Texas: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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| motto = Friendship

| anthem = "[[Texas, Our Texas]]"

| population_demonym = [[Texan]] [[Texian]] (archaic) [[Tejano]] (usually only used for Hispanics)

| seat = [[Austin, Texas|Austin]]

| LargestCity = [[Houston]]

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| Judiciary = [[Supreme Court of Texas]] (Civil) [[Texas Court of Criminal Appeals]] (Criminal)

| Senators = {{nowrap|[[John Cornyn]] (R)}} {{nowrap|[[Ted Cruz]] (R)}}

| Representative = 25 [[Republican Party of Texas|Republicans]] 1312 [[Democratic Party of Texas|Democrats]] 1 vacant

| postal_code = TX

| TradAbbreviation = Tex.

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| population_as_of = 2023

| 2020Pop = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 30,503,301<ref name="Historical Population Change Data">{{cite web |title=Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020) |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 1, 2021 |archive-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429012609/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

| population_density_rank = ~~26th~~23rd

| 2000DensityUS = 114

| 2000Density = 42.9

| MedianHouseholdIncome = $66,963<ref>{{cite web |title=Texas |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Texas?g=040XX00US48 |website=U.S. Census Bureau |date=2021|access-date=May 17, 2023}}</ref>

| IncomeRank = [[List of U.S. states and territories by income#States and territories ranked by median household income|~~22nd~~23rd]]

| AdmittanceOrder = 28th

| AdmittanceDate = December 29, 1845

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| length_mi = 801<ref name="Texas Almanac-2008" />

| length_km = 1,289

| elevation_max_point = [[Guadalupe Peak]]<ref>{{cite ngs |id=CD0994 |designation=El Capitan |access-date=October 20, 2011}}</ref><ref name=USGS>{{cite web|url=https://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |title=Elevations and Distances in the United States |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |year=2001 |access-date=October 24, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722022527/http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |archive-date=July 22, 2012}}</ref>{{efn|Elevation adjusted to [[North American Vertical Datum of 1988]].}}

| elevation_max_ft = 8,751

| elevation_max_m = 2667.4

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}}

'''Texas''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|ɛ|k|s|ə|s|audio=En-us-Texas.ogg}} {{respell|TEK|səss}}, {{IPAc-en|local|also|ˈ|t|ɛ|k|s|ᵻ|z}} {{respell|TEK|siz}};<ref>{{Accents of English|551|hide1=y|hide2=y}}</ref> {{lang-es|Texas}} or {{lang|es|Tejas}},{{efn|In [[Peninsular Spanish]], the spelling variant {{lang|es|Tejas}} is also used alongside {{lang|es|Texas}}. According to the {{lang|es|[[Diccionario panhispánico de dudas]]}} by the [[Royal Spanish Academy]] and the [[Association of Academies of the Spanish Language]], the spelling version with {{angbr|j}} aligns with modern-day orthographic conventions and is correct; however, the spelling with {{angbr|x}} is recommended, as it is the one that is used in [[Mexican Spanish]].<ref>"Texas" in ''[[iarchive:diccionariopanhi0000unse|Diccionario panhispánico de dudas]]'' by [[Royal Spanish Academy]] and [[Association of Academies of the Spanish Language]], Madrid: Santillana. 2005. ISBN 978-8-429-40623-8.</ref> See {{section link|Spanish orthography|History}}.}} {{IPA|es|ˈtexas|pron}}) is the most populous [[U.S. state|state]] in the [[South Central United States|South Central]] region of the [[United States]]. It borders [[Louisiana]] to the east, [[Arkansas]] to the northeast, [[Oklahoma]] to the north, [[New Mexico]] to the west, and ~~the~~ [[Mexico-United States ~~of Mexico~~border|an international border]] with the [[Mexican states]] of [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]], [[Coahuila]], [[Nuevo León]], and [[Tamaulipas]] to the south and southwest. Texas has a coastline on the [[Gulf of Mexico]] to the southeast. Covering {{convert|268,596|mi2|km2}}, and with over 30 million residents as of 2023,<ref>Carlson, Kara. [https://www.statesman.com/story/business/2022/12/23/texas-populaton-boom-30-million-people-according-us-census-bureau/69752038007/ More than 30 million people now call Texas home as state leads US population gains], ''[[Austin American-Statesman]]'', December 23, 2022.</ref><ref>[https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/TX/PST045223 QuickFacts, Population Estimates], ''[[U.S. Census Bureau]]'', July 1, 2023.</ref><ref>Press Release. [https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/2022-population-estimates.html Growth in U.S. Population Shows Early Indication of Recovery Amid COVID-19 Pandemic], ''[[U.S. Census Bureau]]'', December 22, 2022.</ref> it is the second-largest ~~[[U.S.~~ state]] by both [[List of U.S. states and territories by area|area]] and [[List of U.S. states and territories by population|population]].

Texas is nicknamed the '''''Lone Star State''''' for its former status as ~~[[Republic of Texas|~~an independent republic]]. The ''Lone Star'' can be found on the Texas state flag and the Texas state seal.<ref>{{cite web |title=The State of Texas |url=https://www.netstate.com/states/intro/tx_intro.htm |access-date=April 11, 2010 |website=Netstate.com}}</ref> [[Spain]] was the [[Spanish Texas|first European country]] to claim and control the area of Texas. Following [[French colonization of Texas|a short-lived colony]] controlled by France, Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming the [[Republic of Texas]]. In 1845, Texas joined the United States as the 28th state.<ref>{{cite web |title=Twenty-ninth Congress: Resolutions |url=http://legisworks.org/sal/9/stats/STATUTE-9-Pg108a.pdf |url-status=dead |date=1845 |access-date=May 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525081934/http://legisworks.org/sal/9/stats/STATUTE-9-Pg108a.pdf |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |website=legisworks.org}}</ref> The [[Texas annexation|state's annexation]] set off a chain of events that led to the [[Mexican–American War]] in 1846. Following victory by the United States, Texas remained a [[slave state]] until the [[American Civil War]], when it declared its secession from [[Union (American Civil War)|the Union]] in early 1861 before officially joining the [[Confederate States of America]] on March{{nbsp}}2. After the Civil War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation.

Historically, ~~four~~five major industries shaped the [[Texas economy]] prior to [[World War II]]: cattle, bison, cotton, timber, and oil.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ramos |first1=Mary G. |last2=Reavis |first2=Dick J. |title=Texas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EgCE8AHvYUQC&pg=PA125 |publisher=Fodor's Travel Publications |year=2004 |page=125 |isbn=978-0-676-90502-1}}</ref> Before and after the Civil War, the cattle industry—which Texas came to dominate—was a major economic driver and created the traditional image of the Texas cowboy. In the later 19th century, cotton and lumber grew to be major industries as the cattle industry became less lucrative. Ultimately, the discovery of major [[petroleum]] deposits ([[Spindletop]] in particular) initiated [[Texas oil boom|an economic boom]] that became the driving force behind the economy for much of the 20th century. Texas developed a diversified economy and [[high tech]] industry during the mid-20th century. {{As of|2022}}, it has the most [[Fortune 500|''Fortune'' 500]] company headquarters (53) in the United States.<ref name="Austin 2022">{{cite web | title=Texas leads nation as home to the most Fortune 500 companies | website=FOX 7 Austin | date=May 24, 2022 | url=https://www.fox7austin.com/news/texas-home-to-most-fortune-500-companies | access-date=October 31, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Miranda 2022">{{cite web | last=Miranda | first=Cynthia | title=Texas houses the most Fortune 500 companies in the nation | website=KETK.com | date=May 25, 2022 | url=https://www.ketk.com/news/local-news/texas-houses-the-most-fortune-500-companies-in-the-nation/ | access-date=October 31, 2022 | archive-date=March 26, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326035403/https://www.ketk.com/news/local-news/texas-houses-the-most-fortune-500-companies-in-the-nation/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> With a growing base of industry, the state leads in many industries, including [[tourism]], [[Agriculture in Texas|agriculture]], [[petrochemicals]], [[Energy in Texas|energy]], [[Computer industry|computers]] and [[Consumer electronics|electronics]], [[aerospace]], and [[biomedical sciences]]. Texas has led the U.S. in [[List of U.S. states and territories by exports|state export revenue]] since 2002 and has the [[List of U.S. states by GDP|second-highest]] [[gross state product]].

The [[Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex]] and [[Greater Houston]] areas are the nation's fourth and fifth-most populous [[Metropolitan statistical area|urban regions]] respectively. Its capital city is [[Austin, Texas|Austin]]. Due to its size and geologic features such as the [[Balcones Fault]], Texas contains diverse [[Geography of Texas|landscapes]] common to both the U.S. [[Southern United States|Southern]] and the [[Southwestern United States|Southwestern regions]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Sansom |first=Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LEHH7ovVVDgC&pg=PA25 |title=Water in Texas: An Introduction |publisher=[[University of Texas Press]] |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-292-71809-8 |page=25}}</ref> Most population centers are in areas of former [[prairie]]s, [[grassland]]s, forests, and the [[coastline]]. Traveling from east to west, terrain ranges from coastal [[swamp]]s and [[piney woods]], to rolling plains and rugged hills, to the desert and mountains of the [[Big Bend (Texas)|Big Bend]].

==Etymology==

The name ''Texas'', based on the [[Caddo language|Caddo word]] {{lang|cad|táy:shaʼ}} ({{IPA|/tə́jːʃaʔ/}}) 'friend', was applied, in the spelling {{lang|es|Tejas}} or {{lang|es|Texas}},<ref>José Arlegui, ''Chronica de la provincia de N.S.P.S. Francisco de Zacatecas Front Cover'' (1737), [https://books.google.com/books?id=oor1HSP8-SQC&pg=PA53 p. 53].</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Texas |url=https://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Texas |website=Online Etymology Dictionary |publisher=Douglas Harper |access-date=February 25, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite Handbook of Texas |last=Fry |first=Phillip L. |title=Texas, Origin of Name |id=pft04 |orig-year=July 15, 2010 |date=March 7, 2016}}</ref><ref name="facts">{{cite web |title=Facts |edition=2010–2011 |work=[[Texas Almanac]] |url=http://texasalmanac.com/topics/facts-profile |first=Robert |last=Plocheck |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110228054833/http://www.texasalmanac.com/topics/facts-profile |archive-date=February 28, 2011 |date=November 20, 2017}}</ref> by the Spanish to the [[Caddo]] themselves, specifically the [[Hasinai~~|Hasinai Confederacy~~]] Confederacy.<ref>{{cite book |last=Davis |first=Lucile |title=The Caddo of Texas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RN5VZEYH784C |publisher=Rosen Publishing |year=2003 |page=5 |isbn=9780823964352}}</ref>

During [[Spanish Texas|Spanish colonial rule]], in the 18th century, the area was known as {{lang|es|Nuevas Filipinas}} ('[[New Philippines]]') and {{lang|es|Nuevo Reino de Filipinas}} ('New Kingdom of the Philippines'),<ref name="Teja-2010" /> or as {{lang|es|provincia de los Tejas}} ('province of the {{lang|es|Tejas}}'),<ref>Oakah L. Jones, ''Los Paisanos: Spanish Settlers on the Northern Frontier of New Spain'', University of Oklahoma Press (1996), [https://books.google.com/books?id=i-eo6Rpbhw0C&pg=PA277 p. 277], citing a document dated November 5, 1730.</ref> later also {{lang|es|provincia de Texas}} (or {{lang|es|de Tejas}}), ('province of Texas').<ref>Joseph de Laporte, ''El viagero universal: Ó, Noticia del mundo antiguo y nuevo'' vol. 27 (1799), [https://books.google.com/books?id=HrxHAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA114 p. 114].</ref><ref name="Teja-2010">{{cite Handbook of Texas |last=Teja |first=Jesús de la |title=New Philippines |id=usn01 |date=June 15, 2010}}</ref> It was incorporated as {{lang|es|[[Mexican Texas|provincia de Texas]]}} into the [[First Mexican Empire|Mexican Empire]] in 1821, and declared [[Republic of Texas|a republic]] in 1836. The [[Royal Spanish Academy]] recognizes both spellings, {{lang|es|Tejas}} and {{lang|es|Texas}}, as Spanish-language forms of the name.<ref>"Texas. Grafía recomendada para el nombre de este estado norteamericano. Su pronunciación correcta es [téjas], no [téksas]. Se recomienda escribir asimismo con x el gentilicio correspondiente: texano. Son también válidas las grafías con j (Tejas, tejano), de uso mayoritario en España." ''Diccionario panhispánico de dudas'',

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[[File:Early indian west.jpg|thumb|Early Native American tribal territories]]Texas lies between two major cultural spheres of [[Pre-Columbian North America]]: the [[Southwestern tribes|Southwestern]] and the [[Plains Indians|Plains]] areas. [[Archaeologists]] have found that three major Indigenous cultures lived in this territory, and reached their developmental peak before the first European contact. These were:{{sfn|Richardson|Wintz|Boswell|Anderson|2021|p=9}} the [[Ancestral Puebloans]] from the upper [[Rio Grande]] region, centered west of Texas; the [[Mississippian culture]], also known as [[Mound Builders]], which extended along the [[Mississippi River Valley]] east of Texas; and the civilizations of [[Mesoamerica]], which were centered south of Texas. Influence of [[Teotihuacan]] in northern Mexico peaked around AD 500 and declined between the 8th and 10th centuries.

When Europeans arrived in the Texas region, the language families present in the state were ~~[[Caddo]]an~~Caddoan, [[Atakapa]]n, Athabaskan, [[Coahuiltecan]], and Uto-Aztecan, in addition to several language isolates such as [[Tonkawa language|Tonkawa]]. Uto-Aztecan Puebloan and [[Jumanos|Jumano]] peoples lived neared the Rio Grande in the western portion of the state and the Athabaskan-speaking Apache tribes lived throughout the interior. The agricultural, mound-building Caddo controlled much of the northeastern part of the state, along the [[Red River of the South|Red]], [[Sabine River (Texas–Louisiana)|Sabine]], [[Neches River|and Neches River]] basins.<ref name="Carter 1995">{{Cite book |last=Carter |first=Cecile Elkins |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1253386080 |title=Caddo Indians where we come from |date=1995 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=0-585-17049-5 |oclc=1253386080}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.7560/711501 |title="The Caddo Nation" |date=1993 |publisher=University of Texas Press |doi=10.7560/711501 |isbn=978-0-292-79978-3}}</ref> Atakapan peoples such as the [[Akokisa]] and [[Bidai]] lived along the northeastern Gulf Coast; the [[Karankawa people|Karankawa]] lived along the central coast.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Aten |first=Lawrence E. |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/254092448 |title=Indians of the upper Texas coast |date=1983 |publisher=Academic Pr |isbn=0-12-065740-6 |oclc=254092448}}</ref> At least one tribe of [[Coahuiltecan|Coahuiltecans]], the [[Aranama people|Aranama]], lived in southern Texas. This entire culture group, primarily centered in northeastern [[Mexico]], is now extinct.

No culture was dominant across all of present-day Texas, and many peoples inhabited the area.{{sfn|Richardson|Wintz|Boswell|Anderson|2021|p=10}} Native American tribes who have lived inside the boundaries of present-day Texas include the [[Alabama people|Alabama]], [[Apache]], [[Atakapa|Atakapan]], [[Bidai]], [[Caddo]], [[Aranama people|Aranama]], [[Comanche]], [[Choctaw]], [[Coushatta]], [[Hasinai]], [[Jumano people|Jumano]], [[Karankawa people|Karankawa]], [[Kickapoo people|Kickapoo]], [[Kiowa]], [[Tonkawa]], and [[Wichita people|Wichita]].{{sfn|Richardson|Wintz|Boswell|Anderson|2021|p=12}}<ref>{{cite Handbook of Texas|id=bzi04|title=Indians|first=George |last=Klos|date=June 15, 2010}}</ref> Many of these peoples migrated from the north or east during the colonial period, such as the [[Choctaw]], Alabama-Coushatta, and [[Lenape|Delaware]].<ref name="Carter 1995"/>

The region was primarily controlled by the Spanish until the [[Texas Revolution]]. They were most interested in relationships with the Caddo, who were—like the Spanish—a settled, agricultural people. Several Spanish missions were opened in Caddo territory, but a lack of interest in Christianity among the Caddo meant that few were converted. Positioned between French Louisiana and Spanish Texas, the Caddo maintained relations with both, but were closer with the French.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barr |first=Juliana |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1148108904 |title=Peace Came in the Form of a Woman : Indians and Spaniards in the Texas Borderlands. |date=November 2009 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |isbn=978-1-4696-0470-1 |oclc=1148108904}}</ref> After Spain took control of Louisiana, most of the missions in eastern Texas were closed and abandoned.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Galán |first=Francis X. |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1128731300 |title=Los Adaes : the first capital of Spanish Texas |year=2020 |publisher=Texas A&M University Press |isbn=978-1-62349-878-8 |oclc=1128731300}}</ref> The United States obtained Louisiana following the 1803 [[Louisiana Purchase]] and began convincing tribes to self-segregate from whites by moving west; facing an overflow of native peoples in Missouri and Arkansas, they were able to negotiate with the Caddo to allow several displaced peoples to settle on unused lands in eastern Texas. These included the [[Muscogee]], [[Houma people|Houma Choctaw]], [[Lenape]] and [[Mingo|Mingo Seneca]], among others, who came to view the Caddoans as saviors.<ref name="Glover">Glover, William B. "A History of the Caddo Indians". Reprinted from 'The Louisiana Historical Quarterly'; Vol. 18, No. 4. October 1935</ref><ref>Swanton, John R. Indians of the Southeastern United States (Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1946) p. 139</ref>

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The temperament of Native American tribes affected the fates of European explorers and [[settler]]s in that land.<ref name="Richardson-2005"/> Friendly tribes taught newcomers how to grow local crops, prepare foods, and hunt [[game (food)|wild game]]. Warlike tribes resisted the settlers.<ref name="Richardson-2005">{{cite book |first1=Rupert N. |last1=Richardson |first2=Adrian |last2=Anderson |first3=Cary D. |last3=Wintz |first4=Ernest |last4=Wallace |title=Texas: the Lone Star State |edition=9th |publisher=Prentice Hall |isbn=978-0-1318-3550-4 |pages=10–16|year=2005 }}</ref> Prior treaties with the Spanish forbade either side from militarizing its native population in any potential conflict between the two nations. Several outbreaks of violence between Native Americans and Texans started to spread in the prelude to the Texas Revolution. Texans accused tribes of stealing livestock. While no proof was found,<ref name="Carter 1995" /> those in charge of Texas at the time attempted to publicly blame and punish the Caddo, with the U.S. government trying to keep them in check. The Caddo never turned to violence because of the situation, except in cases of self-defense.<ref name="Glover"/>

By the 1830s, the U.S. had drafted the Indian Removal Act, which was used to facilitate the Trail of Tears. Fearing retribution, Indian Agents all over the eastern U.S. tried to convince all Indigenous peoples to uproot and move west. This included the Caddo of Louisiana and Arkansas. Following the Texas Revolution, the Texans chose to make peace with the Indigenous people, but did not honor former land claims or agreements.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}} The first president of Texas, [[Sam Houston]], aimed to cooperate and make peace with Native tribes, but his successor, [[Mirabeau B. Lamar]], took a much more hostile stance. Hostility towards Natives by white Texans prompted the movement of most Native populations north into what would become [[Indian Territory]] (modern Oklahoma).<ref name="Carter 1995"/><ref name="Glover"/> Only the [[Alabama–Coushatta Tribe of Texas|Alabama-Coushatta]] would remain in the parts of Texas subject to white settlement, though the [[Comanche]] would continue to control most of the western half of the state until their defeat in the 1870s and 1880s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gwynne |first=S. C. |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/968100096 |title=Empire of the Summer Moon. |date=2011 |publisher=Constable & Robinson |isbn=978-1-84901-820-3 |oclc=968100096}}</ref>

===Colonization===

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[[File:LaFora 1771 2.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Nicolas de La Fora's 1771 map of the northern frontier of [[New Spain]] clearly shows the Provincia de los Tejas.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bolton |first=Herbert Eugene |date=1915 |title=Texas in the Middle 18th Century|publisher=University of California Press |page=facing p. 382 |url=https://archive.org/stream/texasinmiddleei00boltgoog#page/n420/mode/2up}}</ref>|left]]

Hostile native tribes and distance from nearby Spanish colonies discouraged settlers from moving to the area. It was one of New Spain's least populated provinces.{{sfnp|Chipman|1992|p=205}} In 1749, the Spanish peace treaty with the [[Lipan Apache people|Lipan Apache]] angered many tribes,{{sfnp|Weber|1992|p=193}} including the [[Comanche]], [[Tonkawa]], and [[Hasinai]].{{sfnp|Weber|1992|p=189}} The Comanche signed a treaty with Spain in 1785 and later helped to defeat the Lipan Apache and [[Karankawa ~~people|Karankawa]]~~ tribes.<ref>{{harvp|Weddle|1995|p=164}}; {{harvp|Chipman|1992|p=200}}</ref>{{sfnp|Weddle|1995|p=163}} With numerous missions being established, priests led a peaceful conversion of most tribes. By the end of the 18th century only a few [[nomad]]ic tribes had not converted.{{sfnp|Chipman|1992|p=202}}

[[File:Stephen f austin.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Stephen F. Austin]] was the first American ''[[empresario]]'' given permission to operate a colony within [[Mexican Texas]].]]

[[File:Mexico 1824 (equirectangular projection).png|thumb|upright=1.35|Mexico in 1824. [[Coahuila y Tejas]] is the northeasternmost state.]]

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[[File:3c Texas Centennial Sam Houston, Stephen Austin, and Alamo, 1936 issue.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|On March 2, 1936, the U.S. Post Office issued a [[commemorative stamp]] commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Texas Declaration of Independence, featuring Sam Houston (left), Stephen Austin and the Alamo.]]

Texas was finally [[Texas annexation|annexed]] when the expansionist [[James K. Polk]] won the [[1844 United States presidential election|election of 1844]].<ref>Buescher, John. [http://www.teachinghistory.org/history-content/ask-a-historian/23927 "Senatorial Division"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101055351/https://teachinghistory.org/history-content/ask-a-historian/23927 |date=November 1, 2020 }}, [http://www.teachinghistory.org/ Teachinghistory.org], accessed August 21, 2011. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711054633/http://teachinghistory.org/ |date=July 11, 2011 }}</ref> On December 29, 1845, the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]] admitted Texas to the U.S.<ref name="TAnnexation">{{cite Handbook of Texas|id=mga02|title=Annexation|first=C. T. |last=Neu|orig-year=June 9, 2010 |date=December 2, 2015}}</ref>

After Texas's annexation, Mexico broke diplomatic relations with the United States. While the United States claimed Texas's border stretched to the Rio Grande, Mexico claimed it was the [[Nueces River]] leaving the [[Rio Grande Valley (Texas)|Rio Grande Valley]] under contested Texan sovereignty.<ref name="TAnnexation" /> While the former Republic of Texas could not enforce its border claims, the United States had the military strength and the political will to do so. President Polk ordered General [[Zachary Taylor]] south to the Rio Grande on January 13, 1846. A few months later Mexican troops routed an American cavalry patrol in the disputed area in the [[Thornton Affair]] starting the [[Mexican–American War]]. The first battles of the war were fought in Texas: the [[Siege of Fort Texas]], [[Battle of Palo Alto]] and [[Battle of Resaca de la Palma]]. After these decisive victories, the United States invaded Mexican territory, ending the fighting in Texas.<ref name="Mwar">{{cite Handbook of Texas|id=qdm02|title=Mexican War|first= K. Jack |last=Bauer|orig-year=June 15, 2010 |date=March 28, 2016}}</ref>

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In 1900, Texas suffered the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history during the [[1900 Galveston hurricane|Galveston hurricane]].<ref name="deadhurr" /> On January 10, 1901, the first major [[oil well]] in Texas, [[Spindletop]], was found south of [[Beaumont, Texas|Beaumont]]. Other fields were later discovered nearby in [[East Texas Oil Field|East Texas]], [[West Texas]], and under the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. The resulting "[[Texas oil boom|oil boom]]" transformed Texas.<ref>{{cite Handbook of Texas|id=dos03|title=Spindletop Oilfield|first1=Robert |last1=Wooster |first2=Christine Moor |last2=Sanders |orig-year=June 15, 2010 |date=April 2, 2019 }}</ref> Oil production averaged three million barrels per day at its peak in 1972.<ref>{{cite Handbook of Texas|id=doogz|title=Oil and Gas Industry|first=Roger M. |last=Olien |orig-year=June 15, 2010 |date=August 19, 2016}}</ref>

In 1901, the Democratic-dominated state legislature passed a bill requiring payment of a [[Poll tax (United States)|poll tax]] for voting, which effectively [[Disenfranchisement after the Reconstruction Era|disenfranchised]] most Black and many poor White and [[Latinos|Latino]] people. In addition, the legislature established [[white primaries]], ensuring minorities were excluded from the formal political process. The number of voters dropped dramatically, and the Democrats crushed competition from the Republican and Populist parties.<ref>{{cite journal |jstor=791091 |title=Nixon v. Condon. Disfranchisement of the Negro in Texas |journal=The Yale Law Journal |volume=41 |issue=8 |pages=1212–1221 |date=June 1932 |doi=10.2307/791091|issn=0044-0094 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/6_5_3.html |title=Texas Politics: Historical Barriers to Voting |publisher=University of Texas at Austin |date=2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080402060131/http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/html/vce/0503.html |archive-date=April 2, 2008}}</ref> The [[Socialist Party of Texas|Socialist Party]] became the second-largest party in Texas after 1912,<ref>{{cite Handbook of Texas |id=was01|title=Socialist Party|first=Barr|last=Alwyn|date=June 15, 2010}}</ref> coinciding with a large socialist upsurge in the United States during fierce battles in the labor movement and the popularity of national heroes like [[Eugene V. Debs]]. The socialists' popularity soon waned after their vilification by the federal government for their opposition to U.S. involvement in [[World War I]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=World War I and the Suppression of Dissent {{!}} Wendy McElroy|url=https://www.independent.org/news/article.asp?id=1207|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=The Independent Institute}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title='War against war': Americans for peace in World War I – National Constitution Center|url=https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/war-against-war-americans-for-peace-in-world-war-i|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=National Constitution Center – constitutioncenter.org |quote=Morris Hillquit sought to keep alive the ties of his Socialist Party to its comrades abroad. Senator Robert La Follette filled many a speech with praise for progressives in other countries who shared his hatred for militarism. Henry Ford chartered an ocean liner to transport himself and dozens of other activists across the Atlantic, where they lobbied neutral governments to embrace a peace plan they would press on the warring powers. These Americans, like most critics of the war elsewhere in the world, wanted to create a new global order based on cooperative relationships between nation states and their gradual disarmament. Militarism, they argued, isolated peoples behind walls of mutual fear and loathing. Until April 1917, this formidable coalition of idealists—or realists—did much to keep the nation at peace. They may even have had a majority of Americans on their side until just weeks before Congress, at Wilson's behest, voted to declare war. To prevent that from happening, peace activists pressed for a national referendum on the question, confident that "the people" would recoil from fighting and paying the bills in order to help one group of European powers conquer another.}}</ref>

The [[Great Depression]] and the [[Dust Bowl]] dealt a double blow to the state's economy, which had significantly improved since the Civil War. Migrants abandoned the worst-hit sections of Texas during the Dust Bowl years. Especially from this period on, Black people left Texas in the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]] to get work in the Northern United States or California and to escape segregation.<ref name=HOT/> In 1940, Texas was 74% [[Non-Hispanic Whites|White]], 14.4% Black, and 11.5% Hispanic.<ref>{{cite book|last=Jillson|first=Cal|title=Texas Politics: Governing the Lone Star State|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fQFZCrbc9mIC&pg=PA11|year=2011|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-203-82941-7|page=11}}</ref>

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[[File:Sam Rayburn Reservoir.jpg|thumb|[[Sam Rayburn Reservoir]]]]

[[File:Texas hill country.jpg|alt=|thumb|[[Texas Hill Country]]]]

Texas is the [[List of U.S. states and territories by area|second-largest]] U.S. state by area, after [[Alaska]], and the largest state within the [[contiguous United States]], at {{convert|268820|sqmi|km2}}. If it were an independent country, Texas would be the [[List of countries by area|39th-largest]].<ref>{{cite web|date=May 31, 2017|title=How Big is Texas Compared to Countries Around the World? Huge.|url=https://www.wideopencountry.com/how-big-is-texas/|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=Wide Open Country|language=en-US}}</ref> It ranks ~~27th~~26th worldwide amongst [[List of the largest country subdivisions by area|country subdivisions by size]].

Texas is in the [[South Central United States|south central]] part of the United States. The [[Rio Grande]] forms a natural border with the Mexican states of [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]], [[Coahuila]], [[Nuevo León]], and [[Tamaulipas]] to the south. The [[Red River of the South|Red River]] forms a natural border with Oklahoma and Arkansas to the north. The [[Sabine River (Texas-Louisiana)|Sabine River]] forms a natural border with Louisiana to the east. The [[Texas Panhandle]] has an eastern border with Oklahoma at [[100th meridian west|100° W]], a northern border with Oklahoma at [[Parallel 36°30' north|36°30' N]] and a western border with New Mexico at [[103rd meridian west|103° W]]. [[El Paso]] lies on the state's western tip at [[32nd parallel north|32° N]] and the Rio Grande.<ref name="comp1850" />

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Texas plays host to several species of [[wasp]]s, including an abundance of ''[[Polistes exclamans]]'',<ref>{{cite journal |first=Mary Jane |last=West |year=1968 |title=Range Extension and Solitary nest founding in Polistes Exclamans |journal=[[Psyche (entomological journal)|Psyche]] |volume=75 |issue=2 |pages=118–123 |doi=10.1155/1968/49846|doi-access=free }}</ref> and is an important ground for the study of ''[[Polistes annularis]]''.<ref>{{cite thesis|last=Nacko|first=Scott|date=May 2017|title=Occurrence and Phenology of Polistine Wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in Southern Louisiana|type=MS thesis |publisher=Louisiana State University |url=https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5594&context=gradschool_theses|access-date=December 28, 2020 |doi=10.31390/gradschool_theses.4593 |via=LSU Digital Commons|doi-access=free}}</ref>

During the spring Texas [[wildflowers]] such as the state flower, the [[Lupinus texensis|bluebonnet]], line highways throughout Texas. During the Johnson Administration the first lady, [[Lady Bird Johnson]], worked to draw attention to Texas wildflowers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lady Bird Johnson's I-95 Landscape-Landmark Tour – Highway History – FHWA – General Highway History – Highway History – Federal Highway Administration|url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/ladybird.cfm|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=~~fhwa.dot.gov~~[[Federal Highway Administration|Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)]]}}</ref>

===Climate===

[[File:Texas Köppen.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|left|Köppen climate types in Texas]]

The large size of Texas and its location at the intersection of multiple [[Köppen climate classification|climate zones]] gives the state highly variable weather. The [[Texas Panhandle|Panhandle]] of the state has colder winters than North Texas, while the Gulf Coast has mild winters. Texas has wide variations in precipitation patterns. El Paso, on the western end of the state, averages {{convert|8.7|in|mm}} of annual rainfall,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=7227&refer=&cityname=El-Paso-Texas-United-States-of-America |title=El Paso, Texas Travel Weather Averages |publisher=Weatherbase |access-date=April 18, 2013 |archive-date=May 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513185756/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=7227&refer=&cityname=El-Paso-Texas-United-States-of-America |url-status=dead }}</ref> while parts of southeast Texas average as much as {{convert|64|in|mm}} per year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=86614&refer=&cityname=Mauriceville-Texas-United-States-of-America |title=Mauriceville, Texas Travel Weather Averages |publisher=Weatherbase |access-date=April 18, 2013 |archive-date=May 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513185802/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=86614&refer=&cityname=Mauriceville-Texas-United-States-of-America |url-status=dead }}</ref> Dallas in the North Central region averages a more moderate {{convert|37|in|mm}} per year.<ref>{{cite web|title=Weather averages Dallas-DFW Intl Arpt, Texas|url=https://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/dallas-dfw-intl-arpt/texas/united-states/ustx0328|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=usclimatedata.com}}</ref>

Snow falls multiple times each winter in the Panhandle and mountainous areas of West Texas, once or twice a year in North Texas, and once every few years in Central and East Texas. Snow falls south of San Antonio or on the coast only in rare circumstances. Of note is the [[2004 Christmas Eve snowstorm]], when {{convert|6|in|mm}} of snow fell as far south as [[Kingsville, Texas|Kingsville]], where the average high temperature in December is 65 °F.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KNQI/2008/12/24/DailyHistory.html?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA |title=History: Weather Underground |website=Wunderground.com |date=December 24, 2008 |access-date=April 11, 2010}}</ref>

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{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto;"

|+Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for selected cities in Texas<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/city.php3?c=US&s=TX&statename=Texas-United-States-of-America |title=Texas climate averages |publisher=Weatherbase |access-date=November 10, 2015 |archive-date=January 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101180344/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/city.php3?c=US&s=TX&statename=Texas-United-States-of-America |url-status=dead }}</ref>

!Location

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| div_1 = Harris County, Texas{{!}}Harris

| pop_1 = 2,302,878

| img_1 = Aerial views of the Houston, Texas, skyline in 2014 LCCN2014632225.~~tif~~jpg

| city_2 = San Antonio

| div_2 = Bexar County, Texas{{!}}Bexar

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In 2010, 49% of all births were Hispanics; 35% were non-Hispanic White; 11.5% were non-Hispanic Black, and 4.3% were Asians/Pacific Islanders.<ref>{{cite news |first=Juan |last=Castillo |url=http://www.statesman.com/news/local/hispanics-make-up-nearly-half-of-all-texas-1977207.html |title=Hispanics make up nearly half of all Texas births in 2010, U.S. says |work=[[Austin American-Statesman]] |date=November 17, 2011 |access-date=November 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111120175944/http://www.statesman.com/news/local/hispanics-make-up-nearly-half-of-all-texas-1977207.html |archive-date=November 20, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Based on U.S. Census Bureau data released in February 2011, for the first time in recent history, Texas's White population is below 50% (45%) and Hispanics grew to 38%. Between 2000 and 2010, the total population grew by 20.6%, but Hispanics and Latino Americans grew by 65%, whereas non-Hispanic Whites grew by only 4.2%.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/2011-02-17-texas-census_N.htm |title=Majority of Texas' population growth is Hispanic |work=USA Today |first=Rick |last=Jervis |date=February 23, 2011}}</ref> Texas has the fifth highest rate of teenage births in the nation and a plurality of these are to Hispanics or Latinos.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-health-topics/reproductive-health/states/tx.html |title=Texas Adolescent Reproductive Health Facts |publisher=US Department of Health and Human Services |access-date=August 2, 2014 |archive-date=August 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140804102325/http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-health-topics/reproductive-health/states/tx.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last4=Essig |first1=Alexa |last1=Ura |first2=Jason |last2=Kao |first3=Carla |last3=Astudillo |first4=Chris |date=August 12, 2021 |title=People of color make up 95% of Texas' population growth, and cities and suburbs are booming, 2020 census shows |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2021/08/12/texas-2020-census/ |access-date=June 2, 2022 |website=The Texas Tribune |language=en}}</ref> As of 2022, Hispanics and Latinos of any race replaced the non-Hispanic White population as the largest share of the state's population.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ura |first=Alexa |date=2023-06-22 |title=Hispanics officially make up the biggest share of Texas' population, new census numbers show |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/21/census-texas-hispanic-population-demographics/ |access-date=June 22, 2023 |website=The Texas Tribune |language=en}}</ref>

Texas has the second-largest share of [[Mexican Americans]] in the US, making up 32.2% of the total population and 80% of the state's Hispanic population.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B03001 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B03001&geo_ids=04000US48&primary_geo_id=04000US48 |access-date=2024-07-02 |website=censusreporter.org}}</ref> Other than Mexican, the largest self-reported ancestries in the state as of 2022 were [[German Americans|German]] (8.1%), [[English Americans|English]] (7.9%), [[Irish Americans|Irish]] (5.8%), those identifying as [[American ancestry|American]] (4.6%), [[Italian Americans|Italian]] (1.9%), [[Indian Americans|Indian]] (1.9%), [[Salvadoran Americans|Salvadoran]] (1.4%), [[Scottish Americans|Scottish]] (1.3%), [[Vietnamese Americans|Vietnamese]] (1.1%), [[Chinese Americans|Chinese]] (1%), [[Puerto Ricans|Puerto Rican]] (0.9%), [[Polish Americans|Polish]] (0.9%), [[Honduran Americans|Honduran]] (0.8%), [[Filipino Americans|Filipino]] (0.8%), and [[Scotch-Irish Americans|Scotch-Irish]] (0.7%).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B04006 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B04006&geo_ids=04000US48&primary_geo_id=04000US48 |access-date=2024-07-02 |website=censusreporter.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B02018 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B02018&geo_ids=04000US48&primary_geo_id=04000US48 |access-date=2024-07-02 |website=censusreporter.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B03001 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B03001&geo_ids=04000US48&primary_geo_id=04000US48 |access-date=2024-07-02 |website=censusreporter.org}}</ref>

===Languages===

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==Economy==

{{See also|Texas locations by per capita income|Texas Stock Exchange}}

[[File:Geo Map of Income by Location in Texas (2014).png|thumb|upright=1.35|A geomap depicting income by county as of 2014]]

[[File:Texas counties by GDP 2021.png|thumb|Texas counties by GDP (2021)]]

As of ~~2022~~2024, Texas had a [[gross state product]] (GSP) of $2.4664 trillion, the [[List of U.S. states by GDP (nominal)|second highest]] in the U.S. <ref name="GDPByState">{{cite web |~~url~~title=GDP by State |url=https://www.bea.gov/~~sites~~data/~~default~~gdp/~~files/2022~~gdp-~~12/stgdppi3q22.pdf~~state |~~date~~website=~~December~~GDP ~~23,~~by ~~2022|title=Gross~~State ~~Domestic~~| ~~Product~~U.S. byBureau ~~State,~~of ~~Annual~~Economic Analysis (BEA) ~~2021-Q3~~|~~work~~publisher=[[Bureau of Economic Analysis]] |access-date=~~June~~10 9,April ~~2019~~2022}}</ref> Its GSP is [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|greater than the GDP]] of [[Economy of ~~Italy~~Brazil|~~Italy~~Brazil]], the world's 8th-largest economy.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2022/October/weo-report?c=512,914,612,171,614,311,213,911,314,193,122,912,313,419,513,316,913,124,339,638,514,218,963,616,223,516,918,748,618,624,522,622,156,626,628,228,924,233,632,636,634,238,662,960,423,935,128,611,321,243,248,469,253,642,643,939,734,644,819,172,132,646,648,915,134,652,174,328,258,656,654,336,263,268,532,944,176,534,536,429,433,178,436,136,343,158,439,916,664,826,542,967,443,917,544,941,446,666,668,672,946,137,546,674,676,548,556,678,181,867,682,684,273,868,921,948,943,686,688,518,728,836,558,138,196,278,692,694,962,142,449,564,565,283,853,288,293,566,964,182,359,453,968,922,714,862,135,716,456,722,942,718,724,576,936,961,813,726,199,733,184,524,361,362,364,732,366,144,146,463,528,923,738,578,537,742,866,369,744,186,925,869,746,926,466,112,111,298,927,846,299,582,487,474,754,698,&s=NGDPD,&sy=2020&ey=2027&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2022 |date=October 11, 2022 |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]]}}</ref> The state ranks 22nd among U.S. states with a median household income of $64,034, while the [[Poverty in the United States|poverty rate]] is 14.2%, making Texas the state with 14th highest poverty rate (compared to 13.15% nationally). Texas's economy is the second-largest of any [[List of country subdivisions by GDP over 200 billion USD|country subdivision]] globally, behind [[Economy of California|California]].

Texas's large population, an abundance of natural resources, thriving cities and leading centers of higher education have contributed to a large and diverse economy. Since oil was discovered, the state's economy has reflected the state of the [[Energy in Texas#Petroleum|petroleum industry]]. In recent times, urban centers of the state have increased in size, containing two-thirds of the population in 2005. The state's economic growth has led to [[urban sprawl]] and its associated symptoms.<ref>{{cite web|title=Economic Geography |website=Texas Politics |publisher=University of Texas |url=http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/9_3_2.html |access-date=October 13, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430215209/http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/9_3_2.html |archive-date=April 30, 2009 }}</ref>

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As of May 2020, during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Texas|COVID-19 pandemic]], the state's unemployment rate was 13 percent.<ref>{{cite web |title=Local Area Unemployment Statistics |url=http://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm |publisher=Bureau of Labor Statistics |access-date=July 3, 2020}}</ref>

In 2010, ''Site Selection Magazine'' ranked Texas as the most business-friendly state, in part because of the state's three-billion-dollar [[Texas Enterprise Fund]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Site Selection Rankings |url=http://greyhill.com/site-selection-rankings/ |access-date=October 10, 2011}}</ref> Texas has the highest number of [[Fortune 500]] company headquarters in the United States as of 2022.<ref name="Austin 2022"/><ref name="Miranda 2022"/> In 2010, there were 346,000 millionaires in Texas, the second-largest population of millionaires in the nation.{{efn|Second to [[California]].}}<ref>{{cite news |first=Walter |last=Scott |title=Personality Parade |work=Parade Magazine |page=2 |date=May 2, 2010}}</ref> In 2018, the number of millionaire households increased to 566,578.<ref>{{cite web|title=Texas has an eye-popping number of millionaire households|url=https://dallas.culturemap.com/news/city-life/02-19-18-texas-number-of-millionaire-households-phoenix-marketing-international/|access-date=April 27, 2021|website=CultureMap Dallas|date=February 19, 2018 }}</ref>

===Taxation===

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The [[Railroad Commission of Texas]] regulates the state's [[oil industry|oil and gas industry]], gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the [[liquefied petroleum gas]] industry, and surface coal and [[uranium]] mining. Until the 1970s, the commission controlled the price of petroleum because of its ability to regulate Texas's oil reserves. The founders of the [[Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries]] (OPEC) used the Texas agency as one of their models for petroleum price control.<ref>{{cite Handbook of Texas |id=mdr01 |title=Railroad Commission |first=David F. |last=Prindle |date=June 15, 2010}}</ref>

As of January 1, 2021, Texas has [[Oil and gas reserves and resource quantification|proved recoverable petroleum reserves]] of about {{convert|15.6|Goilbbl|m3}} of [[Petroleum|crude oil]] (44% of the known U.S. reserves) and {{convert|9.5|Goilbbl|m3}} of [[Natural-gas condensate|natural gas liquids]].<ref name="Petrol" /><ref name="eia.gov">{{Cite web |title=Texas Profile |url=https://www.eia.gov/state/print.php?sid=TX |access-date=2023-02-14 |website=eia.gov}}</ref> The state's [[Oil refinery|refineries]] can process {{convert|5.95|Moilbbl|m3}} of oil a day.<ref name="Petrol" /><ref name="eia.gov" /> The [[Port Arthur Refinery]] in Southeast Texas is the largest refinery in the U.S.<ref name="Petrol" /> Texas is also a leader in [[natural gas]] production at {{convert|28.8|Gcuft|m3}} per day, some 32% of the nation's production.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rrc.texas.gov/oil-and-gas/research-and-statistics/production-data/texas-monthly-oil-gas-production/|title=Texas Monthly Oil & Gas Production|website=rrc.texas.gov}}</ref> Texas has {{convert|102.4|Tcuft|m3}} of gas reserves which is 23% of the nation's gas reserves.<ref name="Petrol" /><ref name="eia.gov" /> Many [[List of petroleum companies|petroleum companies]] are based in Texas such as: [[ConocoPhillips]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Contact Us|url=https://www.conocophillips.com/contact-us/|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=ConocoPhillips}}</ref> [[EOG Resources]], [[ExxonMobil]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Contact us directory|url=https://corporate.exxonmobil.com:443/Company/Contact-us/Directory|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=ExxonMobil}}</ref> [[Halliburton]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Corporate Officers – Halliburton|url=https://www.halliburton.com/en-US/about-us/corporate-governance/corporate-officers.html|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=halliburton.com}}</ref> Hilcorp, [[Marathon Oil]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Contact Us|url=https://www.marathonoil.com/about/contact-us/|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=Marathon Oil|language=en-US}}</ref> [[Occidental Petroleum]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Contact Us |url=https://www.oxy.com/Information/Pages/Contact-Us.aspx |access-date=December 28, 2020 |website=oxy.com}}</ref> [[Pioneer Natural Resources]], [[Tesoro Corporation|Tesoro]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Tesoro Headquarters Building I, San Antonio |url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/308726/tesoro-headquarters-building-i-san-antonio-tx-usa|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=emporis.com}}</ref> [[Valero Energy]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Contact Us|url=https://www.valero.com/contact-us|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=Valero}}</ref> and [[Western Refining]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Western Refining|url=https://www.dnb.com/business-directory/company-profiles.western_refining_inc.eb51b8a369f31725ac87f78225d4ff95.html|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=dnb.com}}</ref>

According to the [[Energy Information Administration]], Texans consume, on average, the fifth most energy (of all types) in the nation per capita and as a whole, following behind Wyoming, Alaska, Louisiana, North Dakota, and Iowa.<ref name="Petrol">{{cite web |title=Petroleum Profile: Texas |publisher=Energy Information Administration |url=http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=TX |access-date=December 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110204233946/http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=TX |archive-date=February 4, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

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With large universities systems coupled with initiatives like the Texas Enterprise Fund and the [[Texas Emerging Technology Fund]], a wide array of different [[high tech]] industries have developed in Texas. The Austin area is nicknamed the "[[Silicon Hills]]" and the north Dallas area the "[[Silicon Prairie]]". Many high-tech companies are located in or have their headquarters in Texas (and [[List of companies based in Austin, Texas|Austin in particular]]), including [[Dell]], Inc.,<ref>{{cite web|last=Kanellos|first=Michael|title=Dell shifts base back to Round Rock|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/dell-shifts-base-back-to-round-rock/|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=CNET}}</ref> [[Borland]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Clarke|first=Gavin|title=Borland bails out of California, moves HQ to Austin, TX|url=https://www.theregister.com/2007/04/17/borland_leaves_valley/|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=theregister.com}}</ref> [[Forcepoint]],<ref>{{cite web|date=February 6, 2014|title=Websense gets $4.5M to move to Texas|url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/economy/sdut-texas-austin-perry-jobs-economy-websense-2014feb06-htmlstory.html|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]]|language=en-US}}</ref> [[Indeed.com]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Indeed opens new North Austin office, 1,000 new jobs planned|url=https://www.kvue.com/article/money/business/indeed-opens-new-north-austin-office-1000-new-jobs-planned/269-67902537|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=kvue.com|date=March 4, 2016 |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Texas Instruments]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=McKellop|first=Mario|date=May 26, 2020|title=Texas Instruments starts construction on Dallas plant|url=https://www.theburnin.com/industry/texas-instruments-begins-construction-dallas-factory-2020-5/|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=The Burn-In|language=en-US}}</ref> [[Perot Systems]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Dell sells Perot Systems IT services division to Dallas firm|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/blog/techflash/2016/03/dell-sells-perot-systems-it-services-division-to.html#:~:text=NTT%20Data%20Corp.%20has%20inked,in%20the%20works%20last%20month.&text=John%20McCain,%20CEO%20of%20NTT,will%20lead%20the%20combined%20company.|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=bizjournals.com}}</ref> [[Rackspace]] and [[AT&T]].<ref>{{cite web|date=July 21, 2014|title=Rackspace to Move into Former Texas Shopping Mall … Again|url=https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2014/07/21/rackspace-to-use-another-texas-mall-as-office-real-estate|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=Data Center Knowledge}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=June 30, 2008|title=AT&T Making a Move (Published 2008)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/technology/30phone.html|access-date=December 28, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=AT&T to move headquarters to Dallas|date=June 27, 2008 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna25417174|access-date=December 28, 2020|publisher=[[NBC News]]}}</ref>

The [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]]'s [[Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center]] (NASA JSC) is located in Southeast Houston. Both [[SpaceX]] and [[Blue Origin]] have their test facilities in Texas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spacex.com/about/capabilities |title=Capabilities & Services |work=SpaceX |access-date=April 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404042653/http://www.spacex.com/about/capabilities |archive-date=April 4, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6822763|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104024843/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6822763/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 4, 2013|title=Amazon founder unveils space center plans|work=NBC News|date=January 13, 2006|author=Boyle, Alan|access-date=June 28, 2006}}</ref> [[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth]] hosts both [[Lockheed Martin]]'s [[Lockheed Martin Aeronautics|Aeronautics division]] and [[Bell Helicopter Textron]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Locations |publisher=Lockheed Martin |access-date=May 22, 2008 |url=http://www.lockheedmartin.com/aeronautics/about/Locations.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080422122219/http://www.lockheedmartin.com/aeronautics/about/Locations.html|archive-date=April 22, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=About Bell Helicopter |publisher=Bell Helicopter |access-date=May 22, 2008 |url=http://www.bellhelicopter.com/en/company/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080602032048/http://www.bellhelicopter.com/en/company/ |archive-date=June 2, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Lockheed builds the [[F-16 Fighting Falcon]], the largest Western fighter program, and its successor, the [[F-35 Lightning II]] in Fort Worth.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rosenwald |first=Michael S. |date=December 17, 2007 |title=Downside of Dominance? |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/16/AR2007121601522.html |access-date=May 22, 2008}}</ref>

===Commerce===

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[[File:Mission San Antonio aka Alamo.jpg|thumb|[[Alamo Mission in San Antonio|The Alamo]] is one of the most recognized symbols of Texas.|left]]

Historically, Texas culture comes from a blend of mostly Southern [[Southern United States|(Dixie)]], Western (frontier), and Southwestern [[Southwestern United States|(Mexican/Anglo fusion)]] influences, varying in degrees of such from one intrastate region to another. A popular food item, the [[breakfast burrito]], draws from all three, having a soft flour tortilla wrapped around bacon and scrambled eggs or other hot, cooked fillings. Adding to Texas's traditional culture, established in the 18th and 19th centuries, immigration has made Texas a [[melting pot]] of cultures from around the world.<ref>{{Cite news|date=October 5, 1982|title=A California-style migration stirs up Texas melting pot|work=Christian Science Monitor|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1982/1005/100528.html|access-date=December 28, 2020|issn=0882-7729}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=November 24, 2017|title=Can Houston move past the 'melting pot'?|url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/gray-matters/article/Can-Houston-move-past-the-melting-pot-12377720.php|access-date=December 28, 2020|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|language=en-US |last1=Aquila |first1=Dominic A. }}</ref>

Texas has made a strong mark on national and international pop culture. The entire state is strongly associated with the image of the [[cowboy]] shown in [[westerns]] and in [[country western music]]. The state's numerous oil tycoons are also a popular pop culture topic as seen in the hit TV series [[Dallas (1978 TV series)|''Dallas'']].<ref>{{cite news|last=Arnold|first=Richard|title=40 years on from the TV series, Dallas is much more than oil barons and big hats|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/north-america/united-states/texas/articles/tv-series-dallas-attractions/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/north-america/united-states/texas/articles/tv-series-dallas-attractions/ |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|date=August 2, 2018|language=en-GB}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

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[[File:Big Tex.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Big Tex]] presided over every [[State Fair of Texas|Texas State Fair]] since 1952 until it was destroyed by a fire in 2012. Since then a new Big Tex was created.]]

"Texas-sized" describes something that is about the size of the [[U.S. state]] of Texas,<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/08/20/hurricane.dean/index.html |title=Texas-sized Hurricane Dean spins toward Yucatan |work=CNN |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010010315/http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/08/20/hurricane.dean/index.html |archive-date=October 10, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://feeds.arstechnica.com/~r/arstechnica/BAaf/~3/174124811/20071023-texas-sized-garbage-patch-threatens-pacific-marine-sanctuary.html |title=Floating, Texas-sized garbage patch threatens Pacific marine sanctuary |work=ars technica |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203221345/http://feeds.arstechnica.com/~r/arstechnica/BAaf/~3/174124811/20071023-texas-sized-garbage-patch-threatens-pacific-marine-sanctuary.html |archive-date=December 3, 2008}}</ref> or something (usually but not always originating from Texas) that is large compared to other objects of its type.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/06/sun_supercomputer |title=Texas-Sized Supercomputer to Break Computing Power Record |work=Wired.com |date=June 26, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140211090723/http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/06/sun_supercomputer |archive-date=February 11, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/Story?id=4371384&page=1 |title=Dems in Texas-sized showdown |publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/338668.aspx |title=A Texas-Sized Battle: Evolution vs. ID |work=CBNnews.com}}</ref> Texas was the largest U.S. state until [[Alaska]] became a state in 1959. The phrase "everything is bigger in Texas" has been in regular use since at least 1950.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Popik |first1=Barry |title=Everything's Bigger in Texas |url=http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/everythings_bigger_in_texas/ |website=The Big Apple online etymological dictionary |access-date=April 7, 2015}}</ref>

===Arts===

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Students in Texas take the [[State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness]] (STAAR) in primary and secondary school. STAAR assess students' attainment of [[reading (activity)|reading]], writing, [[mathematics]], science, and [[social studies]] skills required under Texas education standards and the [[No Child Left Behind Act]]. The test replaced the [[Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills]] (TAKS) test in the 2011–2012 school year.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/admin/eoc/index.html |title=End-of-Course (EOC) Assessments: Implementation |last=Texas Education Agency |work=Assessment Division |date=October 22, 2007 |access-date=October 22, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071120064701/http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/admin/eoc/index.html |archive-date=November 20, 2007 }}</ref>

Generally prohibited in the [[Western world]], [[school corporal punishment]] is not unusual in the more conservative, rural areas of the state,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Salhotra |first1=Pooja |title=Proposed ban on corporal punishment in Texas schools fails again |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/26/texas-house-corporal-punishment-public-schools/ |access-date=17 January 2024 |work=The Texas Tribune |date=27 April 2023 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Frosch |first1=Dan |title=Schools Under Pressure to Spare the Rod Forever |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/28/education/30paddle.html |access-date=17 January 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=29 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gershoff |first1=Elizabeth T. |last2=Font |first2=Sarah A. |title=Corporal Punishment in U.S. Public Schools: Prevalence, Disparitiesin Use, and Status in State and Federal Policy |journal=Social Policy Report |date=2016 |volume=30 |issue=1 |pages=1–26 |doi=10.1002/j.2379-3988.2016.tb00086.x |pmid=29333055 |pmc=5766273 |issn=1075-7031}}</ref> with 28,569 public school students [[paddle (spanking)|paddled]] at least one time,{{efn|This figure refers to only the number of students paddled, regardless of whether a student was spanked multiple times in a year, and does not refer to the number of instances of corporal punishment, which would be substantially higher.}} according to government data for the 2011–2012 school year.<ref name="CORPUN_US_SCHOOL" /> The rate of school corporal punishment in Texas is surpassed only by [[Mississippi]], [[Alabama]], and [[Arkansas]].<ref name="CORPUN_US_SCHOOL">{{cite web|url=http://corpun.com/counuss.htm |title= Corporal punishment in US schools |publisher=World Corporal Punishment Research | last = Farrell | first = Colin | date=February 2016|access-date=April 4, 2016}}</ref>

===Higher education===

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The state is home to various private institutions of higher learning—ranging from liberal arts colleges to a nationally recognized top-tier research university. {{nowrap|[[Rice University]]}} in Houston is one of the leading teaching and research universities of the United States and is ranked the nation's 17th-best overall university by ''U.S. News & World Report''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rice University, Best Colleges 2009 |website=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|access-date=March 27, 2009 |url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/items/3604 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090216191034/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/items/3604 |archive-date=February 16, 2009 }}</ref>

[[Trinity University (Texas)|Trinity University]], a private, primarily undergraduate liberal arts university in San Antonio, has ranked first among universities granting primarily bachelor's and select master's degrees in the Western United States for 20 consecutive years by ''U.S. News''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Trinity University |website=Best Colleges 2011—U.S. News & World Report |access-date=January 6, 2012 |url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/regional-universities-west |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119182030/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/regional-universities-west |archive-date=January 19, 2012 }}</ref> Private universities include [[Abilene Christian University]], {{nowrap|[[Austin College]]}}, {{nowrap|[[Baylor University]]}}, {{nowrap|[[University of Mary Hardin–Baylor]]}}, and {{nowrap|[[Southwestern University]]}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Baylor |publisher=Baylor University |access-date=May 21, 2008 |url=http://www.baylor.edu/about/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Southwestern History |publisher=Southwestern University |access-date=October 12, 2008 |url=http://www.southwestern.edu/about/about-history.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024123018/http://www.southwestern.edu/about/about-history.html |archive-date=October 24, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=History |date=November 2009 |publisher=Austin College |access-date=June 9, 2015 |url=http://www.austincollege.edu/about/history/ |archive-date=June 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150608002350/http://www.austincollege.edu/about/history/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Universities in Texas host three presidential libraries: [[George Bush Presidential Library]] at Texas A&M University,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Archives and Research – George Bush Library and Museum|url=https://bush41library.tamu.edu/|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=bush41library.tamu.edu}}</ref> the [[Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum]] at The University of Texas at Austin,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Plan Your Visit to the LBJ Library – LBJ Presidential Library|url=http://www.lbjlibrary.org/footer/plan-your-visit|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=lbjlibrary.org|archive-date=November 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125080437/http://www.lbjlibrary.org/footer/plan-your-visit/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title= Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/lyndon-baines-johnson-library-and-museum|access-date=December 28, 2020|publisher=TSHA |work=Handbook of Texas |date=1976 }}</ref> and the [[George W. Bush Presidential Library]] at [[Southern Methodist University]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The George W. Bush Presidential Center and SMU – SMU|url=https://www.smu.edu/bushcenter|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=smu.edu}}</ref>

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[[File:Welcome to Texas sign, 2008.jpg|thumb|"Welcome to Texas" sign, entering the state from Arkansas on [[Interstate 30]]]]

The first Texas freeway was the [[Gulf Freeway]] opened in 1948 in Houston.<ref>{{cite web |title=Interstate 45 South, the Gulf Freeway |website=TexasFreeway.com |date=May 28, 2001 |url=http://www.texasfreeway.com/Houston/photos/45s/i45s.shtml |access-date=October 15, 2008}}</ref> As of 2005, {{convert|79535|mi|km|0}} of public highway crisscrossed Texas (up from {{convert|71000|mi|km|-3|disp=or|abbr=out}} in 1984).<ref>{{cite web |title=LoneStarRoads—Highways of Texas |publisher=AARoads |date=February 9, 2008 |url=http://www.aaroads.com/texas/ |access-date=April 20, 2008}}</ref> To fund recent growth in the state highways, Texas has [[List of Toll Roads in the United States#Texas|17 toll roads]] with several additional [[tollway]]s proposed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Global List of Toll Facilities—United States |publisher=International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association |year=2005 |url=http://www.ibtta.org/Information/content.cfm?ItemNumber=2530 |access-date=April 20, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113051058/http://www.ibtta.org/Information/content.cfm?ItemNumber=2530 |archive-date=January 13, 2009 }}</ref> In [[Central Texas]], the southern section of the [[Texas State Highway 130|State Highway 130]] toll road has a speed limit of {{convert|85|mph|km/h}}, the highest in the nation.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Owens |first1=Owens |last2=Sunseri |first2=Gina |title=Speeding Through Texas: Going 85 MPH on the Nation's Fastest Highway |publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |date=October 24, 2012 |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/speeding-texas-85-mph-highway-opens/story?id=17549839 |access-date=October 28, 2012}}</ref> All federal and state highways in Texas are paved.

===Airports===

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[[File:Bush terminal E.jpg|thumb|Terminal E at [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]] in Houston]]Texas has 730 airports, second-most of any state in the nation. Largest in Texas by size and passengers served, [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport]] (DFW) is the second-largest by area in the United States, and fourth in the world with {{convert|18076|acre|km2}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dfwairport.com/visitor/index.php?ctnid=24254 |title=Facts about DFW |access-date=October 14, 2008 |website=Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912234631/http://www.dfwairport.com/visitor/index.php?ctnid=24254 |archive-date=September 12, 2008}}</ref> In traffic, DFW airport is the busiest in the state, the fourth busiest in the United States,<ref>{{cite web |title=10 Great Places for Aviation and Aerospace |author=Jennifer LeClaire |website=Southern Business and Development |url=http://www.sb-d.com/archivesite/www.sb-d.com/issues/spring2007/features/10GreatPlacesForAviationAndAerospace.html |access-date=April 28, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716012226/http://www.sb-d.com/archivesite/www.sb-d.com/issues/spring2007/features/10GreatPlacesForAviationAndAerospace.html |archive-date=July 16, 2011}}</ref> and sixth worldwide.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport |work=[[USA Today]]|url=http://destinations.usatoday.com/dallas/ |access-date=April 28, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630002132/http://destinations.usatoday.com/dallas/ |archive-date=June 30, 2007}}</ref> [[Southwest Airlines]], headquartered in Dallas, has its operations at [[Dallas Love Field]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.southwest.com/about_swa/airborne.html |title=We Weren't Just Airborne Yesterday |date=May 2, 2007 |publisher=Southwest Airlines |access-date=June 9, 2007}}</ref> [[American Airlines Group]]'s [[American Airlines|American]] / [[American Eagle Airlines|American Eagle]], the world's largest airline in total passengers-miles transported and passenger fleet size,<ref>{{cite web |author=Investor Relations |url=http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=117098&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1921786&highlight== |title=American Airlines | Investor Relations | News Release |website=Phx.corporate-ir.net |access-date=August 2, 2014}}</ref> uses DFW as its largest and main [[Airline hub|hub]].

Texas's second-largest air facility is Houston's [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]] (IAH). It serves as the largest hub for [[United Airlines]], the world's third-largest airline, by passenger-miles flown.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ir.unitedcontinentalholdings.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=83680&p=irol-newsArticle&id=1889262 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140318221457/http://ir.unitedcontinentalholdings.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=83680&p=irol-newsArticle&id=1889262 |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 18, 2014 |title=United Continental Holdings, Inc.—Investor Relations—News |website=Ir.unitedcontinentalholdings.com |date=January 8, 2014 |access-date=August 2, 2014 }}</ref>{{efn|Based on the industry-standard measure of revenue passenger-kilometers/miles flown.}} IAH offers service to the most Mexican destinations of any U.S. airport.<ref>{{cite web |title=About George Bush Intercontinental Airport |publisher=Houston Airport System |url=http://www.houstonairportsystem.org/iahAbout |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013160110/http://www.houstonairportsystem.org/iahAbout |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 13, 2007 |access-date=June 28, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|title=Houston Emerges As The Premier Gateway In The U.S. For Travelers To Mexico |publisher=Houston Airport System |date=April 12, 2005 |url=http://www.fly2houston.com/0/8178/0/1906D1940/ |access-date=December 30, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928091617/http://www.fly2houston.com/0/8178/0/1906D1940/ |archive-date=September 28, 2007 }}</ref> The next five largest airports in the state all serve more than three million passengers annually; they include [[Austin-Bergstrom International Airport]], [[William P. Hobby Airport]], [[San Antonio International Airport]], [[Dallas Love Field]] and [[El Paso International Airport]]. The smallest airport in the state to be designated an international airport is [[Del Rio International Airport]].

===Ports===

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===Railroads===

[[File:Westmoreland Station August 2019 5.jpg|thumb|[[DART ~~Light~~light ~~Rail~~rail]] in Dallas]]

[[File:METRO Light Rail3.jpg|thumb|[[METRORail]] in Houston]]

{{See also|List of Texas railroads}}Part of the state's [[Cowboy#Texas tradition|tradition]] of cowboys is derived from the massive [[Cattle drives in the United States|cattle drives]] which its ranchers organized in the nineteenth century to [[Cattle drives in the United States|drive]] livestock to railroads and markets.

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[[File:~~LBJ3~~37 Lyndon Johnson 3x4.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Lyndon B. Johnson]] of Texas, 36th president of the United States]]

[[File:GeorgeWBush.jpg|thumb|upright|[[George W. Bush]] of Texas, 43rd president of the United States]]

The Democratic Party dominated [[Politics of Texas|Texas politics]] from the turn of the 20th century, imposing racial segregation and white supremacy. It held power until after passage in the mid-1960s of national civil rights legislation enforcing constitutional rights of all citizens.<ref>{{cite web|title= Democratic Party|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/democratic-party|access-date=December 28, 2020|publisher=TSHA |work=Handbook of Texas |first1= Nancy |last1=Young |date=1976 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Dixie's Long Journey From Democratic Stronghold To Republican Redoubt|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/06/25/417154906/dixies-long-journey-from-democratic-stronghold-to-republican-redoubt|access-date=December 28, 2020|newspaper=[[NPR]]|date=June 25, 2015|last1=Elving|first1=Ron}}</ref>

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Texas has a reputation of very harsh criminal punishment for criminal offenses. It is one of the 32 states that practice [[capital punishment in Texas|capital punishment]], and since the [[US Supreme Court]] allowed capital punishment to resume in 1976, 40% of all U.S. executions have taken place in Texas.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23075873 |title=Texas executes 500th person since resuming death penalty |work=[[BBC News]]|date=June 27, 2013 |access-date=July 8, 2013}}</ref> As of 2018, Texas had the 8th highest [[List of U.S. states and territories by incarceration and correctional supervision rate|incarceration rate]] in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web |author=Laura M. Maruschak |author2=Todd D. Minton |title=Appendix Table 1 |work=Correctional Populations in the United States, 2017–2018 |publisher=[[Bureau of Justice Statistics]], United States Department of Justice |year=2020 |url=https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cpus1718.pdf |access-date=March 21, 2021}}</ref> Texas also has strong [[right of self-defense]] and [[Self-defense|self defense]] laws, allowing citizens to use lethal force to defend themselves, their families, or their property.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/txstatutes/PE/2/9/D/9.42 |title=Tex Pe. Code Ann. § 9.42: Texas Statutes—Section 9.42: Deadly Force to Protect Property |website=Codes.lp.findlaw.com |access-date=July 8, 2013}}</ref> Texas has one of the strictest [[abortion in Texas|abortion]] bans in the country.<ref>{{cite web |title=Texas |url=https://reproductiverights.org/maps/state/texas/ |website=Center for Reproductive Rights |access-date=22 June 2024}}</ref>

==See also==