Texas
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This article is about the U.S. State of Texas. For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation).
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State of Texas
Flag of Texas Seal of Texas
Nickname(s): The Lone Star State
Motto(s): Friendship
before statehood, known as
the Republic of Texas
Official language(s)
No official language
(see Languages spoken in Texas)
Demonym Texan
Capital Austin
Largest city Houston
Largest metro area Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington[1]
Area Ranked 2nd in the US
- Total 268,820
[2] sq mi
(696,241 km²)
- Width 773[3]
miles (1,244 km)
- Length 790 miles (1,270 km)
- % water 2.5
- Latitude 25° 50′ N to 36° 30′ N
- Longitude 93° 31′ W to 106° 39′ W
Population Ranked 2nd in the US
- Total 24,326,974 (2008 est.)[4]
- Density 79.6
[5]/sq mi (30.75/km²)
Ranked 26th in the US
Elevation
- Highest point Guadalupe Peak
[6]
8,749 ft (2,667 m)
- Mean 1,700 ft (520 m)
- Lowest point Gulf of Mexico coast
[6]
0 ft (0 m)
Admission to Union December 29, 1845 (28th)
Governor Rick Perry (R)
Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst (R)
U.S. Senators
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R)
John Cornyn (R)
U.S. House delegation 20 Republicans, 12 Democrats (list)
Time zones
- most of state Central: UTC-6/-5
- tip of West Texas Mountain: UTC-7/-6
Abbreviations TX Tex. US-TX
Website http://www.texasonline.com//
Texas ( /ˈtɛksəs/ (help·info)) is a state in the South Central United States, nicknamed the
Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, with an
area of 268,820 square miles (696,200 km2), and with a growing population of 24.6 million
residents.[7]
Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States,
while the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the state and the
fourth-largest in the nation. Other major cities include San Antonio, El Paso, and Austin—
the state capital.
Texas contains diverse landscapes, resembling in places both the Deep South and the
Southwest. Traveling from east to west, one can observe piney woods and semi-forests of
oak and cross timbers, rolling plains and prairie, rugged hills, and finally the desert of the
Big Bend. The phrase "everything is bigger in Texas" derives in part from the state's
geographic sprawl and the wide open spaces of its desert and prairie regions.[8]
Due to its
long history as a center of the American cattle industry, Texas is associated throughout
much of the world with the image of the cowboy.
Historically and culturally, Texas is usually considered part of the American South.
However, with its Spanish and Mexican roots, and the topography and Southwestern
vegetation generally west of a Fort Worth to Corpus Christi line, it can also be classified as
part of the American Southwest. While residents acknowledge these categories, many claim
an independent "Texan" identity superseding regional labels.
The term "six flags over Texas" comes from the multiple countries that have claimed the
territory. Spain was the first European country to claim the area of Texas. France held a
short lived colony in Texas. Mexico owned the territory until 1836 when Texas won its
independence, becoming an independent Republic. In 1845 it joined the United States as
the 28th state. The state's annexation helped set off a chain of events that caused the
Mexican–American War in 1846. Texas seceded from the United States in early 1861,
joining the Confederate States of America on March 2, 1861.
In the early 1900s, oil discoveries initiated an economic boom in the state. Texas has since
economically diversified. It has a growing base in high technology, biomedical research
and higher education. Its gross state product is the second-highest in the nation.
Contents
1 History
o 1.1 Pre-European era
o 1.2 Colonization
o 1.3 Republic
o 1.4 Statehood
o 1.5 Civil War and Reconstruction
o 1.6 Modern era
2 Geography
o 2.1 Geology
3 Climate
4 Demographics
o 4.1 Racial group and ethnic origins
o 4.2 Religion
o 4.3 Cities and towns
5 Government and politics
o 5.1 State government
o 5.2 Politics
o 5.3 Administrative divisions
6 Economy
o 6.1 Agriculture and mining
o 6.2 Energy
o 6.3 Technology
o 6.4 Commerce
7 Transportation
o 7.1 Highways
o 7.2 Airports
o 7.3 Ports
o 7.4 Railroads
8 Culture
o 8.1 Arts
o 8.2 Sports
9 Healthcare
o 9.1 Medical research
10 Education
o 10.1 Colleges and universities
11 See also
12 Footnotes
13 References
14 External links
History
Main article: History of Texas
Pre-European era
The word Texas is derived from táysha, a word in the Caddoan language of the Hasinai,
which means "allies" or "friends".[2][9][10]
Scholars estimate that humans have lived in Texas
for approximately 11,200 years.[11]
The Paleoamericans that lived in Texas in the
Pleistocene era (between 9200 – 6000 B.C.) may have links to Clovis and Folsom cultures;
these nomadic people hunted mammoths and bison latifrons[11]
using atlatls. They extracted
flint in the region of Alibates Flint of North Texas.
Despite the extinction of giant mammals along with climate change during the archaic
period, Texas experienced population growth, beginning at the 3rd millennium BC. Many
pictograms drawn on the walls of the caves or on rocks are visible in the State, including at
Hueco Tanks[12]
and Seminole Canyon.
Native Americans in what's now Texas began to settle in villages shortly after 500 B.C.,
farming and building the first burial mounds. This phase of history is due to the influence
the Mound Builders civilizations that lived in the Mississippi basin.[11]
The Caddo nation
was formed between 500 and 800 while the Trans-Pecos populations were influenced by
Mogollon culture.
From the eighth century, the bow and arrow appeared in the region,[11]
manufacture of
pottery developed and Native Americans increasingly depended on bison for survival.
Obsidian objects found in various Texan sites attest of trade with present days Mexico and
Rocky Mountains.
Among the Native Americans that lived in Texas before European colonization were the:
Alabama, Apache, Aranama, Atakapa, Caddo, Comanche, Coahuiltecan, Cherokee,
Choctaw, Coushatta, Hasinai, Jumano, Karankawa, Kickapoo, Kiowa and Wichita.[13]
Colonization
Main articles: French Texas, Spanish Texas, and Mexican Texas
An enlargeable map of the State of Texas
The first document in Texas history was a map of the Gulf Coast created in 1519 by
Spanish explorer Alonso Álvarez de Pineda.[14][15]
Nine years later, shipwrecked Spanish
explorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca became the first known European in Texas.[16][17]
For over a century, Texas was essentially ignored by European powers. It was settled
accidentally in 1685, when miscalculations by René Robert Cavelier de La Salle resulted in
the establishement of French colony Fort Saint Louis at Matagorda Bay rather than along
the Mississippi River.[18]
The colony lasted only four years before succumbing to harsh
conditions and hostile natives.[19]
Spanish authorities, concerned that France posed a threat to New Spain, initiated settlement
activities in 1690 with the construction of several missions in East Texas.[20]
After
resistance from the native tribes, the Spanish missionaries returned to Mexico, abandoning
Texas for the next two decades.[21]
France began settling Louisiana, and in response in 1716
Spanish authorities established a new series of missions in East Texas.[22][23]
Two years
later, San Antonio was established as the first Spanish civilian settlement in Texas.[24]
Hostile native tribes and remoteness from New Spain discouraged settlers from moving to
Texas, leaving it one of New Spain's least populated provinces.[25]
In 1749, the Spanish
signed a peace treaty with the Lipan Apache;[26]
this angered the enemies of the Apache,
including the Comanche, Tonkawa, and Hasinai tribes.[27]
The Comanche signed a treaty
with Spain in 1785[28]
and later assisted in defeating the Lipan Apache and Karankawa
tribes.[29][30]
An increased number of missions in the province allowed for a peaceful
conversion of other tribes, and by the end of the 1700s only a few nomadic tribes were not
Christianized.[31]
When the United States purchased Louisiana from France in 1801, American authorities
insisted that the agreement also included Texas. The boundary between New Spain and the
United States was finally set at the Sabine River in 1819.[32]
Many American citizens
refused to recognize the agreement, and several filibusters raised armies to invade Texas.[33]
In 1821, following the Mexican War of Independence, Texas became part of the new
country of Mexico.[34]
Due to its low population, Texas was denied independent statehood,
and instead became part of the state of Coahuila y Tejas.[35]
Stephen F. Austin was the first empresario given permission to operate a colony within
Mexican Texas.
Authorities in Mexican Texas had neither manpower nor funds to protect settlers from near-
constant Comanche raids. In the hopes that an influx of settlers could control the Indian
raids, the government liberalized its immigration policies for the region, and for the first
time settlers from the United States were permitted to immigrate to Mexico.[36]
Under the
Mexican immigration system, large swathes of land were allotted to empresarios, who
would recruit settlers from the United States, Europe, and the Mexican interior. Texas grew
rapidly, from a population of approximately 3,500 (primarily of Mexican descent) in
1825[37]
to approximately 37,800 (only 7,800 of Mexican descent) in 1834.[38]
Many new settlers to Texas openly flouted Mexican law, especially the prohibition against
slavery. This, combined with several attempts by the United States to purchase Texas,
convinced Mexican authorities that immigration should be halted. In 1830 Mexico
officially outlawed further immigration from the United States to Texas.[39]
The new laws,
which also called for the enforcement of customs duties, angered both native Mexican
citizens (Tejanos) as well as recent immigrants.[40]
In 1832, a group of men led a revolt
against customs enforcement in Anahauc. These Anahuac Disturbances coincided with a
revolt in Mexico against the current president.[41]
Texians sided with the federalists against
the current government and drove all Mexican soldiers out of East Texas.[42]
Texians took
advantage of the lack of oversight to agitate for more political freedom, resulting in the
Convention of 1832, which, among other issues, requested independent statehood for
Texas.[43]
The following year, Texians reiterated their demands at the Convention of 1833.
After presenting their petition, courier Stephen F. Austin was jailed for the next two years
in Mexico City on suspicion of treason.[44]
Republic
Main articles: Texas Revolution and Republic of Texas
Within Mexico, tensions continued between proponents of a federalist system and those
that wanted a more centralized government. In early 1835, wary colonists in Texas began
forming Committees of Correspondence and Safety.[45]
The vague unrest erupted into
armed conflict in late 1835 at the Battle of Gonzales.[46]
This launched the Texas
Revolution, and over the next two months, the Texians successfully defeated all Mexican
troops in the region.[47]
Texians elected delegates to the Consultation, which created a
provisional government.[48]
The provisional government soon collapsed from infighting,
and Texas was without clear governance for the first two months of 1836.[49][50]
Sam Houston served twice as the President of the Republic of Texas, and was also the 7th
Governor of the State of Texas.
During this time of Texas political turmoil, Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa
Anna personally led an army to end the revolt.[51]
The Mexican expedition was initially
successful. General Jose de Urrea defeated all the Texian resistance along the coast
culminating in the Goliad Massacre.[52]
Santa Anna's forces, after a thirteen-day siege,
overwhelmed Texian defenders at the Battle of the Alamo. News of the defeats sparked
panic amongst Texas settlers.[53]
The newly-elected Texian delegates to the Convention of
1836 quickly signed a Declaration of Independence on March 2, forming the Republic of
Texas. After electing interim officers, the Convention disbanded.[54]
The new government
joined the other settlers in Texas in the Runaway Scrape, fleeing from the approaching
Mexican army.[53]
After several weeks of retreat, the Texian Army commanded by Sam
Houston attacked and defeated Santa Anna's forces at Battle of San Jacinto.[55]
Santa Anna
was captured and forced to sign the Treaties of Velasco, ending the war.[56]
Republic of Texas. The present-day outlines of the U.S. states superimposed on the
boundaries of 1836–1845
The new republic faced many challenges. Political battles raged between two factions. The
nationalist faction, led by Mirabeau B. Lamar, advocated the continued independence of
Texas, the expulsion of the Native Americans, and the expansion of Texas to the Pacific
Ocean. Their opponents, led by Sam Houston, advocated the annexation of Texas to the
United States and peaceful co-existence with Native Americans. The conflict between the
factions was typified by an incident known as the Texas Archive War.[57]
Because the treaties of Velasco were signed under duress, the Mexican government never
ratified them. Mexico launched two small expeditions into Texas in 1842. The town of San
Antonio was captured twice and Texans were defeated in battle in the Dawson Massacre.
Despite these defeats, Mexico did not keep an occupying force in Texas, and the Republic
survived.[58]
The republic's inabilty to defend itself, however, added momentum to Texas'
eventual annexation into the United States.
Statehood
Main articles: Texas Annexation and Mexican American War
As early as 1837, the Republic made several attempts to negotiate annexation with the
United States.[59]
Opposition within the republic from the nationalist faction, along with
strong abolitionist opposition to adding slave states within the United States, slowed
Texas's admission into the Union. Political support within the United States for annexation
finally went in Texas' favor when the expansionist James K. Polk won the election of 1844.
On December 29, 1845, Congress admitted Texas to the U.S. as a constituent state of the
Union.[60]
When Texas gained statehood, Mexico broke diplomatic relations with the United States.
The United States claimed that Texas' border stretched to the Rio Grande, citing the 1836
Treaties of Velasco. Mexico, never ratifying these treaties, claimed the Nueces River as its
border. 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 what is called the
Thornton Affair. Polk declared this incident an act of 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.[61]
Texas state welcome sign
After a series of United States victories, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the two
year war. In return, for US $18,250,000, Mexico gave the U.S. undisputed control of Texas,
ceded the Mexican Cession in 1848, most of which today is called the American
Southwest, and Texas' borders were established at the Rio Grande.[61]
The Compromise of 1850 set Texas's boundaries at their present form. Texas ceded land
which later became half of present day New Mexico, a third of Colorado, and small
portions of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming to the federal government, in return for the
assumption of $10 million of the old republic's debt.[62]
Post-war Texas grew rapidly as
migrants poured into the cotton lands of the state.[63]
Civil War and Reconstruction
Main article: Texas in the American Civil War
Civil war monument in Galveston, Texas
Texas was at war again after the election of 1860. Abraham Lincoln's election triggered
South Carolina's declaration of secession from the Union. A State Convention considering
secession opened in Austin on January 28, 1861. On February 1, by a vote of 166-8, the
Convention adopted an Ordinance of Secession from the United States. Texas voters
ratified the Ordinance on February 23, 1861. Texas joined the Confederate States of
America, ratifying the permanent C.S. Constitution on March 23, 1861.[2][64]
Not all Texans
favored secession initially, although many of the same would later support the Southern
cause. Texas’ most notable unionist was the state Governor, Sam Houston. Not wanting to
aggravate the situation further in Texas, Houston refused two offers from President Lincoln
for Union troops to keep him in office. However, he refused to take an oath of allegiance to
the Confederacy and was deposed as governor.[65]
While far from the major battlefields of the American Civil War, Texas contributed large
numbers of men, and equipment to the rest of the Confederacy.[66]
A few battles were
fought in Texas. Union troops briefly occupied the state's primary port, Galveston. Texas'
border with Mexico was known as the "backdoor of the Confederacy" because trade
occurred at the border, bypassing the Union blockade.[67]
The Confederacy repulsed all
Union attempts to shut down this route,[66]
however, Texas' role as a supply state, in mid-
1863, was marginalized after the Union capture of the Mississippi River. The final battle of
the Civil War was fought near Brownsville Texas at Palmito Ranch.[68]
Texas descended into near anarchy two months between the surrender of the Army of
Northern Virginia and the assumption of authority by Union General Gordon Granger.
Violence marked the early months of Reconstruction.[69]
Juneteenth commemorates the
announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Galveston by General Gordon
Granger, over 2½ years after the original announcement.[70][71]
President Johnson, in 1866,
declared the civilian government restored in Texas.[72]
Despite not meeting reconstruction
requirements, in 1870, Congress readmitted Texas into the Union. Social volatility
continued as the state struggled with agricultural depression and labor issues.[73]
Modern era
Spindletop
The first major oil well in Texas was Spindletop, south of Beaumont, on January 10, 1901.
Other fields were later discovered nearby in East Texas, West Texas, and under the Gulf of
Mexico. The resulting "Oil Boom" permanently transformed the economy of Texas.[74]
Oil
production eventually averaged three million barrels per day at its peak in 1972;[75]
the
resulting royalties provided and continue to provide a considerable source of income to the
Permanent University Fund for Texas' public universities.[76]
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, blacks left Texas in
the Great Migration to get work in the Northern United States or California and to escape
the oppression of segregation.[77]
On November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated president John
F. Kennedy.[78]
Texas Governor John B. Connally was also critically injured in the incident
but survived.[79]
On Air Force One at Dallas's Love Field Airport, Kennedy's vice president,
the Texan Lyndon Baines Johnson, swore in as the next president.[80]
Despite the tragedy, in the 1950 through the 1960s, Texas modernized and expanded its
system of higher education. Under the leadership of Governor Connally, the state created a
comprehensive plan for higher education, a different distribution of resources, and a central
state apparatus designed to manage state institutions more efficiently. These changes helped
Texas universities receive federal research funds.[81]
Geography
Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be
found on the talk page. (January 2009)
El Capitán
Texas is second largest U.S. state, behind Alaska, with an area of 268,820 square miles
(696,200 km2). It is 10% larger than France and almost twice as large as Germany or
Japan, though it ranks only 27th worldwide amongst country subdivisions by size. If it were
a separate country, Texas would be the 40th largest behind Chile and Zambia, yet if part of
Russian it would only be the seventh largest republic and the would be Canada's fifth
largest province, with sixth, seventh and eighth not much smaller.
Texas is located at the southernmost part of the Great Plains, which ends in the south
against the folded Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico. It is in the south-central part of the
United States of America.
Texas' size and unique history makes its regional affiliation debatable. Depending on the
source, it can be fairly considered either or both a Southern or Southwestern state. The vast
geographic, economic, and cultural diversity within the state itself prohibits easy
categorization of the whole state into a recognized region of the United States. The East,
Central, and North Texas, regions have a stronger association with the American South
than with the Southwest. Others, such as far West Texas and South Texas share more
similarities with the latter.
The Rio Grande, Red River and Sabine River form natural state borders, Oklahoma on the
north, Louisiana and Arkansas on the east, & the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila,
Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south. The state's Texas Panhandle has an eastern
border with Oklahoma at 100° W, a northern border with Oklahoma at 36°30' N and a
western border with New Mexico at 103° W. El Paso lies on the state's western tip at 32° N
and the Rio Grande.[62]
Geology
Main article: Geology of Texas
Shaded Relief Map of the Llano Estacado
Texas is the southernmost part of the Great Plains, which ends in the south against the
folded Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico. The continental crust forms a stable
Mesoproterozoic craton which changes across a broad continental margin and transitional
crust into true oceanic crust of the Gulf of Mexico. The oldest rocks in Texas date from the
Mesoproterozoic and are about 1,600 million years old. These Precambrian igneous and
metamorphic rocks underlie most of the state, and are exposed in three places: Llano uplift,
Van Horn, and the Franklin Mountains, near El Paso. Sedimentary rocks overlay most of
these ancient rocks. The oldest sediments were deposited on the flanks of a rifted
continental margin, or passive margin that developed during Cambrian time. This margin
existed until Laurasia and Gondwana collided in the Pennsylvanian era to form Pangea.
This is the buried crest of the Appalachian Mountains–Ouachita Mountains zone of
Pennsylvanian continental collision. This orogenic crest is today buried beneath the Dallas–
Waco—Austin–San Antonio trend.
The late Paleozoic mountains collapsed as rifting in the Jurassic era began to open the Gulf
of Mexico. Pangea began to break up in the Triassic but seafloor spreading to form the Gulf
of Mexico occurred only in the mid and late Jurassic. The shoreline shifted again to the
eastern margin of the state and the Gulf of Mexico passive margin began to form. Today
9 miles (14 km) to 12 miles (19 km) of sediments are buried beneath the Texas continental
shelf and a large proportion of remaining US oil reserves are located here. At the start of its
formation, the incipient Gulf of Mexico basin was restricted and seawater often evaporated
completely to form thick evaporite deposits of Jurassic age. These salt deposits formed salt
dome diapirs, and are found in East Texas, along the Gulf coast.[82]
East Texas outcrops consist of Cretaceous and Paleogene sediments which contain
important deposits of Eocenelignite. The Mississippian and Pennsylvanian sediments in the
north, Permian sediments in the west, Cretaceous sediments in the east, and along the Gulf
coast and out on the Texas continental shelf contain oil. Oligocene volcanic rocks are found
in far west Texas, in the Big Bend area. A blanket of Miocene sediments known as the
Ogallala formation in the western high plains region is an important aquifer.[83]
Located far
from an active plate tectonic boundary, Texas has no volcanoes and few earthquakes.[84]
Climate
Main article: Climate of Texas
Snow on Franklin Mountains & El Paso, causes a closure of Transmountain Highway
The large size of Texas and its location at the intersection of multiple climate zones gives
the state very variable weather. The 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 as little as 8 inches (200 mm) of
annual rainfall while Houston, on the southeast Texas averages as much as 54 inches
(1,400 mm) per year.[85]
Dallas in the North Central region averages a more moderate
37 inches (940 mm) per year.
Generally, snow falls multiple times each winter in the Panhandle and mountainous areas of
West Texas, once or twice a year in North Texas, once every few years in Central and East
Texas, but snow rarely falls south of San Antonio or on the coast except in extreme
circumstances, such as the 2004 Christmas Eve Snowstorm which saw the first recorded
White Christmas ever for Houston and 6 inches of snow as far south as Kingsville, whose
average high temperature in December is 65° F.[86]
Maximum temperatures in the summer months average from the 80s °F (26 °C) in the
mountains of West Texas and on Galveston Island to around 100 °F (38 °C) in the Rio
Grande Valley, but most areas of Texas see consistent summer high temperatures in the
90 °F (32 °C) range.
Night time summer temperatures range from the upper 50s °F (14 °C) in the West Texas
mountains[87]
to 80 °F (27 °C) in Galveston.[88]
Thunderstorms strike Texas often, especially the eastern and northern portion of the state.
Tornado Alley covers the northern section of Texas. The state experiences the most
tornadoes in the Union, an average of 139 a year. These strike most frequently in North
Texas and the Panhandle.[89]
Tornadoes in Texas generally occur in the months of April,
May, and June.[90]
Some of the most destructive hurricanes in U.S. history have impacted Texas. A hurricane
in 1875 killed approximately 400 people in Indianola, followed by another hurricane in
1886 that destroyed the town, at the time the most important port city in the state. This
allowed Galveston to take over as the chief port city, the Galveston hurricane of 1900
subsequently devastated that city killing approximately 8,000 people (possibly as many as
12,000), making it the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Other devastating Texas
hurricanes include the 1915 Galveston Hurricane, Hurricane Audrey in 1957, which killed
over 600 people, during 2001, Claudette in 1979 among them.
Texas emits the most greenhouse gases in the US.[92][93][94]
The state emits nearly 1.5 trillion
pounds (680 billion kg) of carbon dioxide annually. As an independent nation Texas would
rank as the world's seventh-largest producer of greenhouse gases.[93]
Causes of the state's
vast greenhouse gas emissions include the state's large number of coal power plants and the
state's refining and manufacturing industries.[93]
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Texas
Texas Population Density Map
As of 2008, the state has an estimated population of 24,236,974, an increase of 2.0% from
the prior year and 16.1% since the year 2000.[95]
The state's rate of natural increase (births -
deaths) since the last census was 1,389,275 people, immigration from outside the United
States resulted in a net increase of 801,576 people, and migration within the country
produced a net increase of 451,910 people.[2]
As of 2004, the state had 3.5 million foreign-
born residents (15.6 percent of the state population), of which an estimated 1.2 million are
illegal immigrants. Texas from 2000–2006 had the fastest growing illegal immigration rate
in the nation.[96]
Texas's population density is 34.8 persons/km2 which is slightly higher than the average
population density of the US as a whole, at 31 persons/km2. In contrast, Texas and France
are similarly sized yet France has a density of 110 persons/km2.
Racial group and ethnic origins
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As of the 2006 US Census estimates, the racial distributions in Texas are as follows:
70.6% White (51.5% Non-Hispanic White, 20% White Hispanic)
o German (10.9%)
o English (7.2%)
o Scots-Irish (7.2%)
11.5% African American
3.3% Asian American
0.5% Native American
12.3% other racial groups
1.8% Two or more races
Grouped by ethnicity, the population was:
35.5% Hispanic or Latino of any race[5]
64.5% non-Hispanic of any race
The annual Houston International Festival spotlights a different culture each year
German descendants inhabit much of central and southeast-central Texas. Over one-third of
Texas residents are of Hispanic origin;[5]
while many have recently arrived, some Tejanos
have ancestors with multigenerational ties to 18th century Texas. In addition to the
descendants of the state's former slave population, many African American college
graduates have come to the state for work recently in the New Great Migration.[97]
Recently, the Asian population in Texas has grown—primarily in Houston and Dallas.
Native American tribes who once lived inside the boundaries of present-day Texas include
Apache, Atakapan, Bidai, Caddo, Comanche, Cherokee, Kiowa, Tonkawa, Wichita, Hueco
and the Karankawa of Galveston. Currently, three federally recognized Native American
tribes reside in Texas: the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe, the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe, and
the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo.[98]
Religion
Lakewood Church interior
Texas resides in the socially conservative Evangelical Protestant Bible Belt, and has the
highest percentage of people with a religious affiliation in the United States.[99]
Dallas-Fort
Worth, home to three major evangelical seminaries, also has several megachurches,
including Fellowship Church, Potter's House, First Baptist Church, Dallas, and
Prestonwood Baptist Church. Houston is home to the largest church in the nation,
Lakewood Church, averaging more than 43,000 in attendance per week.[100]
Lubbock,
according to local lore, has the most churches per capita in the nation.[99]
This list may be better in a table format. Please help improve this list, prune it, or discuss it on the talk page.
This article has been tagged since April 2009.
The religious affiliation of Texas are as follows:[101]
Roman Catholic - 28%
Baptist - 21%
No religion - 11%
Methodist - 8%
Christian - Others- 7%
Lutheran - 3%
Pentecostal - 3%
Presbyterian - 2%
Episcopalian - 1%
Judaism, Islam, other - 1%
Non-denominational - 1%
The largest denominations by number of adherents in 2000 were the Roman Catholic
Church with 4,368,969; the Southern Baptist Convention with 3,519,459; and the United
Methodist Church with 1,022,342.[102]
Also, approximately 400,000 Muslims live in
Texas.[103]
Cities and towns
See also: List of cities in Texas, List of Texas metropolitan areas, and Population of Texas
cities in 2000
Dallas
As of 2000, six incorporated places in Texas have populations greater than 500,000, two of
which are beta world cities: Dallas and Houston.[104]
Texas has the most cities, three, with
populations exceeding 1 million: Dallas, Houston, San Antonio.[105]
These three rank
among the 10 largest cities of the United States. Austin, Fort Worth, and El Paso rank
among the top 25 largest U.S. cities. Texas has a total of 25 metropolitan areas, with four
having populations over 1 million (Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Austin-
Round Rock) of which Dallas and Houston are over 5 million. Three interstate highways –
I-35 to the west (Dallas-Fort Worth to San Antonio, with Austin in between), I-45 to the
east (Dallas to Houston), and I-10 to the south (San Antonio to Houston) forms the Texas
Urban Triangle region. The region contains most of the state's largest cities and
metropolitan areas, as well as nearly 75 percent of Texas's total population.[106]
In contrast to the cities, Texas has rural, unincorporated settlements called colonias which
often lack basic infrastructure and are marked by poverty.[107]
As of 2007, Texas had at
least 2,294 colonias, located primarily along the state's 1,248-mile (2,008 km) border with
Mexico.[107]
Texas has the largest concentration of people, approximately 400,000, living in
colonias.
Government and politics
The Texas Constitution was adopted in 1876. Like many states, it explicitly provides for a
separation of powers. The state's Bill of Rights is much larger than its federal counterpart,
and has a number of provisions unique to Texas.[108]
State government
Main article: Government of Texas
See also: List of Texas state agencies
Texas State Capitol
Texas has a plural executive branch system which limits the power of the Governor. Except
for the Secretary of State, voters elect executive officers independently making candidates
directly answerable to the public, not the Governor.[109]
This election system has led to
some executive branches split between parties. When Republican President George W.
Bush served as Texas' governor, the state had a Democratic Lieutenant Governor, Bob
Bullock. The executive branch positions consists of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor,
Comptroller of Public Accounts, Land Commissioner, Attorney General, Agriculture
Commissioner, the three-member Texas Railroad Commission, the State Board of
Education, and the Secretary of State.[109]
The bicameral Texas Legislature consists of the House of Representatives, with 150
members, and a Senate, with 31 members. The Speaker of the House leads the House, and
the Lieutenant Governor, the Senate.[110]
The Legislature meets in regular session
biennially, but the Governor can call for special sessions as often as desired.[111]
The state's
fiscal year spans from the previous calendar year's September 1 to the current year's August
31. Thus, the FY 2008 dates from September 1, 2007 through August 31, 2008.
The judicial system of Texas is one of the most complex in the United States, with many
layers and overlapping jurisdictions. Texas has two courts of last resort: the Texas Supreme
Court, for civil cases, and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Except for some municipal
benches, partisan elections select judges at all levels of the judiciary; the Governor fills
vacancies by appointment.[112]
Although only capital murder is eligible for the death
penalty, Texas leads the nation in executions, 400, from 1982 to 2007.[113]
The Texas Ranger Division of the Texas Department of Public Safety is a law enforcement
agency with statewide jurisdiction. Over the years, the Texas Rangers have investigated
crimes ranging from murder to political corruption, acted as riot police and as detectives,
protected the Texas governor, tracked down fugitives, and functioned as a paramilitary
force at the service of both the Republic (1836–45) and the state. The Texas Rangers were
unofficially created by Stephen F. Austin in 1823 and formally constituted in 1835. The
Rangers were part of several important events of Texas history and some of the best-known
criminal cases in the history of the Old West.[114]
Politics
Main article: Politics of Texas
Further information: Political party strength in Texas
Lyndon B. Johnson, Texan and 36th president of the United States
As in other "Solid South" states, whites resented the Republican Party after the American
Civil War, and the Democratic Party dominated Texas politics from the end of
Reconstruction until the late 20th century. When President Lyndon Johnson signed the
Civil Rights Act of 1964, he reportedly said "We have lost the South for a generation".[115]
The Texas political atmosphere leans towards fiscal and social conservatism.[116][117]
Since
1980, most of Texas voters have supported Republican presidential candidates. In 2000 and
2004, Republican George W. Bush won Texas with 60.1% of the vote partly due to his
"favorite son" status as a former Governor of the state. John McCain won the state in 2008,
but in a smaller margin compared to Bush at (55%-44%). Austin consistently leans
Democratic in both local and statewide elections. Houston, San Antonio and Dallas remain
approximately split. Counties along the Rio Grande generally vote Democratic, while most
rural and suburban areas of Texas vote Republican.[118][119]
The 2003 Texas redistricting of congressional districts led by the Republican Tom Delay,
was called by the New York Times "an extreme case of partisan gerrymandering".[120]
A
group of Democratic legislators, the "Texas Eleven", fled the state in a quorum-busting
effort.[121]
Despite these efforts the legislature passed a map heavily in favor of
Republicans. Protests of the redistricting reached the national Supreme court in the case
League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry, but the ruling went in the Republicans'
favor.[122]
As of the general elections of 2008, a large majority the members of Texas' U.S. House
delegation are Republican, along with both U.S. Senators. In the 111th United States
Congress, of the 32 congressional districts in Texas, 20 are held by Republicans and 12 by
Democrats. Texas' Senators are Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn. Since 1994,
Texans have not elected a Democrat to a statewide office. The state's Democratic presence
comes primarily from minority groups and urban voters, particularly in Austin, San
Antonio, Dallas and Houston.
Texas is not unique in possessing a secessionist movement. While Texas did originally
retain the right to divide into as many as five independent States,[123]
after the civil war the
option for Texas to secede was revoke and in 1869 the US Supreme Court banned any
unilateral acts of secession.[124]
Despite those facts, a 2009 poll found that 31% of Texans
believe that Texas has the legal right to secede and form an independent country and 18%
believe it should do so.[125]
Administrative divisions
Map outlining 254 counties of Texas
See also: List of Texas counties and List of United States congressional districts#Texas
Texas has 32 congressional districts, the most after California. There are 254 counties—the
most nationwide. Each county runs on Commissioners' Court system consisting of four
elected commissioners and a county judge. County government runs similar to a "weak"
mayor-council system; the county judge has no veto authority, but votes along with the
other commissioners.
Although Texas permits cities and counties to enter "interlocal agreements" to share
services, the state does not allow consolidated city-county governments, nor does it have
metropolitan governments. Counties are not granted home rule status; their powers are
strictly defined by state law. The state does not have townships— areas within a county are
either incorporated or unincorporated. Incorporated areas are part of a municipality. The
county provides limited services to unincorporated areas. Municipalities are classified
either "general law" cities or "home rule".[126]
A municipality may elect home rule status
once it exceeds 5,000 population with voter approval. Municipal elections are
nonpartisan[127]
as are elections for school boards.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Texas
The Johnson Space Center
Texas had a gross state product (GSP) of $1.09 trillion, the second highest in the
U.S.[128][129]
Its GSP is comparable to the GDP of India or Canada which are ranked 12th
and 11th worldwide. Texas's economy is the third largest in the world of country
subdivisions behind California and Tokyo Prefecture. It's Per Capita personal income in
2007 was $37,083, ranking 22nd in the nation. Texas's large population, abundance of
natural resources, and diverse population and geography have led to a large and diverse
economy. Since oil was discovered, the state's economy has reflected the state of the
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
excessive urban sprawl and its associated symptoms.[130]
Texas has a "low taxes, low services" reputation.[116]
According to the Tax Foundation,
Texans' state and local tax burdens rank among the lowest in the nation, 7th lowest
nationally; state and local taxes cost $3,580 per capita, or 8.7% of resident incomes.[131]
Texas is one of six states that lack a state income tax.[131][132]
Instead, the state collects
revenue from a state sales tax, which is charged at the rate of 6.25%.[131]
Texas is a "tax
donor state"; in 2005, for every dollar Texans paid to the federal government in federal
income taxes, the state received approximately $0.94 in benefits.[131]
In 2004, Site Selection Magazine ranked Texas as the most business friendly state in the
nation. This ranking stems in part from the state's three-billion-dollar Texas Enterprise
Fund.[133]
The state holds the most Fortune 500 company headquarters in the United
States.[134][135]
Agriculture and mining
A Texas longhorn
Texas has the most farms and the highest acreage in the United States.[136]
Texas leads the
nation livestock production.[136]
Cattle is the state's most valuable agricultural product, and
the state leads nationally in production of sheep and goat products. Texas leads the nation
in production of cotton.[136]
The state grows significant amounts of cereal crops and
produce.[136]
Texas has a large commercial fishing industry. With mineral resources, Texas
leads in creating cement, crushed stone, lime, salt, sand and gravel.[136]
Energy
See also: Deregulation of the Texas electricity market
An oil well
Ever since the discovery of oil at Spindletop, energy has been a dominant force politically
and economically within the state.[137]
According to the Energy Information Administration,
Texans consume the most energy in the nation per capita and as a whole.[138]
Unlike the rest
of the nation, most of Texas is on its own alternating current power grid, the Texas
Interconnection. Despite the California electricity crisis, Texas still has a deregulated
electric service.
The Railroad Commission of Texas, contrary to its name, regulates the state's 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.[139]
Texas has known petroleum deposits of about 5 billion barrels (790,000,000 m3), which
makes up approximately one-fourth of the known U.S. reserves.[138]
The state's refineries
can process 4.6 million barrels (730,000 m3) of oil a day.
[138] The Baytown Refinery in the
Houston area is the largest refinery in America.[138]
Texas also leads in natural gas
production, producing one-fourth of the nation's supply.[138]
Several petroleum companies
are based in Texas such as: Conoco-Phillips, Exxon-Mobil, Halliburton, Valero, and
Marathon Oil.
The state is a leader in renewable energy sources; it produces the most wind power in the
nation.[138][140]
The Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center in Taylor and Nolan County, Texas,
is the world's largest wind farm as of November 2008 with a 735.5 megawatt (MW)
capacity.[141]
The Energy Information Administration states that the state's large agriculture
and forestry industries gives Texas enormous biomass for use in biofuels. The state also has
the highest solar power potential for development in the nation.[138]
Technology
With large universities systems coupled with initiatives like TEF 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". Texas has the headquarters of many high technology companies, such as Dell,
Inc., Texas Instruments, Perot Systems, AT&T, and Electronic Data Systems (EDS).
Electronic Data Systems headquarters in Plano
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Lyndon B. Johnson Space
Center (JSC) located in Southeast Houston, sits as the crown jewel of Texas's aeronautics
industry. Fort Worth hosts both Lockheed Martin's Aeronautics division and Bell
Helicopter Textron.[142][143]
Lockheed builds the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the largest Western
fighter program, and its successor, the F-35 Lightning II in Fort Worth.[144]
Commerce
Texas's affluence stimulates a strong commercial sector consisting of retail, wholesale,
banking and insurance, and construction industries. Examples of Fortune 500 companies
not based on Texas traditional industries are: AT&T, Men's Warehouse, Landry's
Restaurants, Kimberly-Clark, Blockbuster, Whole Foods Market, and Tenet Healthcare.[145]
Nationally, the Dallas–Fort Worth area, home to the second shopping mall built in the
United States, has the most shopping malls per capita of any American metropolitan
area.[146]
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) contributes to Mexico, the state's largest
trading partner, importing a third of the state's exports. NAFTA has encouraged the
formation of controversial maquiladoras on the Texas/Mexico border.[147]
Transportation
Main article: Transportation in Texas
Texans have historically had difficulties traversing Texas due to the state's large size and
rough terrain. Texas has compensated by building both America's largest highway and
railway systems in terms of mileage, as well as the largest number of airports.[148]
The
regulatory authority, the Texas Department of Transportation maintains the state's immense
highway system, regulates aviation,[149]
and public transportation systems.[150]
Texas's central North American location has the state an important transportation hub.
From the Dallas/Fort Worth area, trucks can reach 93 percent of the nation's population
within 48 hours, and 37 percent within 24.[151]
Texas has the most foreign trade zones
(FTZ), in the nation, 33.[152]
In 2004 a combined total of $298 billion of goods passed
though Texas FTZs.[152]
Highways
I-10 and I-45 interchange in Houston
Main article: Texas state highways
Texans have heavily traveled their freeways since the 1948 opening of the Gulf Freeway in
Houston.[153]
As of 2005 79,535 miles (127,999 km) of public highway crisscrossed Texas
(up from 71,000 miles (114,263 km) in 1984).[154]
To fund recent growth in the state
highways currently there are currently 17 toll roads in Texas, with several additional
tollways proposed.[155]
In west Texas, both I-10 and I-20 have speed limits of 80 miles per
hour (130 km/h), the highest in the nation.[156]
Airports
See also: List of airports in Texas
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Texas has the most airports of any state in the nation.[148]
Largest of these is Dallas-Fort
Worth International Airport (DFW), the second largest in the United States, and fourth in
the world.[157]
In traffic, DFW is the busiest in the state, fourth in the United States,[158]
and
sixth worldwide.[159]
AMR Corporations American / American Eagle, the world's largest
airline in total passengers-miles transported[160]
and passenger fleet size,[161]
uses DFW as
its largest and main hub. Southwest Airlines, is also headquartered in Dallas, Texas, began
its operations at Dallas Love Field.[162]
It ranks as the largest airline in the United States by
number of passengers carried domestically per year and the largest airline in the world by
number of passengers carried.[163]
Texas's second-largest air facility Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
serves as Houston based Continental Airlines's largest hub. IAH offers service to the most
Mexican destinations of any U.S. airport.[164][165]
Ports
Main article: List of ports in the United States
Over 1,000 seaports dot Texas's coast with over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of channels.[166]
Ports employ nearly one-million people and handle an average of 317 million metric
tons.[167]
Texas ports connect with the rest of the US Atlantic seaboard with the Gulf section
of the Intracoastal Waterway.[166]
The Port of Houston today is the busiest port in the
United States in foreign tonnage, second in overall tonnage, and tenth worldwide in
tonnage.[168]
The Houston Ship Channel currently spans 530 feet (160 m) wide by 45 feet
(14 m) deep by 50 miles (80 km) long.[169]
Railroads
METRORail in Houston
See also: List of Texas railroads
Part of the state's tradition originates from cattle drives in which wranglers herded livestock
to railroads in Kansas. The first railroad in Texas completed in 1872, the Missouri-Kansas-
Texas Railroad. Since 1911, Texas has led the nation in railroad length. Texas railway
mileage peaked in 1932 at 17,078 miles (27,484 km), but declined to 14,006 miles
(22,540 km) by 2000.[148]
While the Railroad Commission of Texas, originally regulated
state railroads, in 2005, the state reassigned these duties to TxDOT.[170]
Both Dallas and Houston feature light rail systems. Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)
built the first light rail system in the Southwest United States.[171]
The commuter rail
service, the Trinity Railway Express (TRE), links Fort Worth and Dallas, provided by the
Fort Worth Transportation Authority (the T) and DART.[172]
The Metropolitan Transit
Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) operates light rail lines in the Houston area.
Amtrak provides Texas limited intercity passenger rail service both in size and frequency.
Just three scheduled routes serve the state: the daily Texas Eagle (Chicago – San Antonio);
the tri-weekly Sunset Limited (New Orleans – Los Angeles), with stops in Texas; and the
daily Heartland Flyer (Fort Worth – Oklahoma City).
Culture
Main article: Culture of Texas
See also: List of people from Texas and List of Texas symbols
Big Tex has presided over every Texas State Fair since 1952
Historically, Texas culture comes from a blend of Southwestern (Mexican), Southern
(Dixie), and Western (frontier) influences. A popular food item, the breakfast burrito, draws
from all three influences, 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.
Arts
Further information: Music of Texas
Houston is one of only five American cities with permanent professional resident
companies in all of the major performing arts disciplines: the Houston Grand Opera, the
Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Ballet, and The Alley Theatre.[173]
Known for
the vibrancy of its visual and performing arts, the Houston Theatre District—a 17-block
area in the heart of Downtown Houston—ranks second in the country in the number of
theater seats in a concentrated downtown area, with 12,948 seats for live performances and
1,480 movie seats.[173]
Founded in 1892, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, also called "The Modern", is Texas's
oldest art museum. Fort Worth also has the Kimbell Art Museum, the Amon Carter
Museum, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, the Will Rogers Memorial
Center, and the Bass Performance Hall downtown. The Arts District of Downtown Dallas
has arts venues such as the Dallas Museum of Art, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony
Center, the Bill and Margot Winspear Opera House, the Trammell & Margaret Crow
Collection of Asian Art, and the Nasher Sculpture Center.[174]
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Houston
The Deep Ellum district within Dallas became popular during the 1920s and 1930s as the
prime jazz and blues hotspot in the Southern United States. The name Deep Ellum comes
from local people pronouncing "Deep Elm" as "Deep Ellum".[175]
Artists such as Blind
Lemon Jefferson, Robert Johnson, Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter, and Bessie Smith played
in early Deep Ellum clubs.[176]
Austin, the The Live Music Capital of the World, boasts the most venues per capita
citywise.[177]
The city's music revolves around the nightclubs on 6th Street and events like
the film, music, and multimedia festivals, South by Southwest. The longest-running concert
music program on American television, Austin City Limits and its similarly named music
festival run at Zilker Park.[178]
Over the past couple of decades, San Antonio has evolved into the "Nashville of Tejano
music." The Tejano Music Awards have provided a forum to create greater awareness and
appreciation for Tejano music and culture.[179]
Sports
Main article: Sports in Texas
Further information: List of Texas sports teams, and List of University Interscholastic
League events
Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, home of the Texas Rangers
While American football has long been considered "king" in the state, Texans today enjoy a
wide variety of sports.[180]
Texans have a plethora of professional sports teams to cheer for.
Texas has two NFL teams, the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Texans; two Major
League Baseball teams, the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros; three NBA teams: the
Houston Rockets, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Dallas Mavericks; one WNBA team: the
San Antonio Silver Stars; one National Hockey League team, the Dallas Stars; two Major
League Soccer teams, the Houston Dynamo, and FC Dallas; and one Arena Football
League team, the Dallas Desperados. Dallas / Fort Worth metropolitan area is one of only
thirteen American cities that hosts sports teams from all the "Big Four" professional
leagues.
Collegiate athletics have deep significance in Texas culture. The state has the most Division
I-FBS schools in America, ten. The four largest programs in the state, the Baylor Bears,
Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M Aggies, and Texas Tech Red Raiders, belong to the Big 12
Conference. According to a survey of Division I-A coaches the rivalry between the
University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas, the Red River Shootout, ranks the
third best in the nation.[181]
A fierce rivalry, the Lone Star Showdown, also exists between
the state's two largest universities, Texas A&M University and the University of Texas.
2006 Lone Star Showdown football game at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
Collegiate teams nationwide see Texas high school football as a recruiting hotbed. In 2006,
170 players in the NFL came from Texas high schools.[182]
The University Interscholastic
League (UIL) organizes most primary and secondary school competitions. Events
organized by UIL include athletics as well as the arts and academic subjects such as
mathematics.[183]
Texans also enjoy the rodeo. The annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the largest
rodeo in the world, begins with trail rides that originate from several points throughout the
state, that convene at Reliant Park. Pecos, Texas hosted the world's first rodeo.[184]
The
Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show in Fort Worth, Texas has a cowboy, a
Mexican and many traditional rodeos. Dallas hosts the State Fair of Texas each year at Fair
Park.[185]
Healthcare
See also: List of hospitals in Texas
The Commonwealth Fund ranks the Texas healthcare system the third worst in the
nation.[186]
Texas ranks close to last in access to healthcare, quality of care, avoidable
hospital spending, and equity among various groups.[186]
Causes of the state's poor rankings
include: politics, a high poverty rate, and illegal immigration, Texas having the highest rate
in the nation.[96]
In May 2006, Texas initiated the program "code red" in response to the
report that the state had 25.1 percent of the population without health insurance, the largest
proportion in the nation.[187]
Texas also has controversial non-economic damages caps for
medical malpractice lawsuits, set at $250,000, in an attempt to "curb rising malpractice
premiums, and control escalating healthcare costs".[188]
The Trust for America's Health ranked Texas 15th highest adult obesity rate, 27.2
percent.[189]
The 2008 Men's Health obesity survey ranked four Texas cities among the top
25 fattest cities in America; Houston ranked 6th, Dallas 7th, El Paso 8th, and Arlington
14th.[190]
Texas had only one city, Austin, ranked 21st, in the top 25 among the "fittest
cities" in America.[190]
The same survey has evaluated the state's obesity initiatives
favorably with a "B+".[190]
Medical research
Aerial of Texas Medical Center in Houston
Many elite research medical centers reside in Texas. The state has nine medical schools,[191]
three dental schools,[192]
and one optometry school.[193]
Texas has two Biosafety Level 4
(BSL-4) laboratories: one at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in
Galveston,[194]
and the other at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in San
Antonio—the first privately owned BSL-4 lab in the United States.[195]
The Texas Medical Center, in Houston, holds the world's largest concentration of research
and healthcare institutions, with 47 member institutions.[196]
Texas Medical Center
performs the most heart transplants in the world.[197]
San Antonio's South Texas Medical
Center facilities rank sixth in clinical medicine research impact in the United States[198]
with the University of Texas Health Science Center being another highly ranked research
and educational institution.[199][200]
Also in Houston, highly regarded academic institution,
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, centers around cancer patient
care, research, education and prevention.[201]
Both the American Heart Association and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical
Center call Dallas home. The Southwestern Medical Center ranks "among the top academic
medical centers in the world".[202]
The institution's medical school employs the most
medical school Nobel laureates in the world.[202][203]
Education
Main article: Education in Texas
The main offices of the Texas Education Agency
The second president of the Republic of Texas—Mirabeau B. Lamar—is called the Father
of Texas Education. During his term, the state set aside three leagues of land for each
county for equipping public schools. An additional 50 leagues of land set aside for the
support of two universities would later become the basis of the state's Permanent University
Fund. Lamar's actions set the foundation for a Texas-wide public school system.[204]
Texas
ranked 26 in the American Legislative Exchange Council's Report Card on American
Education. Texas students ranked higher than average in mathematics, but lower in reading.
Between 2005–2006, Texas spent $7,584 per pupil ranking it below the national average of
$9,295. The pupil/teacher ratio was 15.0, slightly below average. Texas paid instructors
$38,130, below the national average. The state provided 89.22% of the funding for
education, the federal government 10.8%.[205]
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) administers the state's public school systems. Texas
has over 1,000 school districts—all districts except the Stafford Municipal School District
are independent from municipal government and many cross city boundaries.[206]
School
districts have the power to tax their residents and to assert eminent domain over privately
owned property. Due to court-mandated equitable school financing for school districts, the
state has a controversial tax redistribution system called the"Robin Hood plan". This plan
transfers property tax revenue from wealthy school districts to poor ones.[207]
The TEA has
no authority over private or home school activities.[208]
Texas students take the standardized test, the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills
(TAKS), both in primary and secondary school. TAKS assess students' attainment of
reading, writing, math, science, and social studies skills required under Texas education
standards and the No Child Left Behind Act. In spring 2007, Texas legislators replaced the
TAKS for freshmen in the 2011–2012 school year and onward with End of Course exams
for core high school classes.[209]
Colleges and universities
Further information: List of colleges and universities in Texas
Southern Methodist University in University Park
Discoveries of minerals, on Permanent University Fund land, —particularly oil—has
helped fund the rapid growth the state's two largest university systems: The University of
Texas System and The Texas A&M University System. The PUF principal in fall 2005 was
approximately $15 billion, second in size only to Harvard University's endowment.[210]
In addition to the state's two Permanent University Fund university systems, Texas has four
other state university systems and four independent public universities.[211][212]
These
university systems are the University of Houston, University of North Texas, Texas State,
and Texas Tech.
Texas's controversial alternative affirmative action plan, Texas House Bill 588, guarantees
Texas students who graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class automatic
admission to state-funded universities. The bill encourages diversity while avoiding
problems stemming from the Hopwood v. Texas (1996) case.
The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University are flagship universities of
the state of Texas. Both were established by the Texas Constitution and hold stakes in the
Permanent University Fund. The state is trying to expand the number of flagship
universities by elevating some of its seven emerging research universities. Texas Tech
University, the University of Houston, and The University of Texas at Dallas are generally
considered in the upper echelon from which the next tier one research flagship university
will emerge.[213]
Texas has many private institutions of higher learning—ranging from liberal arts colleges
to nationally recognized Tier One research universities. Rice University in Houston is one
of the leading teaching and research universities of the United States and ranked the
nation's 17th-best overall university by U.S. News & World Report.[214]
While Texas did not
form public universities until its statehood, the former republic chartered two private
universities: Baylor University and Southwestern University.[215][216]
Other prominent
private institutions include Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Southern Methodist
University in University Park, and Trinity University in San Antonio.
Universities in Texas currently host two presidential libraries: George Bush Presidential
Library at Texas A&M University and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum at
The University of Texas at Austin. An agreement has been reached to create a third; the
George W. Bush Presidential Library at Southern Methodist University.
See also
Lone Star portal
Dallas-Fort Worth portal
Houston portal
Index of Texas-related articles
Footnotes
1. ^ "Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area Estimates". US Census. 2007-04-04.
http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/CBSA-est2006-pop-chg.html. Retrieved
on 2008-04-28.
2. ^ a b c d "Facts". Texas Almanac. 2008. http://www.texasalmanac.com/facts/. Retrieved on
2008-04-29.
3. ^ "Environment". Texas Almanac. 2008. http://www.texasalmanac.com/environment/.
Retrieved on 2008-04-29.
4. ^ "2008 Population Estimates" (xls). US Census.
http://www.census.gov/popest/states/NST-ann-est.html. Retrieved on 2008-12-23.
5. ^ a b c "Texas QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau". 2006.
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References
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Press
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F. Austin to John B. Connally, Jr., College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University
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External links
History of Texas
French Texas
Spanish Texas
Mexican Texas
Republic of Texas
Texas in the Civil War
State of Texas
Find more about Texas on Wikipedia's sister projects:
Definitions from Wiktionary
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Quotations from Wikiquote
Source texts from Wikisource
Images and media from Commons
News stories from Wikinews
Learning resources from Wikiversity
State Government
The State of Texas
Texas State Databases - Annotated list of searchable databases produced by Texas
state agencies and compiled by the Government Documents Roundtable of the
American Library Association.
Texas Politics. An online textbook from the College of Liberal Arts, The University
of Texas.
U.S. Government
Energy Profile for Texas- Economic, environmental, and energy data
USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Texas
Texas State Facts
South and West Texas, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage
Travel Itinerary
Other
Texas at the Open Directory Project
The Texas State History Museum
The Handbook of Texas Online – Published by the Texas State Historical
Association
Texas Register, hosted by the University of North Texas Libraries
Texas travel guide from Wikitravel
South and West Texas: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary
v • d • e
State of Texas Austin (capital)
Topics
Architecture | Climate | Culture | Demographics |
Economy | Education | Geography | Government |
History | Languages | Literature | Politics | Sports
| Texans | Transportation | Symbols | Visitor
Attractions
Regions
Ark-La-Tex | Big Bend | Blackland Prairies |
Brazos Valley | Coastal Bend | Cross Timbers |
Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex | Deep East Texas |
East Texas | Edwards Plateau | Galveston Bay |
Golden Triangle | Greater Houston | Hill Country
| Llano Estacado | Longview–Marshall |
Northeast Texas | North Texas | Osage Plains |
Panhandle | Permian Basin | Piney Woods | Rio
Grande Valley | Southeast Texas | South Plains |
South Texas | West Texas
Metropolitan
areas
Abilene | Amarillo | Austin–Round Rock |
Beaumont–Port Arthur | Brownsville–Harlingen |
College Station–Bryan | Corpus Christi | Dallas–
Fort Worth–Arlington | El Paso | Houston–Sugar
Land–Baytown | Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood |
Laredo | Longview | Lubbock | McAllen–
Edinburg–Mission | Midland | Odessa | San
Angelo | San Antonio | Sherman–Denison |
Texarkana | Tyler | Victoria | Waco | Wichita
Falls
Counties See: Table of Texas counties or List
v • d • e
Political divisions of the United States
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Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia ·
Wisconsin · Wyoming
One District Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia)
Insular areas American Samoa · Guam · Northern Mariana Islands · Puerto Rico ·
U.S. Virgin Islands
Outlying islands Bajo Nuevo Bank · Baker Island · Howland Island · Jarvis Island ·
Johnston Atoll · Kingman Reef · Midway Atoll · Navassa Island ·
Palmyra Atoll · Serranilla Bank · Wake Island
v • d • e
Former Confederate States of America (CSA)
Alabama · Arkansas · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi · North
Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · Texas · Virginia
Coordinates: 31°N 100°W31°N 100°W
Preceded by
Florida
List of U.S. states by date of
statehood Admitted on December 29, 1845
(28th)
Succeeded by
Iowa
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas"
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States | Southern United States | Former Spanish colonies | Confederate states (1861-1865) |
States and territories established in 1845
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