seats
15 and is only open once a year.
Stephen F. Austin and Mexican General Santa Anna belonged to the
same Free Masonry Lodge in Mexico City.
75 percent of the world's Snickers bars are made in Waco at the
M&M/Mars plant.
The only place in the world where they make Dr. Pepper according
to the original formula is in Dublin, Texas.
The Cotton Bowl, in Dallas, has been home to 3 current NFL teams.
First: Dallas Cowboys. Second: Kansas City Chiefs (when they were
called the Dallas Texans of the AFL). Third: Indianapolis
Colts (1952 the NFL New York Yanks moved to Dallas and became the
NFL Dallas Texans. The franchise went broke and in 1953 was
moved to Baltimore and renamed the Colts.)
1901, Oil was discovered at the Spindletop Rig near Houston. Now,
part of a museum.
The longest highway in Texas is U.S. 83 that stretches 903 miles
from Brownsville to Perryton.
The battleship U.S.S. Texas is a state park in Texas.
Santa Gertrudis was the first new cattle breed developed in America.
It happened on the King Ranch in southern Texas.
The first shopping center (Mall) in America is the Highland Park
Shopping Village in Dallas.
The original U.S. House of Representatives building is named for Sam Rayburn,
a Texas politician and member of the House from 1913-1961 (Speaker
of the House 1940-1961); however, he was born in Tennessee.
The first army aircraft flight took place at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, March 2, 1910. The aircraft was piloted by Lt.
Benjamin D. Foulois, and was designated Army Aircraft #1.
The term Honky Tonk was first used in a song by Al Dexter (Clarence
Albert Poindexter, born in 1902 at Jacksonville, Texas) on his recording Honky
Tonk Blues.
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