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Texas

*** Shopping-Tip: Texas
{{Otheruses1|the U.S. state}} {{US state | Name = Texas | Fullname = State of Texas| Flag = Flag of Texas.svg | Flaglink = Flag of Texas .html">Austin, Texas Austin | LargestCity = Houston, Texas Houston | Governor = Rick Perry (R).html">Kay Bailey Hutchison (R)John Cornyn (R) PostalAbbreviation = TX | TradAbbreviation = Tex. | OfficialLang = ''None''. English language|English and Spanish language Spanish are de facto. | AreaRank = 2nd | TotalArea = 696,241 | LandArea = 678,907 | WaterArea = 17,333 | PCWater = 2.5 | PopRank = 2nd | 2000Pop = 20,851,820 | DensityRank = 28th | 2000Density = 30.75 | AdmittanceOrder = 28th | AdmittanceDate = December 29, 1845 .html">Central Standard Time Zone Central: UTC-6/Daylight saving time -5
Mountain Standard Time Zone Mountain: UTC-7/Daylight saving time -6 (part of west Texas) | Latitude = 25°50'N to 36°30'N | Longitude = 93°31'W to 106°38'W | Width = 1,065 | Length = 1,270 | HighestElev = Guadalupe Peak, 2,667 | MeanElev = 520 | LowestElev = 0 | ISOCode = US-TX | Website = www.state.tx.us}} '''Texas''' is a U.S. state state in the Southern United States South and Southwest United States Southwest regions of the United States. It joined the United States in 1845 as the 28th state, after nearly ten years as the Republic of Texas, an independent country. The state name derives from a word in a Caddoan languages Caddoan language of the Hasinai, ''táysha{{IPA.html">Spain Spanish_explorers mistakenly applied the word to the people and their location. (The Texas Department of Transportation pays homage to the origin of Texas' name in its "Drive Friendly" safe driving campaign.) With an area of 268,820 square miles (1 E11 m² 696,241 square kilometre km²) and a population of 22.5 million, Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous 48 states in area. (Alaska is the largest U.S. state in area and California is the most populous.) Texas has historically had a "larger than life" reputation, especially in Western Film cowboy films.

History
{{main|History of Texas}} {{Texas History}} Texas can claim that "Six flags over Texas Six Flags" have flown over its soil: the Fleur-de-lis of France, and the national flags of Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the United States United States of America and the Confederate States of America. Native Americans in the United States Native American tribes who once lived inside the boundaries of present-day Texas include Apache Tribe Apache, Atakapan, Bidai, Caddo, Comanche, Cherokee, Kiowa, Tonkawa, and Wichita (tribe) Wichita. Currently, there are three federally recognized Native American tribes which reside in Texas: the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas, and the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo of Texas. On November 6, 1528 shipwrecked Spanish conquistador �lvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca became the first known European to set foot on Texas. A member of the Narváez expedition, he was later enslaved by a Native American tribe of the upper Gulf coast, and explored what are now the U.S. state of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona on foot from coastal Louisiana to Sinaloa, Mexico, over a period of roughly six years. He returned to Europe in 1537, where he wrote about his experiences in a work called ''La relación'' ("The Tale"). Image:Stephen f austin.jpg Stephen_F. Austin.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|left|[[Stephen F. Austin.html" title="Meaning of left|[[Stephen F. Austin">thumb|left|[[Stephen F. Austin">left|[[Stephen F. Austin">thumb|left|[[Stephen F. Austin Prior to 1821, Texas was part of the Spain Spanish colony of New Spain. Moses Austin managed to buy land from the Spanish government in Texas. Moses purchased it with the help of Baron Felipe de Bastrop who presented the land scheme to the royal governor of Texas Antonio de Martinez. The governor passed along the favorable idea to his superior Commandant General of the Eastern Interior Province Joaquin de Arredondo. Moses was granted 200,000 acres (800 km²) of land of his choice. After Mexico Mexican Mexican War of Independence independence in 1821, Texas became part of Mexico and in 1824 became the northern section of Coahuila y Tejas. On 3 January 1823, Stephen F. Austin began a colony of 300 American families along the Brazos River in present-day Fort Bend County, Texas Fort Bend County and Brazoria County, Texas Brazoria County, centered primarily in the area of what is now Sugar Land, Texas Sugar Land. This group became known as the "Old Three Hundred." The "Conventions" of 1832 and 1833 responded to rising unrest at the policies of the ruling Mexico Mexican government. In 1835, Antonio López de Santa Anna, President of Mexico, proclaimed a unified constitution for all Mexican territories, including Texas. North American settlers in Texas announced they intended to secede from Mexico rather than give up their "right" to slavery, which Mexico had abolished. Other policies that irritated the Texians included the forcible disarmament of Texian settlers, and the expulsion of illegal immigrants from the United States United States of America. The example of the Centralista forces' suppression of dissidents in Zacatecas also inspired fear of the Mexican government. Image:Wpdms republic of texas.png 250px|thumb|right|Republic of Texas. The present-day outlines of the U.S. states are superimposed on the boundaries of 1836–1845 On March 2 1836, the "Convention of 1836" signed the Texas "Declaration of Independence," declaring Texas an independent nation. On April 21 1836 the Texans won their independence when they defeated the Mexican forces of Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. A factor in the defeat of Santa Anna's army at San Jacinto was the time the Texas Army got to gather itself, thanks to a small group of brave men at Battle of The Alamo The Alamo and General Sam Houston's strategy of giving up land until he had properly trained his army. Santa Anna himself passed into captivity, and on May 14, Republic of Texas officials and General Santa Anna signed the treaty of Velasco. Later in 1836, the Texans adopted a constitution that formally legalized slavery in Texas. The Republic of Texas included all the area now included in the state of Texas, although its self-proclaimed western and northwestern borders extended as far west as Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe and as far northwest as present-day Wyoming, respectively. In 1845, Texas was admitted to the United States as a constituent U.S. State state of the Union. Texas Annexation Annexation was mutually beneficial to Texas and the United States. Texas was in a very susceptible position following independence, with a weak government, little industry, and minimal infrastructure. The U.S. could not allow such a tenuous nation to sit right on its border. Texas also lay partially in the way of the U.S. expansion to the Pacific, and its "Manifest Destiny". The major stumbling block of annexation, besides the potential for Mexican-American War war with Mexico, was the fact that Texas was a slave state and potentially would tip the balance between free and slave states due to its huge size. Some southerners were pushing for the ability to divide Texas into multiple states, thereby increasing the number of slave states even more. A compromise was reached in that if Texas were divided, any states north of the Missouri Compromise would be free states. Some confusion has arisen over the annexation of Texas. Texas was admitted to the Union via a 'Joint Resolution for Annexing Texas to the United States' on March 1, 1845. Prior to the resolution there were several efforts to arrive at a formal annexation treaty. These efforts failed due to the ongoing struggle between 'slave', and 'free' states. Due to the requirement of the US Constitution (Article Two of the United States Constitution Article II, Section 2) that all treaties be approved by 2/3rds of the Senate, a formal treaty was thus blocked. President John Tyler suggested that annexation be accomplished by the 'Joint Resolution for Annexing Texas to the United States' as it required only a simple majority of members from each chamber of the US Congress for passage. During the American Civil War Civil War, Texas seceded from the Union and joined the Confederate States of America. In 1870, the United States Congress readmitted Texas into the Union. Texans pride themselves in a history of tradition, yet seeking new social and technological developments along the way. Round Rock is the headquarters of Dell, Inc. Dell and the surrounding area is known as "Silicon Hills", Dallas is a famously cosmopolitan metropolis and the birthplace of the integrated circuit, Houston is a leader in the oil industry, and cultures of San Antonio and El Paso retain their Mexican heritage while Fort Worth maintains its western heritage. The state tourism slogan is "Texas: It's like a whole other country."

Geography
Image:Texas 2002.jpg thumb|400px|Texas map depicting rivers, roads, and major cities

Location
Texas borders New Mexico on the west, Oklahoma on the north (across the Red River (Mississippi watershed) Red River), and Louisiana (across the Sabine River) and Arkansas on the east. To the southwest, across the Rio Grande, Texas borders the Mexico Mexican states of Chihuahua (state) Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas. To the southeast of Texas lies the Gulf of Mexico. Texas lies in the south-central part of the United States of America. Texas is considered to form part of the U.S. Southern States US South and part of the Southwest United States U.S. Southwest. Some regions of Texas are associated with the Southwest more than the South, while other regions are associated with the South more than the Southwest. Texas shares some cultural elements with both regions, with more similarities with the South, especially Arkansas and Louisiana, in East Texas, and more similarities with the Southwest, especially Mexico and New Mexico, in West Texas and South Texas. Texas is so large in its east-west expanse that El Paso, Texas El Paso, in the western corner of the state, is closer to San Diego, California than to Beaumont, Texas Beaumont, near the Louisiana state line; Beaumont, in turn, is closer to Jacksonville, Florida than it is to El Paso. Also, Texarkana, Texas Texarkana, in the northeastern corner of the state, is closer to Chicago, Illinois than it is to El Paso. The north-south extent is similarly impressive; Dalhart, Texas Dalhart, in the northwestern corner of the state, is closer to the state capitals of Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Wyoming than it is to Austin, Texas Austin, its own state capital.

Natural geography
Image:El_Capitan_base_2005-03-12.jpg|El Capitan (Texas) El Capitan Image:Texas Hill Country Near I-10, 2004.jpg|Texas Hill Country Hill Country Image:Caddo Lake- Cypress.jpg|Caddo Lake According to the Texas Almanac, Texas has four major physical regions: # The Gulf Coastal Plains, from the Gulf of Mexico inland to the Balcones Fault and the Cross Timbers Eastern Cross Timbers. This large area stretches from the cities of Paris, Texas Paris to San Antonio, Texas San Antonio to Del Rio, Texas Del Rio but shows just as large variety in vegetation. The thick pineywoods of east Texas and the brush country south of San Antonio are found here. # The Interior Lowlands are bounded by the Caprock Escarpment to the west, the Edwards Plateau to the South, and the Cross Timbers Eastern Cross Timbers to the east. This area includes the North Central Plains around the cities of Abilene, Texas Abilene and Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls, the Cross Timbers Western Cross Timbers to the west of Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth, the Grand Prarie, and the Eastern Cross Timbers to the east of Dallas, Texas Dallas. # The Great Plains that include the Llano Estacado, the Texas Panhandle Panhandle, Edwards Plateau, Toyah Basin, and Llano Basin. It is bordered on the east by the Caprock Escarpment in the panhandle and then by the Balcones Fault to the southeast. Cities in this region include Austin, Texas Austin, San Angelo, Texas San Angelo, Midland, Texas Midland and Odessa, Texas Odessa, Lubbock, Texas Lubbock, and Amarillo, Texas Amarillo. The Texas Hill Country Hill Country is a popular name for the area of hills along the Balcones Escarpment and is a tranistional area between the Great Plains and the Gulf Coastal Plains. # The Basin and Range Province, in extreme western Texas, west of the Pecos River beginning with the Davis Mountains on the east and the Rio Grande to its west and south. This is the only part of Texas regarded as mountainous and includes seven named peaks in elevation greater than 2,438.4 metre m (8,000 foot (unit of length) ft).

Geology
Image:TXSeaWIFS1.jpg thumb|right|275px|SeaWIFS satellite image looking east over the southern United States, showing the location of Dallas and Fort Worth Texas is the southernmost part of the Great Plains, which ends in the south against the folded Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico. It is mostly sedimentary rocks, with east Texas underlain by a Cretaceous and younger sequence of sediments, the trace of ancient shorelines east and south until the active continental margin of the Gulf of Mexico is met. This sequence is built atop the subsided crest of the Appalachian Mountains–Ouachita Mountains–Marathon Mountains zone of Pennsylvanian continental collision, which collapsed when rifting in Jurassic time opened the Gulf. West from this orogeny orogenic crest, which is buried beneath the Dallas, Texas Dallas–Waco, Texas Waco–Austin, Texas Austin–San Antonio, Texas San Antonio trend, the sediments are Permian and Triassic in age. Petroleum Oil is found in the Cretaceous sediments in the east, the Permian sediments in the west, and along the Gulf coast and out on the Texas continental shelf. A few exposures of Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks are found in the central and western parts of the state, and 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. Texas has no active or dormant volcanoes and few earthquakes, being situated far from an active plate tectonic boundary.

Government and politics


State law and government
Image:Texas state capitol 1.jpg Texas_State Capitol.html" title="Meaning of 275px 275px|left|thumb|[[Texas State Capitol.html" title="Meaning of left|thumb|[[Texas State Capitol">275px|left|thumb|[[Texas State Capitol">left|thumb|[[Texas State Capitol">275px|left|thumb|[[Texas State Capitol Austin, Texas Austin is the capital of Texas. The Texas State Capitol State Capitol resembles the federal United States Capitol Capitol Building in Washington, DC, but is faced in pink granite and is topped by a statue of the "Goddess of Liberty" holding aloft a five-point Texas pentagram star. Like several other southern state capitols, it faces south instead of north. The capitol building was purposely built seven feet taller than the U.S. national capitol, however it is less massive. Republican Rick Perry has served as List of Governors of Texas Governor of Texas since December 2000 when George W. Bush vacated the office to assume the President of the United States Presidency. Two Republicans represent Texas in the U.S. Senate: Kay Bailey Hutchison (since 1993) and John Cornyn (since 2002). Texas has 32 representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives: 21 Republicans and 11 Democrats. The Texas Constitution, adopted in 1876, is the second oldest state constitution still in effect. As with many United States state constitution state constitutions, it explicitly provides for the separation of powers and incorporates its bill of rights directly into the text of the constitution (as Article I). The bill of rights is considerably lengthier and more detailed than the federal United States Bill of Rights Bill of Rights, and includes some provisions unique to Texas. The executive branch consists of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor of Texas 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. The Comptroller decides if expected state income is sufficient to cover the proposed state budget. Except for the Secretary of State—who is appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate—each of these officials is elected (the three Railroad Commission members are voted at-large; the State Board of Education members are voted in single-member districts). There are also a large number of state agencies and numerous boards and commissions. Partly because of the large number of elected officials, the Governor's powers are quite limited in comparison to other state governors or the U.S. President. In popular lore and belief the Lieutenant Governor, who heads the Senate and appoints its committees, has more power (sociology) power than the Governor. The Governor commands the state militia and can veto bills passed by the Legislature and call special sessions of the Legislature (this power is exclusive to the Governor and can be exercised as often as desired). He or she also appoints members of various executive boards and fills judicial vacancies between elections. The Legislature of Texas, like the legislature of every other state except Nebraska, is bicameral (that is, it has two chambers). The House of Representatives has 150 members, while the Senate has 31. The speaker of the house, currently Tom Craddick (United States Republican Party R-Midland, Texas Midland) leads the House, and the Lieutenant Governor (currently Republican David Dewhurst) leads the State Senate. The Legislature meets in regular session only once every two years. The Legislature cannot call itself into special session. The Texas judicial system judicial system of Texas has a reputation as one of the most complex in the United States, with many layers and many overlapping jurisdictions. Texas has two courts of last resort: the Texas Supreme Court, which hears civil cases, and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Except in the case of some municipal benches, partisan elections choose all of the judges at all levels of the judiciary; the Governor fills vacancies by appointment.

County government
Texas has a total of 254 counties, by far the most counties of any state. Each county is run by a "commissioners court" consisting of four elected commissioners (one from each of four precincts drawn based on population) and a "county judge" elected from all the voters of the county. The county judge does not have authority to veto a decision of the commissioners court, s/he votes along with the commissioners. In smaller counties, the county judge actually does perform judicial duties, but in larger counties the judge's role is limited to serving on the commissioners court. Certain officials, such as the sheriff and tax collector, are elected separately by the voters and state law specifies their salaries, but the commissioners court determines their office budgets. All county elections are partisan. Counties also have much less legal power than municipalities, for instance, counties in Texas do ''not'' have zoning power (except in very rare circumstances). However, counties do have eminent domain power.

Municipal government
Texas does not have townships; areas within a county are either "incorporated" (i.e., part of a city, though the city may contract with the county for needed services) or "unincorporated" (i.e., not part of a city, in these areas the county has authority for law enforcement and road maintenance). Cities are classified as either "general law" or "home rule". A city may elect "home rule" status (i.e., draft an independent city charter) once it exceeds 5,000 population and the voters agree to home rule. Otherwise, it is classified as "general law" and has very limited powers. One example of the difference in the two structures regards annexation. General law cities cannot annex adjacent unincorporated areas without the property owner's consent; home rule cities may annex without consent, but must provide essential services within a specified period of time or the property owner may file suit to be deannexed. Municipal elections in Texas are nonpartisan, in the sense that candidates do not appear on the ballot on party "lines," and do not run as party "tickets". However, a candidate's party affiliation is usually known or can be discerned with minimal effort (as the candidate most likely has supported other candidates on partisan tickets). In some instances, an informal "citizen's group" will support a "slate" of candidates that it desires to see elected (often in opposition to an incumbent group with which it disagreed on an issue). However, each candidate must be voted on individually.

School and special districts
In addition to cities and counties, Texas has numerous "special districts." The most common is the independent school district, which (with one exception) has a board of trustees that is independent of any other governing authority. School district boundaries are not coaligned with city or county boundaries; it is not uncommon for a school district to cover one or more counties or for a large city to be served by several school districts. Other special districts include water supply, public hospitals, and community colleges. Like with municipal elections, candidates are elected on a "nonpartisan" basis.

Politics
{{main|Politics of Texas}} Regardless of party affiliation, Texas politics are dominated by fiscal and social conservatism. Texas politics are presently dominated by the Republican Party (United States) Republican Party, which has strong majorities in the Texas Senate and House of Representatives. Every executive branch official elected statewide is Republican, as is every member of Texas's two courts of last resort; no Democrat has won a statewide election since 1994. The majority of the state's delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives is Republican, as are both U.S. Senators. A notable exception to this trend is the Travis County District Attorney, Ronnie Earle, a Democrat elected by the people of Austin, Texas Austin who has served since 1978 with statewide authority and responsibility for legally prosecuting political mischief. Ronnie Earle is nationally known for leveling charges against Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, which were dismissed in court, and against Representative Tom DeLay, which have not yet been resolved. The position of Travis County DA is uniquely so - empowered by the Texas Constitution; most states grant this authority to the more broadly elected position of Attorney General. Note: The congressional districts in Texas were redrawn in 2003 by the Republican-dominated legislature. Districts are usually drawn after the national census every 10 years, but an impasse in the Texas Legislature resulted in the districts being drawn by the courts in 2001. The legislature, with controversial help from U.S. Congressman Tom DeLay, redrew the districts after the Republicans gained a larger share of the legislature. A court challenge to the legality of the non-Census-timed redistricting was upheld by the Republican-dominated Texas Supreme Court; the United States Supreme Court has agreed to review the case. Like other Southern states, Texas historically was a one-party state of the United States Democratic Party Democratic Party. The Democrats controlled a majority in the Texas House and in the state's Congressional delegation until the 2002 and 2004 elections, respectively. One of the most famous Texans was a Democrat: Lyndon Baines Johnson served in the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and as Vice President of the United States vice-president and president of the United States. Another famous Texas Democrat was longtime speaker of the House, Sam Rayburn. The shift from Democrat to GOP control in Texas politics is due to the national GOP adopting "official" conservative stances on fiscal and social issues and the national Democratic Party adopting "official" liberal stances on these issues.

=Crime and Punishment
= The justice system in Texas has a reputation for strict sentencing. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, of the 21 counties in the United States where more than a fifth of residents are prison inmates, 10 are in Texas. Texas leads the nation in executions by far, with 359 executions from 1976 to 2006. The second-highest ranking state is Virginia, with 94. Only "capital murder" (equivalent to such terms as "murder with malice aforethought" in other states) is eligible for the death penalty (prior to 2005 the alternate sentence was life with the possibility of parole after 40 calendar years; a 2005 law change changed the alternate sentence to life without parole and eliminated the life with parole option). A 2002 ''Houston Chronicle'' poll of Texans found that when asked "Do you support the death penalty?" 69.1% responded that they did, 21.9% did not support and 9.1% were not sure or gave no answer. {{seealso|Capital punishment in Texas}}

Congressional Districts
{{USCongDistStateTX}}

Economy
Image:Port of Houston.jpg Port_of Houston.html" title="Meaning of 275px 275px|thumb|left|[[Port of Houston.html" title="Meaning of thumb|left|[[Port of Houston">275px|thumb|left|[[Port of Houston">thumb|left|[[Port of Houston">275px|thumb|left|[[Port of Houston Texas remained largely rural until World War II, with ranching cattle ranching, Petroleum oil, and farming agriculture as its main industries. Contrary to popular mythology, cattle ranching (though important) was never Texas' chief industry – before the oil boom, back to the period of the first Anglo settlers, the chief industry was cotton farming (as in most of the South). In 1926 San Antonio, Texas San Antonio had over 120,000 people, the largest population of any city in Texas. After World War II, Texas became increasingly industralized. Its economy today relies largely on information technology, oil and natural gas, energy exploration and energy trading, agriculture, and manufacturing. The major segment of the economy depends largely on the region involved – for example, the timber industry is a major portion of the East Texas economy but a non-factor elsewhere, while aerospace and defense manufacturing is primarily centered in North Texas. The state has two major economic centers: the Greater Houston area and the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Houston stands at the center of the petrochemical and biomedical research trades while Dallas functions as the center of the aerospace/defense manufacturing and information technology labor market in Texas. Other major cities include San Antonio, Texas San Antonio, Austin, Texas Austin, Brownsville, Texas Brownsville, Lubbock, Texas Lubbock, Amarillo, Texas Amarillo, Abilene, Texas Abilene, College Station, Texas College Station, Beaumont, Texas Beaumont, McAllen, Texas McAllen, Tyler, Texas Tyler, Odessa, Texas Odessa and Midland, Texas Midland. Other important cities include Killeen, Texas Killeen (home to Fort Hood, the largest military post in the U.S.) and the cities of El Paso, Texas El Paso, Eagle Pass, Texas Eagle Pass, and Laredo, Texas Laredo (these have particular significance due to their location on the border with Mexico, making them important trade points). Image:wiki_texas.jpg thumb|275px|Greetings from Texas The state passed New York in the 1990s to become the second-largest U.S. state in population (after California). Texas had a gross domestic product gross state product of $764 billion, the third highest in America after California and New York respectively. Texas's growth is often attributed to the availability of jobs, the low cost of housing (housing values in the Dallas and Houston areas, while generally rising, have not risen at the astronomical rates of other areas such as San Francisco), the lack of a personal state income tax, low taxation and limited regulation of business, limited government (the state legislature of Texas meets only once every two years), and favorable (weather) climate in many areas of the state. Texas is the largest international exporter among the 50 American states, with international merchandise exports totalling $117.2 Billion in 2004.''(USA Today, Feb 26, 2006, 6B)'' The Port of Houston is among the top 10 ports in the world in terms of commerce.

Film and television
Texas is one of the top filmmaking states in the United States, just after California and New York. In the past 10 years alone (1995-2004), more than $2.89 billion has been spent in Texas for film and television production. The Texas Film Commission was founded for free services to filmmakers, from location research to traveling.

Healthcare and medical research
Image:Texas Medical Center ariel.JPG Texas_Medical Center.html" title="Meaning of 275px 275px|right|thumb|[[Texas Medical Center in Houston.html" title="Meaning of right|thumb|[[Texas Medical Center">275px|right|thumb|[[Texas Medical Center in Houston">right|thumb|[[Texas Medical Center">275px|right|thumb|[[Texas Medical Center in Houston Houston, Texas Houston is the seat of the internationally-renowned Texas Medical Center, which contains the world's largest concentration of research and healthcare institutions. There are 42 member institutions in the Texas Medical Center—all are Non-profit organization non-profit organizations, and are dedicated to the highest standards of patient and preventive care, research, education, and local, national, and international community well-being. These institutions include 13 renowned hospitals and two specialty institutions, two medical schools, four nursing schools, and schools of dentistry, public health, pharmacy, and virtually all health-related careers. It is where one of the first, and still the largest, air emergency service was created—a very successful inter-institutional transplant program was developed—and more heart surgery heart surgeries are performed than anywhere else in the world. Some of the academic and research health institutions are Baylor College of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The M. D. Anderson Cancer Center is widely considered one of the world’s most productive and highly-regarded academic institutions devoted to cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. Other prominent healthcare and medical research centers in the state are the South Texas Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas San Antonio and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas Dallas. Texas has two Biosafety Level 4 laboratories: one at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas Galveston [http://www.bioscrypt.com/about/press/press-2004-10-14..html], and the other at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in San Antonio, the first privately owned BSL-4 lab in the United States.[http://www.sfbr.org/pages/about_resources2.php] {{further|List of hospitals in Texas}}

Demographics
{| class="toccolours" align="right" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0 0 1em 1em; font-size: 95%;" |- ! colspan=4 bgcolor="#ccccff" align="center"| Historical populations |- ! align="center"| Census
year !! align="right"| Population || Change || Percent
Change |- | colspan=4|

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|- | align="center"| 1850 || align="right"| 212,592 || align=center | - || align=center | - |- | align="center"| 1860 || align="right"| 604,215 || align=right | 391,623 || align=right | 184% |- | align="center"| 1870 || align="right"| 818,579 || align=right | 214,364 || align=right | 35% |- | align="center"| 1880 || align="right"| 1,591,749 || align=right | 773,170 || align=right | 94% |- | align="center"| 1890 || align="right"| 2,235,527 || align=right | 643,778 || align=right | 40% |- | align="center"| 1900 || align="right"| 3,048,710 || align=right | 813,183 || align=right | 36% |- | align="center"| 1910 || align="right"| 3,896,542 || align=right | 847,832 || align=right | 28% |- | align="center"| 1920 || align="right"| 4,663,228 || align=right | 766,686 || align=right | 20% |- | align="center"| 1930 || align="right"| 5,824,715 || align=right | 1,161,487 || align=right | 25% |- | align="center"| 1940 || align="right"| 6,414,824 || align=right | 590,109 || align=right | 10% |- | align="center"| 1950 || align="right"| 7,711,194 || align=right | 1,296,370 || align=right | 20% |- | align="center"| 1960 || align="right"| 9,579,677 || align=right | 1,868,483 || align=right | 24% |- | align="center"| 1970 || align="right"| 11,196,730 || align=right | 1,617,053 || align=right | 17% |- | align="center"| 1980 || align="right"| 14,229,191 || align=right | 3,032,461 || align=right | 27% |- | align="center"| 1990 || align="right"| 16,986,510 || align=right | 2,757,319 || align=right | 19% |- | align="center"| United States 2000 Census 2000 || align="right"| 20,851,820 || align=right | 3,865,310 || align=right | 23% |} {| |- |Image:Texas_population_map.png thumb|250px|Texas Population Density Map The people of Texas, historically often known as ''Texians'', are now generally referred to as ''Texans''. As of 2005, the state has an estimated population of 22,859,968, which is an increase of 388,419, or 1.7%, from the prior year and an increase of 2,008,176, or 9.6%, since the year 2000. In all three subcategories ("natural" – births less deaths, net immigration, and net migration) Texas has seen an increase in population. The natural increase since the last census was 1,155,182 people (1,948,398 births minus 793,216 deaths), immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 663,161 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 218,722 people. As of as of 2004 2004, the state has 3,450,500 foreign-born residents (15.6% of the state population), of which an estimated 1.2 million are illegal aliens (illegal aliens account for more than one-third of the foreign-born population in Texas and 5.4% of the total state population). |}

Ethnic origins
More than one-third of Texas residents are of Hispanic origin and may be of any racial group. Some are recent arrivals from Mexico, Central America, or South America, while others, known as Tejanos (though interestingly everyone in Texas is known as a Tejano in Spanish), have ancestors who have lived in Texas since before Texan independence, or at least for several generations. Tejanos are the largest ancestral group in southern Duval County, Texas Duval County. Numerically Mexican-Texans dominate South Texas south, south-central, and west Texas and are a significant part of the work force in the cities of Dallas, Texas Dallas and Houston, Texas Houston. Other population groups in Texas also exhibit great diversity. Frontier Texas saw settlements of German-American Germans, particularly in Fredericksburg, Texas Fredericksburg and New Braunfels, Texas New Braunfels. In fact, the Hoelscher-Buxkemper largest family in Texas today is of German descent. After the European revolutions of 1848, German, Polish-American Polish, Swedish-American Swedish, Norwegian-American Norwegian, Bohemia Czech and France French immigration grew, and continued until World War I. The influence of the diverse immigrants from Europe survives in the names of towns, styles of architecture, genres of music, and varieties of cuisine. Texans of German descent dominate much of central and southeast-central Texas and one county in the area, Lavaca County, Texas Lavaca, is predominantly Czech. In recent years, the Asian American Asian population in Texas has grown, especially in Houston and in Dallas. People from People's Republic of China mainland China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, India, South Korea, Japan, Republic of China Taiwan, Pakistan, and other countries have settled in Texas. In August 2005, it was announced by the United States Census that Texas has become the fourth minority-majority state in the nation (after Hawaii, New Mexico, and California).{{ref|USCensus4thMinority}} According to the Texas state Data Center, if current trends continue, Hispanics will become a majority in the state by 2030. The largest reported ancestry groups in Texas include: Mexico Mexican (24.3%), African American (11.5%), German-American German (9.9%), United States American (7.2%), and Ireland Irish (7.2%). Much of east, central, and north Texas is inhabited primarily by Texans of White Anglo Saxon Protestant heritage, primarily descended from the British Isles. African Americans, who historically made up one-third of the state population, are concentrated in those parts of East Texas where the ante-bellum cotton plantation culture was most prominent, as well as in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metropolitan areas. Census data reports 7.8% of Texas's population as under 5, 28.2% under 18, and 9.9% over 64 years. Females made up 50.4% of the population. {|class="wikitable" |- ! '''Demographics of Texas''' ! 2004 ! 2003 ! 2002 ! 2001 ! 2000 |- | Total | 22,490,022 | 22,103,374 | 21,723,220 | 21,334,855 | 20,851,790 |- | Whites White (Non-Hispanic) | 10,986,937 | 11,049,172 | 11,094,951 | 11,138,076 | 11,190,222 |- | | 49.8% | 50.4% | 51.1% | 51.8% | 52.7% |- | Hispanics Hispanic (of any race) | 7,781,211 | 7,519,603 | 7,258,302 | 6,993,458 | 6,669,666 |- | | 34.6% | 34.0% | 33.4% | 32.8% | 32.0% |- | African American Black (Non-Hispanic) | 2,535,285 | 2,500,125 | 2,463,047 | 2,426,088 | 2,378,444 |- | | 11.3% | 11.3% | 11.3% | 11.4% | 11.4% |- | Asian American Asian (Non-Hispanic) | 695,293 | 666,261 | 636,223 | 604,846 | 567,526 |- | | 3.1% | 3.0% | 2.9% | 2.8% | 2.7% |- | Native American (U.S. Census) Native American (Non-Hispanic) | 77,662 | 76,071 | 74,538 | 72,762 | 70,405 |- | | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% |- | Mixed/Other | 210,349 | 203,238 | 196,159 | 188,529 | 178,812 |- | | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% |} All data comes from the United States Census state population estimates.{{ref|USCensusStatePopEstimates}}

Cities and metropolitan areas


Largest cities
Image:DowntownHouston.jpg Houston,_Texas thumb|right|250px|[[Houston, Texas|Houston.html" title="Meaning of Houston.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|250px|[[Houston, Texas|Houston">thumb|right|250px|[[Houston, Texas|Houston">Houston.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|250px|[[Houston, Texas|Houston">thumb|right|250px|[[Houston, Texas|Houston Image:Downtown-san-antonio.jpeg San_Antonio, Texas thumb|right|250px|[[San Antonio, Texas|San Antonio.html" title="Meaning of San Antonio.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|250px|[[San Antonio, Texas|San Antonio">thumb|right|250px|[[San Antonio, Texas|San Antonio">San Antonio.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|250px|[[San Antonio, Texas|San Antonio">thumb|right|250px|[[San Antonio, Texas|San Antonio Image:Dallas-Reunion.JPG Dallas,_Texas thumb|right|250px|[[Dallas, Texas|Dallas.html" title="Meaning of Dallas.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|250px|[[Dallas, Texas|Dallas">thumb|right|250px|[[Dallas, Texas|Dallas">Dallas.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|250px|[[Dallas, Texas|Dallas">thumb|right|250px|[[Dallas, Texas|Dallas Image:AustinSkyline.jpeg Austin,_Texas thumb|right|250px|[[Austin, Texas|Austin.html" title="Meaning of Austin.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|250px|[[Austin, Texas|Austin">thumb|right|250px|[[Austin, Texas|Austin">Austin.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|250px|[[Austin, Texas|Austin">thumb|right|250px|[[Austin, Texas|Austin Image:DTFW.JPG Fort_Worth, Texas thumb|right|250px|[[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth.html" title="Meaning of Fort Worth.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|250px|[[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth">thumb|right|250px|[[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth">Fort Worth.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|250px|[[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth">thumb|right|250px|[[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth Image:El Paso Skyline.jpg El_Paso, Texas right|250px|thumb|[[El Paso, Texas|El Paso.html" title="Meaning of El Paso.html" title="Meaning of right|250px|thumb|[[El Paso, Texas|El Paso">right|250px|thumb|[[El Paso, Texas|El Paso">El Paso.html" title="Meaning of right|250px|thumb|[[El Paso, Texas|El Paso">right|250px|thumb|[[El Paso, Texas|El Paso Texas has two out of 11 U.S. global city global cities as Houston, Texas Houston and Dallas, Texas Dallas ranked "Gamma World City" by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network (GaWC). Ranked by population of city cities (incorporated municipalities), the six major cities in Texas are Houston, Texas Houston, San Antonio, Texas San Antonio, Dallas, Texas Dallas, Austin, Texas Austin, Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth, and El Paso, Texas El Paso. Photographs of the downtowns of those six cities are displayed to the right, in order of each city's population according to 2004 U.S. Census estimates within city limits. Texas is the only state in the U.S. to have three cities with populations exceeding one million (California has two; no other state has more than one) — Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas, which are also among the 10 largest cities of the United States. Austin and Fort Worth are in the top 20 largest U.S. cities.{{ref|USCities}} :''Some cities not listed are still considered important on the basis of other factors and issues, including culture, economics, heritage, and politics.'' {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;" |- style="background:#efefef;" ! Texas
rank !! U.S.
rank !! align=center |City !! Population !! Geographic
area |- | 1 || 4 ||align=left | Houston, Texas Houston || '''2,012,626''' || East Texas Southeast Texas |- | 2 || 8 ||align=left | San Antonio, Texas San Antonio || '''1,236,249''' || South Texas |- | 3 || 9 ||align=left | Dallas, Texas Dallas || '''1,210,393''' || North Texas |- | 4 || 16 ||align=left | Austin, Texas Austin || '''681,804''' || Central Texas |- | 5 || 19 ||align=left | Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth || '''603,337''' || North Texas |- | 6 || 21 ||align=left | El Paso, Texas El Paso || '''592,099''' || West Texas |}
{{further|List of cities in Texas}} {{seealso|Population of Texas cities in 2000}}

Metropolitan areas
Texas has 25 metropolitan areas (MSAs) defined by the United States Census Bureau. The two largest are ranked among the top 10 United States metropolitan areas. As of November 2003, there is now an additional classification, that of a “Metropolitan Division.â€? Texas has two metropolitan divisions within the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington MSA. The term metropolitan division is used to refer to a Counties of the United States county or group of counties within a metropolitan area that has a population core of at least 2.5 million. While a metropolitan division is a subdivision of a larger metropolitan area, it often functions as a distinct social, economic, and cultural area within the larger region. The following table lists population figures for those metropolitan areas, in rank of population. Population figures are as of the 2004 U.S. Census estimates. {| class="wikitable" |- ! Texas
rank ! U.S.
rank ! Metropolitan Area ! Metropolitan Division ! Population |- | align=right | 1 | align=right | 5 | Dallas, Texas Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth–Arlington, Texas Arlington |   | align=right | '''5,700,256''' |- |   |   |   | Dallas, Texas Dallas–Plano, Texas Plano–Irving, Texas Irving | align=right | 3,812,875 |- |   |   |   | Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth–Arlington, Texas Arlington | align=right | 1,887,381 |- | align=right | 2 | align=right | 7 | Houston, Texas Houston–Sugar Land, Texas Sugar Land–Baytown, Texas Baytown |   | align=right | '''5,180,443''' |- | align=right | 3 | align=right | 29 | San Antonio, Texas San Antonio |   | align=right| '''1,854,050''' |- | align=right | 4 | align=right | 38 | Austin, Texas Austin–Round Rock, Texas Round Rock |   | align=right| '''1,412,271''' |- | align=right | 5 | align=right | 68 | El Paso, Texas El Paso |   | align=right| '''713,126''' |- | align=right | 6 | align=right | 74 | McAllen, Texas McAllen–Edinburg, Texas Edinburg–Mission, Texas Mission |   | align=right| '''658,248''' |- | align=right | 7 | align=right | 114 | Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi |   | align=right| '''409,741''' |- | align=right | 8 | align=right |126 | Beaumont, Texas Beaumont–Port Arthur, Texas Port Arthur |   | align=right| '''383,443''' |- | align=right | 9 | align=right | 129 | Brownsville, Texas Brownsville–Harlingen, Texas Harlingen |   | align=right| '''371,825''' |- | align=right | 10 | align=right | 139 | Killeen, Texas Killeen–Temple, Texas Temple–Fort Hood, Texas Fort Hood |   | align=right| '''346,116''' |- | align=right | 11 | align=right | 167 | Lubbock, Texas Lubbock |   | align=right| '''257,663''' |- | align=right | 12 | align=right | 180 | Amarillo, Texas Amarillo |   | align=right| '''236,113''' |- | align=right | 13 | align=right | 187 | Waco, Texas Waco |   | align=right| '''222,439''' |- | align=right | 14 | align=right | 188 | Laredo, Texas Laredo |   | align=right| '''219,464''' |- | align=right | 15 | align=right | 199 | Longview, Texas Longview |   | align=right| '''200,405''' |- | align=right | 16 | align=right | 208 | Bryan, Texas Bryan–College Station, Texas College Station |   | align=right| '''189,468''' |- | align=right | 17 | align=right | 210 | Tyler, Texas Tyler |   | align=right| '''186,414''' |- | align=right | 18 | align=right | 237 | Abilene, Texas Abilene |   | align=right| '''158,515''' |- | align=right | 19 | align=right | 255 | Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls |   | align=right| '''147,826''' |- | align=right | 20 | align=right | 274 | Texarkana, Texas Texarkana |   | align=right| '''132,716''' |- | align=right | 21 | align=right | 289 | Odessa, Texas Odessa |   | align=right| '''124,488''' |- | align=right | 22 | align=right | 298 | Midland, Texas Midland |   | align=right| '''120,344''' |- | align=right | 23 | align=right | 302 | Sherman, Texas Sherman–Denison, Texas Denison |   | align=right| '''115,933''' |- | align=right | 24 | align=right | 307 | Victoria, Texas Victoria |   | align=right| '''113,450''' |- | align=right | 25 | align=right | 331 | San Angelo, Texas San Angelo |   | align=right| '''105,510''' |} ::''See also: United States metropolitan areas''

Education


Colleges and universities
Image:Utcampus_night.jpg University_of Texas at Austin 200px|thumb|right|[[University of Texas at Austin|The University of Texas at Austin.html" title="Meaning of The University of Texas at Austin.html" title="Meaning of 200px|thumb|right|[[University of Texas at Austin|The University of Texas at Austin">200px|thumb|right|[[University of Texas at Austin|The University of Texas at Austin">The University of Texas at Austin.html" title="Meaning of 200px|thumb|right|[[University of Texas at Austin|The University of Texas at Austin">200px|thumb|right|[[University of Texas at Austin|The University of Texas at Austin Image:TAMUcampus.jpg Texas_A&M University.html" title="Meaning of 200px 200px|right|thumb|[[Texas A&M University.html" title="Meaning of right|thumb|[[Texas A&M University">200px|right|thumb|[[Texas A&M University">right|thumb|[[Texas A&M University">200px|right|thumb|[[Texas A&M University Image:UH skyline.JPG University_of Houston.html" title="Meaning of 200px 200px|right|thumb|[[University of Houston.html" title="Meaning of right|thumb|[[University of Houston">200px|right|thumb|[[University of Houston">right|thumb|[[University of Houston">200px|right|thumb|[[University of Houston Image:Image048.jpg Texas_Tech University.html" title="Meaning of 200px 200px|right|thumb|[[Texas Tech University.html" title="Meaning of right|thumb|[[Texas Tech University">200px|right|thumb|[[Texas Tech University">right|thumb|[[Texas Tech University">200px|right|thumb|[[Texas Tech University Image:Rice University.JPG Rice_University.html" title="Meaning of 200px 200px|right|thumb|[[Rice University.html" title="Meaning of right|thumb|[[Rice University">200px|right|thumb|[[Rice University">right|thumb|[[Rice University">200px|right|thumb|[[Rice University Image:Dallas Hall1.JPG Southern_Methodist University.html" title="Meaning of 200px 200px|right|thumb|[[Southern Methodist University.html" title="Meaning of right|thumb|[[Southern Methodist University">200px|right|thumb|[[Southern Methodist University">right|thumb|[[Southern Methodist University">200px|right|thumb|[[Southern Methodist University The University of Texas System, established by the Texas Constitution in 1876, consists of nine academic university universities and six health institutions. UT System institutions enrolled a total of 182,752 students in fall 2004 making it one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation. In 2004, University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin, which is the largest institution in the UT System and in the state of Texas, maintained an enrollment of 50,377 students. The University of Texas at Austin was once the largest institution in the United States, but it is now one of the top three largest by population and is the nation's 52nd ranked university[http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/natudoc/tier1/t1natudoc_brief.php]. Seven doctorate doctoral programs at UT Austin rank in the top 10 in the nation and 22 degree programs rank in the top 25, according to a comprehensive study of the quality of graduate schools conducted by the United States National Research Council. Four of the seven medical schools of Texas are within the University of Texas System. In 2004, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas was ranked the 16th highest ranking medical school in the United States, with four of Texas' eleven Nobel Prize Nobel laureates.{{ref|NobelPrize}} The Texas A&M University System, also established by the 1876 Constitution, is the second largest state university system of higher learning in Texas. Its flagship institution is Texas A&M University located in College Station and is the state's oldest public institution of higher education. Funded research generally exceeds that of all other Texas universities including UT Austin, and Texas A&M ranks among the top ten national universities in research. It is the second largest university in the state of Texas and also one of the top 10 largest schools in the nation. The University of Houston System is the largest urban state system of higher education in the Gulf Coast of the United States Gulf Coast, which has four university universities with three located in Houston. Its flagship institution is the University of Houston, the only doctoral degree granting extensive research institution in Houston and is the third largest in the state of Texas with an enrollment of over 36,000. The interdisciplinary research conducted at UH breaks new ground in such vital areas as superconductivity, space commercialization, biomedical engineering, economics, education, petroleum exploration and management. UH is also home to over 40 research centers and institutes. Amongst the most prestigious of the University of Houston's colleges is the University of Houston Law Center University of Houston Law Center (law school). The UH Law Center's Health Law and Policy Institute is ranked number one in the nation while the Intellectual Property Law Program is ranked fifth, according to ''U.S. News & World Report''. Houston is the location of a well known prestigious private institution of Rice University, which boasts one of the largest financial endowments of any university in the world. The small undergraduate student body is among the nation's most select and one of the highest percentages of National Merit Scholarship winners. Rice University maintains a variety of research facilities and laboratories. Rice is also associated with the Houston Area Research Center, a consortium supported by Rice, the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, and the University of Houston. Another liberal arts college in Houston is the University of St. Thomas (Texas) University of St. Thomas. Founded by the Basilian Order in 1947, the University has become one of the premier Catholic universities in the world, renowned for its Theology and Philosophy departments. Former UST president Archbishop Michael J. Miller currently serves in the Roman Curia as the prefect of Catholic universities throughout the world. The campus is also home to some major historic buildings, such as the Link Lee Mansion (once the largest house in Texas) and Hughes House (the childhood home of Howard Hughes). Houston is also home to Texas Southern University, the first Historically Black colleges and universities historically black college and university (HBCU) to house a law school, and was also the first state-supported institution in the city of Houston. Over the years, the University's educational facilities and programs expanded, and many of its graduates began to achieve local, regional, and national recognition for their influence in politics, education, business, technology, medicine, and the arts. Its pioneering spirit continues today. The Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex has the fourth largest university in the state—the University of North Texas—along with two UT System institutions—University of Texas at Dallas The University of Texas at Dallas and University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington, as well as private universities such as Southern Methodist University, which is the Metroplex's largest law school, and Texas Christian University. Baylor University, among the largest Baptist universities in the world, is located 90 miles south in Waco, Texas Waco. San Antonio, Texas San Antonio is home to many colleges and universities, such as University of Texas at San Antonio The University of Texas at San Antonio, the second largest institution of the University of Texas System, as well as University of Texas Health Science Center, Trinity University, St. Mary's University, University of the Incarnate Word, and Our Lady of the Lake University. Other large public universities in Texas include Texas State University-San Marcos (formerly Southwest Texas State University) and Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas Lubbock, the only institution in Texas with the university, law school, and medical school all residing on the same campus. {{seealso|List of colleges and universities in Texas}}

Primary and secondary education
Texas has over 1,000 school districts, ranging in size from the gigantic Houston Independent School District to the 13-student Divide Independent School District in rural south Texas. All but one of the school districts in Texas are separate from any form of municipal government, hence they are called "independent school districts," or "ISD" for short. School districts may (and often do) cross city and county boundaries. School districts have the power to taxation tax their residents and to use eminent domain. The sole exception to this rule is Stafford Municipal School District, which serves all of the city of Stafford, Texas Stafford. The public school systems are administered by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The TEA is divided into twenty Educational Service Center "regions" that serve the local school districts. Especially in the metropolitan areas, Texas also has numerous private schools of all types (non-sectarian, Catholic, and Protestant). The TEA has no authority over private school operations; private schools may or may not be accredited, and achievement tests are not required for private school graduating seniors. However, many private schools will obtain accreditation and perform achievement tests as a means of encouraging future parents that the school is genuinely interested in educational performance. Home schooling is popular in Texas—generally considered to be among the least restrictive states in which to home school. Neither TEA nor the local school district has authority to regulate home school activities; the state law only requires that the curriculum 1) must teach "reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics and a study of good citizenship" (the latter interpreted to mean a course in civics) and 2) must be taught in a ''bona fide'' manner. [http://www.thsc.org/FAQ/default.asp Texas Home School Coalition FAQ] There are no minimum number of days in a year, or hours in a day, that must be met, and achievement tests are not required for home school graduating seniors. The validity of home schooling was challenged in Texas, but a landmark case, ''Leeper v. Arlington ISD'', ruled that home schooling was legal and that the state had little or no authority to regulate the practice. {{further|List of school districts in Texas}}

Transportation


Highways
Image:Texas45.jpg thumb|275px|left|State Highway 45, the first of several toll roads in Central Texas, under construction Texas freeways are heavily traveled and often under construction to meet the demands of continuing growth. Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) planners have sought ways to reduce rush hour congestion, primarily through High occupancy vehicle High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane for vans and carpools. The "Texas T," an innovation originally introduced in Houston, is a ramp design that allows vehicles in the HOV lane, which is usually the leftmost lane, to exit directly to transit centers or to enter the freeway directly into the HOV lane without crossing multiple lanes of traffic. Timed freeway entrances, which regulate the addition of cars to the freeway, are also common. Houston and San Antonio have extensive networks of freeway cameras linked to transit control centers to monitor and study traffic. One characteristic of Texas's freeways are its frontage roads. Alongside most freeways are two to four lanes in each direction parallel to the freeway permitting easy access to individual city streets. Other states have frontage roads, of course, but in Texas they can be found even in the most remote areas. Frontage roads provide access to the freeway from businesses alongside, such as gas stations and retail stores, and vice versa. New landscaping projects and a longstanding ban on new billboards are ways Houston, Texas Houston has tried to control the potential side effects of convenience. {{further|List of Texas highways}}

Airports
Image:Dfw_airport.jpg Dallas/Fort_Worth International Airport.html" title="Meaning of 275px 275px|thumb|right|[[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|[[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport">275px|thumb|right|[[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport">thumb|right|[[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport">275px|thumb|right|[[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport The Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, located nearly equidistant from downtown Dallas, Texas Dallas and downtown Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth, is the largest airport in state, the second largest in the United States, and third largest in the world. In terms of traffic, DFW is the busiest in the state, fourth busiest in the United States, and sixth busiest in the world. The airport serves 135 domestic destinations and 37 international, and is the largest and main Airline hub hub for American Airlines (900 daily departures), the world's largest airline, and also the largest hub for American Eagle Airlines American Eagle. Texas's second-largest air facility is the George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). The airport is the ninth-busiest in the United States for total passengers, and nineteenth busiest worldwide. Houston, Texas Houston is the headquarters of Continental Airlines, and George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is Continental Airline's largest hub, with over 750 daily departures (over 250 operated by Continental Airlines). Because of Houston's proximity to American Airlines' hub in Dallas, Texas Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth, that airline also maintains a large presence at IAH. A long list of cities within Texas, as well as international destinations are served directly from this airport. With 30 destinations in Mexico, IAH offers service to more Mexican destinations than any other US airport. IAH currently ranks second in the United States among U.S. airports with scheduled non-stop domestic and international service (221 destinations), trailing only Atlanta Hartsfield with 250 destinations.

Professional sports
{{further|List of Texas sports teams}}

Miscellaneous information
Image:USS Texas 1.jpg USS_Texas (BB-35).html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|210px|right|[[USS Texas (BB-35), the oldest remaining dreadnought..html" title="Meaning of 210px|right|[[USS Texas (BB-35)">thumb|210px|right|[[USS Texas (BB-35), the oldest remaining dreadnought.">210px|right|[[USS Texas (BB-35)">thumb|210px|right|[[USS Texas (BB-35), the oldest remaining dreadnought. * Four ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Texas USS ''Texas'' in honor of the state. * Famous for their role in the history of Texas law enforcement, the Texas Ranger Division Texas Rangers continue today to provide special law enforcement services to the state. * One state holiday, Juneteenth (from "June" + "Nineteenth," its date), commemorates the day in 1865 that the slaves in Texas learned of the Emancipation Proclamation. * At 311 feet (95 m), Texas's capitol building in Austin is taller than the capitol building in Washington, D.C. *Texas is the largest state in the continental United States, larger than the nation of France.

State designations and symbols
Image:Bluebonnet1.jpg bluebonnet.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|right|210px|The Texas [[bluebonnet.html" title="Meaning of right|210px|The Texas [[bluebonnet">thumb|right|210px|The Texas [[bluebonnet">right|210px|The Texas [[bluebonnet">thumb|right|210px|The Texas [[bluebonnet * List of U.S. state flowers state flower — the bluebonnet (''Lupinus texensis'') * List of U.S. state mottos state motto — "Friendship" * List of U.S. state nicknames state nickname — '''The Lone Star State''' (after the single star on several historical flags of Texas, including the current Texas flag{{ref|USStateNicknames}}, because Texas was an independent country before becoming a US state) also ''The Friendship State'' * List of U.S. state trees state tree — the pecan * List of U.S. state birds state bird — the Northern Mockingbird mockingbird * official List of U.S. state songs state song — ''Texas Our Texas'' * List of U.S. state mammals state mammals (three) ** small — armadillo ** large — Texas longhorn (cattle) ** flying — Mexican free-tailed bat

Other state designations
Image:CurrentTexasPlate.jpg thumb|210px|right|Current Texas license plate *List of U.S. state dinosaurs state dinosaur — the Brachiosaurus Brachiosaur Sauropoda Sauropod, ''Pleurocoelus'' *state dish — chili con carne *state fiber and fabric — cotton *List of U.S. state fish state fish — Guadalupe bass *List of U.S. state dances state folk dance — square dance *state fruit — Texas red grapefruit *List of U.S. state minerals, rocks, stones and gemstones state gem — Texas blue topaz *state gemstone cut — The Lone Star Cut{{ref|USStateGemstoneCut}} *List of U.S. state grasses state grass — Sideoats grama (''Bouteloua curtipendula'') *List of U.S. state insects state insect — monarch butterfly (''Danaus plexippus'') *state molecule; buckyball *musical instrument — guitar *state chile pepper peppers (two) **native — chiltepin **other — jalapeño *state plant — Opuntia prickly pear cactus *List of U.S. state reptiles state reptile — Texas horned lizard (''Phrynosoma cornutum''), commonly called the "horny toad" *state shell — Whelk lightning whelk (''Busycon perversum pulleyi'') *state ship — the Battleship ''USS Texas (BB-35)'' *state shrub — crape myrtle (''Lagerstroemia indica'') *state native shrub — Texas purple sage (''Leucophyllum frutescens)'') *List of U.S. state slogans state slogan — ''"It's like a whole other country"'' *state snack — tortilla chips and Salsa (sauce) salsa *List of U.S. state sports state sport — rodeo *List of U.S. state minerals, rocks, stones and gemstones state stone — petrified palmwood *state tartan — Texas Bluebonnet Tartan *state vegetable — Texas sweet onion The pledge to the Texas Flag is: :''Honor the Texas Flag;'' :''I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas,'' :''one and indivisible''

See also
{{portal}} * Don't Mess with Texas * List of bands from Texas * List of Texas-related topics * List of people from Texas List of Texans * List of Texas county name etymologies * List of Texas county seat name etymologies * The size of Texas * Catastrophic Texas Hurricanes since 1900 * {{wikitravel}}

Notes
# {{note|USCensus4thMinority}} [http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/005514.html U.S. Census Bureau News, August 11, 2005] # {{note|USCensusStatePopEstimates}} [http://www.census.gov/popest/states/asrh/SC-EST2004-03.html U.S. Census Bureau] Annual Estimates of the Population by Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Origin for States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2004. # {{note|USCities}} List of United States cities by population # {{note|UTIs15thRanked}} [http://images.thetimes.co.uk/TGD/picture/0,,157854,00.jpg The Times Higher Education Supplement - ranking of the World's Top 50 Universities] # {{note|NobelPrize}} [http://www.tamest.org/nobelprize.html The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas] list of Texas Nobel Laureates # {{note|USStateNicknames}} [http://www.50states.com/bio/nickname5.htm 50states.com list of State Nicknames] # {{note|USStateGemstoneCut}} [http://www.shgresources.com/tx/symbols/gemstonecut/ State History Guide] Texas Symbols, Gemstone Cut: Lone Star Cut

Further reading
*Gone to Texas : a History of the Lone Star State, Randolph B. Campbell, Oxford University Press, 2003, hardback, 500 pages. *Imperial Texas: An Interpretive Essay in Cultural Geography, D. W. Meinig, University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas, 1969, hardback, 145 pages. *Great River, The Rio Grande in North American History, Paul Horgan, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, reprint, 1977, in one hardback volume, ISBN 0-03-029305-7 * ''Conquest And Conscience: The 1840's'' by Robert Sobel (Crowell 1971).

External links

- About Texas ''- Many Texas subject area links from the Texas State Library''
- The Handbook of Texas Online ''- Published by the Texas State Historical Association'' *
- Geology of Texas *
- Texas Indians *
- Texas Pre-History
- Texas Politics: Texas government resource provided by the University of Texas at Austin
- Texas Almanac ''- 2006-2007 Edition''
- Texas Online - ''The Texas Government web portal.''
- Texas Legislature Online
- Comanche Lodge - A History Of The Comanche Indian People
- GenealogyBuff.com - Texas Genealogy Library of Files.
- The Portal to Texas History
- Interactive Texas Map
- Texas Employment State and County Data
- ''Lone Star Junction,'' a Texas history resource
- Origin of state name and nickname
- State Department of Public Safety, Texas Ranger Division
- Texas Divorces Index 1968-2003 - ''Texas Divorces Index 1968-2003.''
- Texas Historical Commission - ''Official Website''
- Texas Map Collection
- Texas Marriages Index 1966-2003 - ''Texas Marriages Index 1966-2003.''
- Texas News - ''A collection of news clippings and links related to Texas.''
- Texas Obituary Links - ''A directory of obituary resources arranged by county.''
- Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
- ''Texas Register'', hosted by the University of North Texas Libraries
- The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum website
- The Native Plant Society of Texas
- The Native Prairies Association of Texas
- Texan Nobel laureates
- Texas Newspapers
- Open Directory: Texas
- County Maps of Texas Full color maps. List of cities, towns and county seats
- Pictures of Texas - Wildflowers and other natural landscapes
- Texas Statistics
- Texas monthly {{Texas}} {{United States}} Category:States of the American West Category:Texas * Category:States of the United States Category:1845 establishments ang:Texas ar:تكساس ast:Texas bg:ТекÑ?аÑ? bs:Texas ca:Texas cs:Texas cy:Texas da:Texas (USA) de:Texas et:Texas el:Τέξας es:Texas eo:Teksaso eu:Texas fa:تکزاس fr:Texas ga:Texas gd:Texas gl:Texas ko:í…?사스 주 io:Texas id:Texas is:Texas it:Texas he:טקסס ka:ტეხáƒ?სი kw:Teksas la:Texia lv:Teksasa lt:Teksasas lb:Texas hu:Texas mk:ТекÑ?аÑ? ms:Texas nl:Texas (staat) ja:テキサス州 no:Texas nn:Texas os:ТехаÑ? pl:Teksas pt:Texas ru:ТехаÑ? sq:Texas scn:Texas simple:Texas sk:Texas sl:Teksas sr:ТекÑ?аÑ? fi:Texas sv:Texas tt:Texas th:มลรัà¸?เทà¸?ซัส vi:Texas tr:Teksas (ABD) uk:ТехаÑ? zh:å¾·å…‹è?¨æ–¯å·ž {| class="toccolours" style="clear: both; text-align: center; width:100%; margin:1em auto;" cellspacing="0" align="center" !bgcolor="lightsteelblue"|Image:Flag of Texas.svg 75px|Flag of Texas ! style="background: lightsteelblue; font-size:90%" | State of Texas
List of Texas-related topics Texas Topics | History of Texas History | Republic of Texas .html">Politics of Texas Politics | List of people from Texas Texans |- !bgcolor="whitesmoke"|'''List of U.S. state capitals Capital''' |bgcolor="whitesmoke" align="center" style="font-size:100%"|'''Austin, Texas Austin''' |- !bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Image:Bluebonnet1.jpg 50px|State flower
'''Regions of the United States#Texas Regions''' |bgcolor="whitesmoke" align="center" style="font-size:90%"|Ark-La-Tex Arklatex | Big Bend Big Bend | Brazos Valley Brazos Valley | Central Texas Central Texas | Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex | Deep East Texas .html">East Texas East Texas | Edwards Plateau Edwards Plateau | Galveston Bay Galveston Bay | Beaumont-Port Arthur metropolitan area Golden Triangle | Greater Houston Greater Houston | North Texas North Texas | Northeast Texas Northeast Texas | Permian Basin Permian Basin | Piney Woods Piney Woods | Rio Grande Valley Rio Grande Valley | Texas Hill Country Texas Hill Country | Texas Panhandle Texas Panhandle | Llano Estacado Llano Estacado | Southeast Texas Southeast Texas | South Texas South Texas | West Texas West Texas |- !bgcolor="whitesmoke"|Image:Texas_state_seal.png 50px|Texas state seal
'''Texas metropolitan areas Metropolitan areas''' |bgcolor="whitesmoke" align="center" style="font-size:90%"|Abilene, Texas Abilene | Amarillo, Texas Amarillo | '''Austin, Texas Austin'''–Round Rock, Texas Round Rock | Beaumont, Texas Beaumont–Port Arthur, Texas Port Arthur | Brownsville, Texas Brownsville–Harlingen, Texas Harlingen | Bryan, Texas Bryan–College Station, Texas College Station | Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi | '''Dallas, Texas Dallas'''–'''Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth'''–Arlington, Texas Arlington | '''El Paso, Texas El Paso''' | '''Houston, Texas Houston'''–Sugar Land, Texas Sugar Land–Baytown, Texas Baytown | Killeen, Texas Killeen–Temple, Texas Temple | Laredo, Texas Laredo | Longview, Texas Longview–Marshall, Texas Marshall | Lubbock, Texas Lubbock | McAllen, Texas McAllen–Edinburg, Texas Edinburg–Mission, Texas Mission | Midland, Texas Midland–Odessa, Texas Odessa | San Angelo, Texas San Angelo | '''San Antonio, Texas San Antonio''' | Sherman, Texas Sherman–Denison, Texas Denison | Texarkana, Texas Texarkana | Tyler, Texas Tyler | Victoria, Texas Victoria | Waco, Texas Waco | Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls
''See also: List of Texas counties List of Texas counties'' |}Category:United States navigational boxes Texas {{commonscat|Texas}} Texas is one of the United States. Category:States of the United States Category:Southern United States de:Kategorie:Texas fr:Catégorie:Texas ko:분류:�사스 주 io:Category:Texas nl:Categorie:Texas ja:Category:テキサス州 no:Kategori:Texas pt:Categoria:Texas fi:Luokka:Texas sv:Kategori:Texas zh:category:德克薩斯州 {{browsebar}} Category:Portal:United States Texas Category:Texas *Portal

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