Texas

Texas
State
Flag Seal
Nickname: The Lone Star State
Motto: Friendship
Anthem:"Texas, Our Texas"
Map of the United States with Texas highlighted
Country	United States
Before statehood	Republic of Texas
Admitted to the Union	December 29, 1845 (28th)
Capital	Austin
Largest city	Houston
Largest county or equivalent	Harris
Largest metroandurbanareas	Dallas–Fort Worth
Government
•Governor	Greg Abbott(R)
•Lieutenant Governor	Dan Patrick(R)
Legislature	Texas Legislature
•Upper house	Senate
•Lower house	House of Representatives
Judiciary	Supreme Court of Texas(Civil) Texas Court of Criminal Appeals(Criminal)
U.S. senators	John Cornyn(R) Ted Cruz(R)
U.S. House delegation	25Republicans 12Democrats 1 vacant (list)
Area
• Total	268,596[1]sq mi (695,662 km2)
• Land	261,232[1]sq mi (676,587 km2)
• Water	7,365[1]sq mi (19,075 km2) 2.7%
• Rank	2nd
Dimensions
• Length	801[2]mi (1,289 km)
• Width	773[2]mi (1,244 km)
Elevation	1,700 ft (520 m)
Highest elevation ( Guadalupe Peak [3] [4] [a])	8,751 ft (2,667.4 m)
Lowest elevation ( Gulf of Mexico [4])	0 ft (0 m)
Population (2023)
• Total	30,503,301[5]
• Rank	2nd
• Density	114/sq mi (42.9/km2)
• Rank	23rd
•Median household income	$66,963[6]
• Income rank	22nd
Demonym(s)	Texan Texian(archaic) Tejano(usually only used for Hispanics)
Language
•Official language	None
•Spoken language	Englishonly: 64.9% Spanish: 28.8%[7] Other: 6.3%
Time zones
Majority of state	UTC−06:00(Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−05:00(CDT)
El Paso,Hudspeth, and northwesternCulbersoncounties	UTC−07:00(Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−06:00(MDT)
USPS abbreviation	TX
ISO 3166 code	US-TX
Traditional abbreviation	Tex.
Latitude	25°50′ N to 36°30′ N
Longitude	93°31′ W to 106°39′ W
Website	texas.gov

State symbols of Texas

List of state symbols
Flag of Texas
Seal of Texas
Slogan	The Friendly State
Living insignia
Bird	Northern mockingbird(Mimus polyglottos)
Fish	Guadalupe bass(Micropterus treculii)
Flower	Bluebonnet(Lupinusspp., namely Texas bluebonnet,L. texensis)
Insect	Monarch butterfly(Danaus plexippus)
Mammal	Texas longhorn,nine-banded armadillo(Dasypus novemcinctus)
Mushroom	Texas star(Chorioactis geaster)
Reptile	Texas horned lizard(Phrynosoma cornutum)
Tree	Pecan(Carya illinoinensis)
Inanimate insignia
Food	Chili
Game	Texas 42dominoes
Instrument	Guitar
Shell	Lightning whelk(Busycon perversum pulleyi)
Ship	USSTexas
Soil	Houston Black
Sport	Rodeo
Other	Molecule:Buckyball(For more, seearticle)
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 2004
Lists of United States state symbols

Texas(/ˈtɛksəs/^ⓘTEK-səss,locally also/ˈtɛksɪz/TEK-siz;^[8]Spanish:TexasorTejas,^[b]pronounced[ˈtexas]) is the most populousstatein theSouth Centralregion of theUnited States. It bordersLouisianato the east,Arkansasto the northeast,Oklahomato the north,New Mexicoto the west, andan international borderwith theMexican statesofChihuahua,Coahuila,Nuevo León, andTamaulipasto the south and southwest. Texas has a coastline on theGulf of Mexicoto the southeast. Covering 268,596 square miles (695,660 km²), and with over 30 million residents as of 2023,^[10][11][12]it is the second-largest state by bothareaandpopulation.

Texas is nicknamed theLone Star Statefor its former status as an independent republic. TheLone Starcan be found on the Texas state flag and the Texas state seal.^[13]Spainwas thefirst European countryto claim and control the area of Texas. Followinga short-lived colonycontrolled by France, Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming theRepublic of Texas. In 1845, Texas joined the United States as the 28th state.^[14]Thestate's annexationset off a chain of events that led to theMexican–American Warin 1846. Following victory by the United States, Texas remained aslave stateuntil theAmerican Civil War, when it declared its secession fromthe Unionin early 1861 before officially joining theConfederate States of Americaon March2. After the Civil War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation.

Historically, five major industries shaped theTexas economyprior toWorld War II: cattle, bison, cotton, timber, and oil.^[15]Before and after the Civil War, the cattle industry—which Texas came to dominate—was a major economic driver and created the traditional image of the Texas cowboy. In the later 19th century, cotton and lumber grew to be major industries as the cattle industry became less lucrative. Ultimately, the discovery of majorpetroleumdeposits (Spindletopin particular) initiatedan economic boomthat became the driving force behind the economy for much of the 20th century. Texas developed a diversified economy andhigh techindustry during the mid-20th century. As of 2022^[update], it has the mostFortune500company headquarters (53) in the United States.^[16][17]With a growing base of industry, the state leads in many industries, includingtourism,agriculture,petrochemicals,energy,computersandelectronics,aerospace, andbiomedical sciences. Texas has led the U.S. instate export revenuesince 2002 and has thesecond-highestgross state product.

TheDallas–Fort Worth metroplexandGreater Houstonareas are the nation's fourth and fifth-most populousurban regionsrespectively. Its capital city isAustin. Due to its size and geologic features such as theBalcones Fault, Texas contains diverselandscapescommon to both the U.S.Southernand theSouthwestern regions.^[18]Most population centers are in areas of formerprairies,grasslands, forests, and thecoastline. Traveling from east to west, terrain ranges from coastalswampsandpiney woods, to rolling plains and rugged hills, to the desert and mountains of theBig Bend.

The nameTexas, based on theCaddo wordtáy:shaʼ(/tə́jːʃaʔ/) 'friend', was applied, in the spellingTejasorTexas,^{[19][20][21][1]}by the Spanish to theCaddothemselves, specifically theHasinaiConfederacy.^[22]

DuringSpanish colonial rule, in the 18th century, the area was known asNuevas Filipinas('New Philippines') andNuevo Reino de Filipinas('New Kingdom of the Philippines'),^[23]or asprovincia de los Tejas('province of theTejas'),^[24]later alsoprovincia de Texas(orde Tejas), ('province of Texas').^[25][23]It was incorporated asprovincia de Texasinto theMexican Empirein 1821, and declareda republicin 1836. TheRoyal Spanish Academyrecognizes both spellings,TejasandTexas, as Spanish-language forms of the name.^[26]

The English pronunciation with/ks/is unetymological, contrary to the historical value of the letterx(/ʃ/) inSpanish orthography. Alternative etymologies of the name advanced in the late 19th century connected the nameTexaswith the Spanish wordteja, meaning 'roof tile', the pluraltejasbeing used to designate IndigenousPueblosettlements.^[27]A 1760s map byJacques-Nicolas Bellinshows a village namedTeijason theTrinity River, close to the site of modernCrockett.^[27]

Part of a serieson the
History ofTexas
Timeline
Pre-Columbian Texas Early Spanish explorations 1519–1543 French Texas 1684–1689 Spanish Texas 1690–1821 Mexican Texas 1821–1836 Republic of Texas 1836–1845 Statehood 1845–1860 Civil War Era 1861–1865 Reconstruction 1865–1899 Years in Texas
Texas portal
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Texas lies between two major cultural spheres ofPre-Columbian North America: theSouthwesternand thePlainsareas.Archaeologistshave found that three major Indigenous cultures lived in this territory, and reached their developmental peak before the first European contact. These were:^[28]theAncestral Puebloansfrom the upperRio Granderegion, centered west of Texas; theMississippian culture, also known asMound Builders, which extended along theMississippi River Valleyeast of Texas; and the civilizations ofMesoamerica, which were centered south of Texas. Influence ofTeotihuacanin northern Mexico peaked around AD 500 and declined between the 8th and 10th centuries.

When Europeans arrived in the Texas region, the language families present in the state were Caddoan,Atakapan, Athabaskan,Coahuiltecan, and Uto-Aztecan, in addition to several language isolates such asTonkawa. Uto-Aztecan Puebloan andJumanopeoples lived neared the Rio Grande in the western portion of the state and the Athabaskan-speaking Apache tribes lived throughout the interior. The agricultural, mound-building Caddo controlled much of the northeastern part of the state, along theRed,Sabine,and Neches Riverbasins.^[29][30]Atakapan peoples such as theAkokisaandBidailived along the northeastern Gulf Coast; theKarankawalived along the central coast.^[31]At least one tribe ofCoahuiltecans, theAranama, lived in southern Texas. This entire culture group, primarily centered in northeasternMexico, is now extinct.

No culture was dominant across all of present-day Texas, and many peoples inhabited the area.^[32]Native American tribes who have lived inside the boundaries of present-day Texas include theAlabama,Apache,Atakapan,Bidai,Caddo,Aranama,Comanche,Choctaw,Coushatta,Hasinai,Jumano,Karankawa,Kickapoo,Kiowa,Tonkawa, andWichita.^[33][34]Many of these peoples migrated from the north or east during the colonial period, such as theChoctaw, Alabama-Coushatta, andDelaware.^[29]

The region was primarily controlled by the Spanish until theTexas Revolution. They were most interested in relationships with the Caddo, who were—like the Spanish—a settled, agricultural people. Several Spanish missions were opened in Caddo territory, but a lack of interest in Christianity among the Caddo meant that few were converted. Positioned between French Louisiana and Spanish Texas, the Caddo maintained relations with both, but were closer with the French.^[35]After Spain took control of Louisiana, most of the missions in eastern Texas were closed and abandoned.^[36]The United States obtained Louisiana following the 1803Louisiana Purchaseand began convincing tribes to self-segregate from whites by moving west; facing an overflow of native peoples in Missouri and Arkansas, they were able to negotiate with the Caddo to allow several displaced peoples to settle on unused lands in eastern Texas. These included theMuscogee,Houma Choctaw,LenapeandMingo Seneca, among others, who came to view the Caddoans as saviors.^[37][38]

The temperament of Native American tribes affected the fates of European explorers andsettlersin that land.^[39]Friendly tribes taught newcomers how to grow local crops, prepare foods, and huntwild game. Warlike tribes resisted the settlers.^[39]Prior treaties with the Spanish forbade either side from militarizing its native population in any potential conflict between the two nations. Several outbreaks of violence between Native Americans and Texans started to spread in the prelude to the Texas Revolution. Texans accused tribes of stealing livestock. While no proof was found,^[29]those in charge of Texas at the time attempted to publicly blame and punish the Caddo, with the U.S. government trying to keep them in check. The Caddo never turned to violence because of the situation, except in cases of self-defense.^[37]

By the 1830s, the U.S. had drafted the Indian Removal Act, which was used to facilitate the Trail of Tears. Fearing retribution, Indian Agents all over the eastern U.S. tried to convince all Indigenous peoples to uproot and move west. This included the Caddo of Louisiana and Arkansas. Following the Texas Revolution, the Texans chose to make peace with the Indigenous people, but did not honor former land claims or agreements.^{[citation needed]}The first president of Texas,Sam Houston, aimed to cooperate and make peace with Native tribes, but his successor,Mirabeau B. Lamar, took a much more hostile stance. Hostility towards Natives by white Texans prompted the movement of most Native populations north into what would becomeIndian Territory(modern Oklahoma).^[29][37]Only theAlabama-Coushattawould remain in the parts of Texas subject to white settlement, though the Comanche would continue to control most of the western half of the state until their defeat in the 1870s and 1880s.^[40]

The first historical document related to Texas was a map of theGulf Coast, created in 1519 by Spanish explorerAlonso Álvarez de Pineda.^[41]Nine years later, shipwrecked Spanish explorerÁlvar Núñez Cabeza de Vacaand his cohort became the first Europeans in what is now Texas.^[42][43]Cabeza de Vaca reported that in 1528, when the Spanish landed in the area, "half the natives died from a disease of the bowels and blamed us."^[44]Cabeza de Vaca also made observations about the way of life of the Ignaces Natives of Texas.^[c][46]Francisco Vázquez de Coronadodescribed another encounter with native people in 1541.^[d][48]

The expedition ofHernando de Sotoentered into Texas from the east, seeking a route to Mexico. They passed through the Caddo lands but turned back after reaching the River of Daycao (possibly the Brazos or Colorado), beyond which point the Native peoples were nomadic and did not have the agricultural stores to feed the expedition.^[49][50]

European powers ignored the area until accidentally settling there in 1685. Miscalculations byRené-Robert Cavelier de La Salleresulted in his establishing the colony ofFort Saint LouisatMatagorda Bayrather than along theMississippi River.^[51]The colony lasted only four years before succumbing to harsh conditions and hostile natives.^[52]A small band of survivors traveled eastward into the lands of the Caddo, but La Salle was killed by disgruntled expedition members.^[53]

In 1690 Spanish authorities, concerned that France posed a competitive threat, constructed severalmissionsinEast Texasamong the Caddo.^[54]After Caddo resistance, the Spanish missionaries returned to Mexico.^[55]When France began settlingLouisiana, in 1716 Spanish authorities responded by founding a new series of missions in East Texas.^[56]Two years later, they createdSan Antonioas the first Spanish civilian settlement in the area.^[57]

Hostile native tribes and distance from nearby Spanish colonies discouraged settlers from moving to the area. It was one of New Spain's least populated provinces.^[59]In 1749, the Spanish peace treaty with theLipan Apacheangered many tribes,^[60]including the Comanche, Tonkawa, and Hasinai.^[61]The Comanche signed a treaty with Spain in 1785 and later helped to defeat the Lipan Apache and Karankawa tribes.^[62][63]With numerous missions being established, priests led a peaceful conversion of most tribes. By the end of the 18th century only a fewnomadictribes had not converted.^[64]

When the United Statespurchased Louisianafrom France in 1803, American authorities insisted the agreement also included Texas. The boundary between New Spain and the United States was finally set in 1819 at theSabine River, the modern border between Texas and Louisiana.^[65]Eager for new land, many U.S. settlers refused to recognize the agreement. Severalfilibustersraised armies to invade the area west of the Sabine River.^[66]Marked by theWar of 1812, some men who had escaped from the Spanish, held (Old) Philippines had immigrated to and also passed through Texas (New Philippines)^[67]and reachedLouisianawherePhilippine exilesaided the United States in the defense ofNew Orleansagainst aBritishinvasion, withFilipinosin theSaint Malosettlement assistingJean Lafittein theBattle of New Orleans.^[68]

In 1821, theMexican War of Independenceincluded the Texas territory, which became part of Mexico.^[69]Due to its low population, the territory was assigned to otherstates and territories of Mexico; the core territory was part of the state ofCoahuila y Tejas, but other parts of today's Texas were part ofTamaulipas,Chihuahua, or the Mexican Territory ofSanta Fe de Nuevo México.^[70]

Hoping more settlers would reduce the near-constant Comanche raids,Mexican Texasliberalized its immigration policies to permit immigrants from outside Mexico and Spain.^[71]Large swathes of land were allotted toempresarios, who recruited settlers from the United States, Europe, and the Mexican interior, primarily the U.S. Austin's settlers, theOld Three Hundred, made places along theBrazos Riverin 1822.^[72]The population of Texas grew rapidly. In 1825, Texas had about 3,500 people, with most of Mexican descent.^[73]By 1834, the population had grown to about 37,800 people, with only 7,800 of Mexican descent.^[74]

Many immigrants openly flouted Mexican law, especially the prohibition againstslavery. Combined with United States' attempts to purchase Texas, Mexican authorities decided in 1830 to prohibit continued immigration from the United States.^[75]However,illegal immigrationfrom the United States into Mexico continued to increase the population of Texas.^[76]New laws also called for the enforcement ofcustoms dutiesangering native Mexican citizens (Tejanos) and recent immigrants alike.^[77]TheAnahuac Disturbancesin 1832 were the first open revolt against Mexican rule, coinciding with a revolt in Mexico against the nation's president.^[78]Texianssided with thefederalistsagainst the government and drove all Mexican soldiers out of East Texas.^[79]They took advantage of the lack of oversight to agitate for more political freedom. Texians met at theConvention of 1832to discuss requesting independent statehood, among other issues.^[80]The following year, Texians reiterated their demands at theConvention of 1833.^[81]

Within Mexico, tensions continued between federalists and centralists. In early 1835, waryTexiansformed Committees of Correspondence and Safety.^[82]The unrest erupted into armed conflict in late 1835 at theBattle of Gonzales.^[83]This launched theTexas Revolution. Texians elected delegates to theConsultation, which created a provisional government.^[84]The provisional government soon collapsed from infighting, and Texas was without clear governance for the first two months of 1836.^[85]

Mexican PresidentAntonio López de Santa Annapersonally led an army to end the revolt.^[86]GeneralJosé de Urreadefeated all the Texian resistance along the coast culminating in theGoliad massacre.^[87]López de Santa Anna's forces, after athirteen-day siege, overwhelmed Texian defenders at theBattle of the Alamo. News of the defeats sparked panic among Texas settlers.^[88]

The newly elected Texian delegates to theConvention of 1836quickly signed adeclaration of independenceon March 2, forming theRepublic of Texas. After electing interim officers, the Convention disbanded.^[89]The new government joined the other settlers in Texas in theRunaway Scrape, fleeing from the approaching Mexican army.^[88]

After several weeks of retreat, theTexian Armycommanded bySam Houstonattacked and defeated López de Santa Anna's forces at theBattle of San Jacinto.^[90]López de Santa Anna was captured and forced to sign theTreaties of Velasco, ending the war.^[91]TheConstitution of the Republic of Texasprohibited the government from restricting slavery or freeing slaves, and required free people of African descent to leave the country.^[92]

Political battles raged between two factions of the new Republic. The nationalist faction, led byMirabeau B. Lamar, advocated the continued independence of Texas, the expulsion of theNative Americans, and the expansion of the Republic to thePacific 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 theTexas Archive War.^[93]With wide popular support, Texas first applied for annexation to the United States in 1836, but its status as a slaveholding country caused its admission to be controversial and it was initially rebuffed. This status, and Mexican diplomacy in support of its claims to the territory, also complicated Texas's ability to form foreign alliances and trade relationships.^[94]

TheComancheIndians furnished the main Native American opposition to the Texas Republic, manifested in multipleraids on settlements.^[95]Mexico launched two small expeditions into Texas in 1842. The town of San Antonio was captured twice and Texans were defeated in battle in theDawson massacre. Despite these successes, Mexico did not keep an occupying force in Texas, and the republic survived.^[96]The cotton price crash of the 1840s depressed the country's economy.^[94]

Texas was finallyannexedwhen the expansionistJames K. Polkwon theelection of 1844.^[97]On December 29, 1845, theU.S. Congressadmitted Texas to the U.S.^[98]After Texas's annexation, Mexico broke diplomatic relations with the United States. While the United States claimed Texas's border stretched to the Rio Grande, Mexico claimed it was theNueces Riverleaving theRio Grande Valleyunder contested Texan sovereignty.^[98]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 GeneralZachary Taylorsouth to the Rio Grande on January 13, 1846. A few months later Mexican troops routed an American cavalry patrol in the disputed area in theThornton Affairstarting theMexican–American War. The first battles of the war were fought in Texas: theSiege of Fort Texas,Battle of Palo AltoandBattle of Resaca de la Palma. After these decisive victories, the United States invaded Mexican territory, ending the fighting in Texas.^[99]

TheTreaty of Guadalupe Hidalgoended the two-year war. In return for US$18,250,000, Mexico gave the U.S. undisputed control of Texas, ceded theMexican Cessionin 1848, most of which today is called the American Southwest, and Texas's borders were established at the Rio Grande.^[99]

TheCompromise of 1850set Texas's boundaries at their present position: Texas ceded its claims to land which later became half of present-dayNew Mexico,^[100]a third ofColorado, and small portions ofKansas,Oklahoma, andWyomingto the federal government, in return for the assumption of $10 million of the old republic's debt.^[100]Post-war Texas grew rapidly as migrants poured into the cotton lands of the state.^[101]They also brought or purchased enslaved African Americans, whose numbers tripled in the state from 1850 to 1860, from 58,000 to 182,566.^[102]

Texas re-entered war following theelection of 1860. During this time, Black people comprised 30 percent of the state's population, and they were overwhelmingly enslaved.^[103]WhenAbraham Lincolnwas elected, South Carolina seceded from the Union; five otherDeep Southstates quickly followed. A state convention considering secession opened in Austin on January 28, 1861. On February 1, by a vote of 166–8, the convention adopted anOrdinance of Secession. Texas voters approved this Ordinance on February 23, 1861. Texas joined the newly created Confederate States of America on March 4, 1861, ratifying the permanentC.S. Constitutionon March 23.^[1][104]

Not all Texans favored secession initially, although many of the same would later support the Southern cause. Texas's most notableUnionistwas the state governor,Sam Houston. Not wanting to aggravate the situation, Houston refused two offers from President Lincoln for Union troops to keep him in office. After refusing to swear an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy, Houston was deposed.^[105]

While far from themajor battlefieldsof theAmerican Civil War, Texas contributed large numbers of soldiers and equipment.^[106]Union troops brieflyoccupiedthe state's primary port, Galveston. Texas's border with Mexico was known as the "backdoor of the Confederacy" because trade occurred at the border, bypassing the Union blockade.^[107]The Confederacy repulsed all Union attempts to shut down this route,^[106]but Texas's role as a supply state was marginalized in mid-1863 after the Union capture of theMississippi River. Thefinal battle of the Civil Warwas fought atPalmito Ranch, near Brownsville, Texas, and saw a Confederate victory.^[108][109]

Texas descended into anarchy for two months between thesurrenderof theArmy of Northern Virginiaand the assumption of authority by Union GeneralGordon Granger. Violence marked the early months ofReconstruction.^[106]Juneteenthcommemorates the announcement of theEmancipation Proclamationin Galveston by General Gordon Granger, almost two and a half years after the original announcement.^[110][111]President Johnson, in 1866, declared the civilian government restored in Texas.^[112]Despite not meeting Reconstruction requirements, Congress resumed allowing elected Texas representatives into the federal government in 1870. Social volatility continued as the state struggled with agricultural depression and labor issues.^[113]

Like most of the South, the Texas economy was devastated by the War. However, since the state had not been as dependent on slaves as other parts of the South, it was able to recover more quickly. The culture in Texas during the later 19th century exhibited many facets of a frontier territory. The state became notorious as a haven for people from other parts of the country who wanted to escape debt, war tensions, or other problems. "Gone to Texas" was a common expression for those fleeing the law in other states. Nevertheless, the state also attracted many businessmen and other settlers with more legitimate interests.^[114]

The cattle industry continued to thrive, though it gradually became less profitable. Cotton and lumber became major industries creating new economic booms in various regions. Railroad networks grew rapidly as did the port at Galveston as commerce expanded. The lumber industry quickly expanded and was Texas' largest industry prior to the 20th century.^[115]

In 1900, Texas suffered the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history during theGalveston hurricane.^[116]On January 10, 1901, the first majoroil wellin Texas,Spindletop, was found south ofBeaumont. Other fields were later discovered nearby inEast Texas,West Texas, and under theGulf of Mexico. The resulting "oil boom" transformed Texas.^[117]Oil production averaged three million barrels per day at its peak in 1972.^[118]

In 1901, the Democratic-dominated state legislature passed a bill requiring payment of apoll taxfor voting, which effectivelydisenfranchisedmost Black and many poor White andLatinopeople. In addition, the legislature establishedwhite primaries, ensuring minorities were excluded from the formal political process. The number of voters dropped dramatically, and the Democrats crushed competition from the Republican and Populist parties.^[119][120]TheSocialist Partybecame the second-largest party in Texas after 1912,^[121]coinciding with a large socialist upsurge in the United States during fierce battles in the labor movement and the popularity of national heroes likeEugene V. Debs. The socialists' popularity soon waned after their vilification by the federal government for their opposition to U.S. involvement inWorld War I.^[122][123]

TheGreat Depressionand theDust Bowldealt a double blow to the state's economy, which had significantly improved since the Civil War. Migrants abandoned the worst-hit sections of Texas during the Dust Bowl years. Especially from this period on, Black people left Texas in theGreat Migrationto get work in the Northern United States or California and to escape segregation.^[103]In 1940, Texas was 74%White, 14.4% Black, and 11.5% Hispanic.^[124]

World War IIhad a dramatic impact on Texas, as federal money poured in to build military bases, munitions factories, detention camps and Army hospitals; 750,000 Texans left for service; the cities exploded with new industry; and hundreds of thousands of poor farmers left the fields for much better-paying war jobs, never to return to agriculture.^[125][126]Texas manufactured 3.1 percent of total United States military armaments produced during World War II, ranking eleventh among the 48 states.^[127]

Texas modernized and expanded itssystem of higher educationthrough the 1960s. The state created a comprehensive plan for higher education, funded in large part by oil revenues, and a central state apparatus designed to manage state institutions more efficiently. These changes helped Texas universities receive federal research funds.^[128]

Beginning around the mid-20th century, Texas began to transform from a rural and agricultural state to one urban and industrialized.^[129]The state's population grew quickly during this period, with large levels of migration from outside the state.^[129]As a part of theSun Belt, Texas experienced strong economic growth, particularly during the 1970s and early 1980s.^[129]Texas's economy diversified, lessening its reliance on thepetroleum industry.^[129]By 1990,Hispanics and Latino Americansovertook Blacks to become the largest minority group.^[129]Texas has the largest Black population with over 3.9 million.^[130]

During the late 20th century, theRepublican Partyreplaced theDemocratic Partyas the dominant party in the state.^[129]Beginning in the early 21st century, metropolitan areas includingDallas–Fort WorthandGreater Austinbecame centers for theTexas Democratic Partyin statewide and national elections as liberal policies became more accepted in urban areas.^{[131][132][133][134]}

From the mid-2000s to 2019, Texas gained an influx of business relocations and regional headquarters from companies inCalifornia.^{[135][136][137][138]}Texas became a major destination for migration during the early 21st century and was named the most popular state to move for three consecutive years.^[139]Another study in 2019 determined Texas's growth rate at 1,000 people per day.^[140]

During theCOVID-19 pandemic in Texas, the first confirmed case of the virus in Texas was announced on March 4, 2020.^[141]On April 27, 2020, GovernorGreg Abbottannounced phase one of re-opening the economy.^[142]Amid a rise in COVID-19 cases in autumn 2020, Abbott refused to enact further lockdowns.^[143][144]In November 2020, Texas was selected as one of four states to test Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine distribution.^[145]As of February 2, 2021, there had been over 2.4 million confirmed cases in Texas, with at least 37,417 deaths.^[146]

During February 13–17, 2021, the state faced a major weather emergency asWinter Storm Urihit the state, as well as most of the Southeastern and Midwestern United States.^[147][148]Historically high power usage across the state caused the state's power grid to become overworked andERCOT(the main operator of theTexas Interconnectiongrid) declared an emergency and began to implement rolling blackouts across Texas, causing apower crisis.^{[149][150][151]}Over 3 million Texans were without power and over 4 million were under boil-water notices.^[152]

Texas is thesecond-largestU.S. state by area, afterAlaska, and the largest state within thecontiguous United States, at 268,820 square miles (696,200 km²). If it were an independent country, Texas would be the39th-largest.^[153]It ranks 26th worldwide amongstcountry subdivisions by size.

Texas is in thesouth centralpart of the United States. TheRio Grandeforms a natural border with the Mexican states ofChihuahua,Coahuila,Nuevo León, andTamaulipasto the south. TheRed Riverforms a natural border with Oklahoma and Arkansas to the north. TheSabine Riverforms a natural border with Louisiana to the east. TheTexas Panhandlehas an eastern border with Oklahoma at100° W, a northern border with Oklahoma at36°30' Nand a western border with New Mexico at103° W.El Pasolies on the state's western tip at32° Nand the Rio Grande.^[100]

With 10climatic regions, 14soil regionsand 11 distinctecological regions, regional classification becomes complicated with differences in soils, topography, geology, rainfall, and plant and animal communities.^[154]One classification system divides Texas, in order from southeast to west, into the following:Gulf Coastal Plains, Interior Lowlands,Great Plains, and Basin and Range Province.^[155]

The Gulf Coastal Plains region wraps around the Gulf of Mexico on the southeast section of the state. Vegetation in this region consists of thick piney woods. The Interior Lowlands region consists of gently rolling to hilly forested land and is part of a larger pine-hardwood forest. TheCross Timbers regionandCaprock Escarpmentare part of the Interior Lowlands.^[155]

The Great Plains region in Central Texas spans through the state'spanhandleandLlano Estacadoto the state'shill countrynearLago VistaandAustin. This region is dominated byprairieandsteppe. "Far West Texas" or the "Trans-Pecos" region is the state's Basin and Range Province. The most varied of the regions, this area includes Sand Hills, theStockton Plateau, desert valleys, wooded mountain slopes and desert grasslands.^[156]

Texas has 3,700 named streams and 15 major rivers,^[157][158]with theRio Grandeas the largest. Other major rivers include thePecos, theBrazos,Colorado, andRed River. While Texas has few natural lakes, Texans have built more than a hundredartificial reservoirs.^[159]

The size and unique history of Texas make its regional affiliation debatable; it can be considered a Southern or a Southwestern state, or both. The vast geographic, economic, and cultural diversity within the state itself prohibits easy categorization of the whole state into arecognized region of the United States. Notable extremes range fromEast Texaswhich is often considered an extension of theDeep South, toFar West Texaswhich is generally acknowledged to be part of theinterior Southwest.^[160]

Texas is the southernmost part of the Great Plains, which ends in the south against the foldedSierra Madre Occidentalof Mexico. Thecontinental crustforms a stableMesoproterozoiccratonwhich changes across a broad continental margin and transitional crust into trueoceanic crustof the Gulf of Mexico. The oldest rocks in Texas date from the Mesoproterozoic and are about 1,600 million years old.^[161]

This margin existed untilLaurasiaandGondwanacollided in thePennsylvaniansubperiod to formPangea.^[162]Pangea began to break up in theTriassic, butseafloor spreadingto form the Gulf of Mexico occurred only in the mid- andlate Jurassic. The shoreline shifted again to the eastern margin of the state and the Gulf of Mexico's passive margin began to form. Today 9 to 12 miles (14 to 19 km) of sediments are buried beneath the Texas continental shelf and a large proportion of remaining USoil reservesare here. The incipient Gulf of Mexico basin was restricted and seawater often evaporated completely to form thickevaporitedeposits of Jurassic age. These salt deposits formedsalt domediapirs, and are found in East Texas along the Gulf coast.^[163]

East Texas outcrops consist ofCretaceousandPaleogenesediments which contain important deposits ofEocenelignite. The Mississippian and Pennsylvanian sediments in the north; Permian sediments in the west; and Cretaceous sediments in the east, along the Gulf coast and out on the Texascontinental shelfcontain oil.Oligocenevolcanicrocks are found in far west Texas in theBig Bendarea. A blanket ofMiocenesediments known as theOgallala formationin the western high plains region is an importantaquifer.^[164]Located far from an activeplate tectonicboundary, Texas has novolcanoesand few earthquakes.^[165]

Texas is the home to 65 species of mammals, 213 species of reptiles and amphibians, including theAmerican green tree frog, and the greatest diversity of bird life in the United States—590 native species in all.^[166]At least 12 species have been introduced and now reproduce freely in Texas.^[167]

Texas plays host to several species ofwasps, including an abundance ofPolistes exclamans,^[168]and is an important ground for the study ofPolistes annularis.^[169]

During the spring Texaswildflowerssuch as the state flower, thebluebonnet, line highways throughout Texas. During the Johnson Administration the first lady,Lady Bird Johnson, worked to draw attention to Texas wildflowers.^[170]

The large size of Texas and its location at the intersection of multipleclimate zonesgives the state highly variable weather. ThePanhandleof 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 8.7 inches (220 mm) of annual rainfall,^[171]while parts of southeast Texas average as much as 64 inches (1,600 mm) per year.^[172]Dallas in the North Central region averages a more moderate 37 inches (940 mm) per year.^[173]

Snow falls multiple times each winter in the Panhandle and mountainous areas of West Texas, once or twice a year in North Texas, and once every few years in Central and East Texas. Snow falls south of San Antonio or on the coast only in rare circumstances. Of note is the2004 Christmas Eve snowstorm, when 6 inches (150 mm) of snow fell as far south asKingsville, where the average high temperature in December is 65 °F.^[174]

Night-time summer temperatures range from the upper 50s °F (14 °C) in the West Texas mountains to 80 °F (27 °C) in Galveston.^[175][176]

The table below consists of averages for August (generally the warmest month) and January (generally the coldest) in selected cities in various regions of the state.

Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for selected cities in Texas ^[177]

Location	August (°F)	August (°C)	January (°F)	January (°C)
Houston	94/75	34/24	63/54	17/12
San Antonio	96/74	35/23	63/40	17/5
Dallas	96/77	36/25	57/37	16/3
Austin	97/74	36/23	61/45	16/5
El Paso	92/67	33/21	57/32	14/0
Laredo	100/77	37/25	67/46	19/7
Amarillo	89/64	32/18	50/23	10/−4
Brownsville	94/76	34/24	70/51	21/11

Thunderstormsstrike Texas often, especially the eastern and northern portions of the state.Tornado Alleycovers the northern section of Texas. The state experiences the mosttornadoesin the United States, an average of 139 a year. These strike most frequently in North Texas and the Panhandle.^[178]Tornadoes in Texas generally occur in April, May, and June.^[179]

Some of the most destructive hurricanes in U.S. history have impacted Texas. A hurricane in 1875 killed about 400 people inIndianola, followed byanother hurricanein 1886 that destroyed the town. These events allowedGalvestonto take over as the chief port city. The1900 Galveston hurricanesubsequently devastated that city, killing about 8,000 people or possibly as many as 12,000 in the deadliestnatural disasterin U.S. history.^[116]In 2017,Hurricane Harveymade landfall inRockportas a Category 4 Hurricane, causing significant damage there. Its unprecedented amounts of rain over theGreater Houstonarea resulted in widespread and catastrophic flooding that inundated hundreds of thousands of homes. Harvey ultimately became the costliest hurricane worldwide, causing an estimated $198.6 billion in damage, surpassing the cost ofHurricane Katrina.^[180]

Other devastating Texas hurricanes include the1915 Galveston hurricane,Hurricane Audreyin 1957,Hurricane Carlain 1961,Hurricane Beulahin 1967,Hurricane Aliciain 1983,Hurricane Ritain 2005, andHurricane Ikein 2008.Tropical stormshave also caused their share of damage:Allisonin 1989 and againduring 2001,Claudettein 1979, andTropical Storm Imelda in 2019.^{[181][182][183]}

There is no substantial physical barrier between Texas and thepolar region. Although it is unusual, it is possible for arctic or polarair massesto penetrate Texas,^[184][185]as occurred during theFebruary 13–17, 2021 North American winter storm.^[186][187]Usually, prevailing winds in North America will push polar air masses to the southeast before they reach Texas. Because such intrusions are rare, and, perhaps, unexpected, they may result in crises such as the2021 Texas power crisis.

As of 2017^[update], Texas emitted the mostgreenhouse gasesin the U.S.^[188]As of 2017^[update]the state emits about 1,600 billion pounds (707 million metric tons) of carbon dioxide annually.^[188]As an independent state, Texas would rank as the world's seventh-largest producer of greenhouse gases.^[189]Causes of the state's vast greenhouse gas emissions include the state's large number ofcoal power plantsand the state's refining and manufacturing industries.^[189]In 2010, there were 2,553 "emission events" which poured 44.6 million pounds (20,200 metric tons) of contaminants into the Texas sky.^[190]

Largest city in Texasby year[191]
Year(s)	City
1850–1870	San Antonio[192]
1870–1890	Galveston[193]
1890–1900	Dallas[191]
1900–1930	San Antonio[192]
1930–present	Houston[194]

The state has three cities with populations exceeding one million: Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas.^[195]These three rank among the 10 most populous cities of the United States. As of 2020, six Texas cities had populations greater than 600,000. Austin, Fort Worth, and El Paso are among the 20largest U.S. cities. Texas has fourmetropolitan areaswith populations greater than a million:Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington,Houston–Sugar Land–The Woodlands,San Antonio–New Braunfels, andAustin–Round Rock–San Marcos. The Dallas–Fort Worth and Houston metropolitan areas number about 7.5 million and 7 million residents as of 2019, respectively.^[196]

Threeinterstate highways—I-35to the west (Dallas–Fort Worth to San Antonio, with Austin in between),I-45to the east (Dallas to Houston), andI-10to the south (San Antonio to Houston) define theTexas Urban Triangleregion. The region of 60,000 square miles (160,000 km²) contains most of the state's largest cities and metropolitan areas as well as 17 million people, nearly 75 percent of Texas's total population.^[197]Houston and Dallas have been recognized asworld cities.^[198]These cities are spread out amongst the state.^[199]

In contrast to the cities, unincorporated rural settlements known ascoloniasoften lack basic infrastructure and are marked by poverty.^[200]The office of the Texas Attorney General stated, in 2011, that Texas had about 2,294 colonias, and estimates about 500,000 lived in the colonias.Hidalgo County, as of 2011, has the largest number of colonias.^[201]Texas has the largest number of people living incoloniasof all states.^[200]

Texas has254 counties, more than any other state.^[202]Each county runs onCommissioners' Courtsystem consisting of four elected commissioners (one from each of four precincts in the county, roughly divided according to population) and a county judge elected at large from the entire county. County government runs similar to a "weak"mayor-councilsystem; the county judge has no veto authority, but votes along with the other commissioners.^[203][204]

Although Texas permits cities and counties to enter "interlocal agreements" to share services, the state does not allowconsolidated city-countygovernments, nor does it havemetropolitan governments. Counties are not grantedhome rulestatus; 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 and to some smaller incorporated areas. Municipalities are classified either "general law" cities or "home rule".^[205]A municipality may elect home rule status once it exceeds 5,000 population with voter approval.^[206]

Texas also permits the creation of "special districts", which provide limited services. The most common is theschool district, but can also include hospital districts, community college districts, and utility districts. Municipal, school district, and special district elections arenonpartisan,^[207]though the party affiliation of a candidate may be well-known. County and state elections are partisan.^[208]

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	212,592		—
1860	604,215		184.2%
1870	818,579		35.5%
1880	1,591,749		94.5%
1890	2,235,527		40.4%
1900	3,048,710		36.4%
1910	3,896,542		27.8%
1920	4,663,228		19.7%
1930	5,824,715		24.9%
1940	6,414,824		10.1%
1950	7,711,194		20.2%
1960	9,579,677		24.2%
1970	11,196,730		16.9%
1980	14,229,191		27.1%
1990	16,986,510		19.4%
2000	20,851,820		22.8%
2010	25,145,561		20.6%
2020	29,145,505		15.9%
2023 (est.)	30,503,301		4.7%
1910–2020[5]

The resident population of Texas was 29,145,505 in the2020 census, a 15.9% increase since the2010 census.^[210][211]At the 2020 census, the apportioned population of Texas stood at 29,183,290.^[212]The 2023 Texas Population Estimate program estimated the population was 30,503,301 on July 1, 2023.^[213]In 2010, Texas had a census population of 25,145,561.^[214]Texas is the second-most populous state in the United States after California and the only other U.S. state to surpass a total estimated population of 30 million people as of July 2, 2022.^[215][216]

In 2015, Texas had 4.7 million foreign-born residents, about 17% of the population and 21.6% of the state workforce.^[217]The major countries of origin for Texan immigrants were Mexico (55.1% of immigrants), India (5%), El Salvador (4.3%), Vietnam (3.7%), and China (2.3%).^[217]Of immigrant residents, 35.8 percent werenaturalizedU.S. citizens.^[217]As of 2018, the population increased to 4.9 million foreign-born residents or 17.2% of the state population, up from 2,899,642 in 2000.^[218]

In 2014, there were an estimated 1.7 million undocumented immigrants in Texas, making up 35% of the total Texas immigrant population and 6.1% of the total state population.^[217]In addition to the state's foreign-born population, an additional 4.1 million Texans (15% of the state's population) were born in the United States and had at least one immigrant parent.^[217]

According to theAmerican Community Survey's 2019 estimates, 1,739,000 residents were undocumented immigrants, a decrease of 103,000 since 2014 and increase of 142,000 since 2016. Of the undocumented immigrant population, 951,000 have resided in Texas from less than 5 up to 14 years. An estimated 788,000 lived in Texas from 15 to 19 and 20 years or more.^[219]

Texas'sRio Grande Valleyhas seen significant migration from across theU.S.–Mexico border. During the2014 crisis, manyCentral Americans, including unaccompanied minors traveling alone fromGuatemala,Honduras, andEl Salvador, reached the state, overwhelming Border Patrol resources for a time. Many soughtasylumin the United States.^[220][221]

Texas's population density as of 2010 is 96.3 people per square mile (37.2 people/km²) which is slightly higher than the averagepopulation densityof the U.S. as a whole, at 87.4 people per square mile (33.7 people/km²). In contrast, while Texas and France are similarly sized geographically, the European country has a population density of 301.8 people per square mile (116.5 people/km²). Two-thirds of all Texans live in major metropolitan areas such as Houston.

According toHUD's 2022Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 24,432homelesspeople in Texas.^[222][223]

Ethnic composition as of the 2020 census

Race and ethnicity[224]	Alone		Total
Hispanic or Latino[e]	—		40.2%	40.2
Non-Hispanic White	39.7%	39.7	39.8%	39.8
African American	11.8%	11.8	12.8%	12.8
Asian	5.4%	5.4	6.1%	6.1
Native American	0.3%	0.3	1.4%	1.4
Pacific Islander	0.1%	0.1	0.2%	0.2
Other	0.4%	0.4	1.0%	1

In 2019,non-Hispanic Whitesrepresented 41.2% of Texas's population, reflecting a national demographic shift.^{[225][226][227]}Black peoplemade up 12.9%,American Indians and Alaska Natives1.0%,Asian Americans5.2%,Native Hawaiiansand otherPacific Islanders0.1%, some other race 0.2%, andtwo or more races1.8%.Hispanics or Latino Americansof any race made up 39.7% of the estimated population.^[228]

At the 2020 census, the racial and ethnic composition of the state was 42.5%White(39.8% non-Hispanic White), 11.8% Black, 5.4% Asian, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 13.6% some other race, 17.6% two or more races, and 40.2% Hispanic and Latino American of any race.^[229][230]

In 2010, 49% of all births were Hispanics; 35% were non-Hispanic White; 11.5% were non-Hispanic Black, and 4.3% were Asians/Pacific Islanders.^[231]Based on U.S. Census Bureau data released in February 2011, for the first time in recent history, Texas's White population is below 50% (45%) and Hispanics grew to 38%. Between 2000 and 2010, the total population grew by 20.6%, but Hispanics and Latino Americans grew by 65%, whereas non-Hispanic Whites grew by only 4.2%.^[232]Texas has the fifth highest rate of teenage births in the nation and a plurality of these are to Hispanics or Latinos.^[233][234]As of 2022, Hispanics and Latinos of any race replaced the non-Hispanic White population as the largest share of the state's population.^[235]

Texas has the second-largest share ofMexican Americansin the US, making up 32.2% of the total population and 80% of the state's Hispanic population.^[236]Other than Mexican, the largest self-reported ancestries in the state as of 2022 wereGerman(8.1%),English(7.9%),Irish(5.8%), those identifying asAmerican(4.6%),Italian(1.9%),Indian(1.9%),Salvadoran(1.4%),Scottish(1.3%),Vietnamese(1.1%),Chinese(1%),Puerto Rican(0.9%),Polish(0.9%),Honduran(0.8%),Filipino(0.8%), andScotch-Irish(0.7%).^{[237][238][239]}

Most common non-English languages

Language	Population (as of 2010)[240]
Spanish	29.2%
Vietnamese	0.8%
Chinese	0.6%
German	0.3%
Tagalog	0.3%
French	0.3%
KoreanandUrdu(tied)	0.2%
Hindi	0.2%
Arabic	0.2%
Niger-Congo languages	0.2%

The most commonaccentordialectspoken by natives throughout Texas is sometimes referred to asTexan English, itself a sub-variety of a broader category ofAmerican Englishknown asSouthern American English.^[241][242]Creole languageis spoken in some parts of East Texas.^[243]In some areas of the state—particularly in the large cities—Western American EnglishandGeneral American English, is increasingly common.Chicano English—due to a growing Hispanic population—is widespread in South Texas, whileAfrican-American Englishis especially notable in historically minority areas of urban Texas.

At the 2020 American Community Survey's estimates, 64.9% of the population spoke only English, and 35.1% spoke a language other than English.^[244]Roughly 30% of the total population spoke Spanish. By 2021, approximately 50,546 Texans spoke French or a French-creole language. German and other West Germanic languages were spoken by 49,565 residents; Russian, Polish, and other Slavic languages by 37,444; Korean by 31,673; Chinese 86,370; Vietnamese 92,410; Tagalog 40,124; and Arabic by 47,170 Texans.^[245]

At the census of 2010, 65.8% (14,740,304) of Texas residents age5 and older spoke onlyEnglishat home, while 29.2% (6,543,702) spokeSpanish, 0.8 percent (168,886)Vietnamese, andChinese(which includesCantoneseandMandarin) was spoken by 0.6% (122,921) of the population over five.^[240]Other languages spoken includeGerman(includingTexas German) by 0.3% (73,137),Tagalogwith 0.3% (64,272) speakers, andFrench(includingCajun French) was spoken by 0.3% (55,773) of Texans.^[240]Reportedly,Cherokeeis the most widely spokenNative American languagein Texas.^[246]In total, 34.2% (7,660,406) of Texas's population aged five and older spoke a language at home other than English as of 2006.^[240]

With the coming of Spanish Catholic and American Protestant missionary societies,^[248]IndigenousAmerican Indian religions and spiritual traditionsdwindled. Since then, colonial and present-day Texas has become a predominantly Christian state, with 75.5% of the population identifying as such according to thePublic Religion Research Institutein 2020.^[249]

Among its majority Christian populace, the largest Christian denomination as of 2014 has been theCatholic Church, per thePew Research Centerat 23% of the population, althoughProtestantscollectively constituted 50% of the Christian population in 2014;^[250]in the 2020 study by the Public Religion Research Institute, the Catholic Church's membership increased to encompassing 28% of the population identifying with a religious or spiritual belief.^[249]At the 2020Association of Religion Data Archivesstudy, there were 5,905,142 Catholics in the state.^[251]The largest Catholic jurisdictions in Texas are theArchdiocese of Galveston–Houston—the first and oldestLatin Churchdiocese in Texas^[252]—the dioceses ofDallasandFort Worth, and theArchdiocese of San Antonio.

Being part of the strongly, socially conservativeBible Belt,^[253]Protestants as a whole declined to 47% of the population in the 2020 study by the Public Religion Research Institute. Predominantly-whiteEvangelical Protestantismdeclined to 14% of the Protestant Christian population.Mainline Protestantsin contrast made up 15% of Protestant Texas. Hispanic or Latino American-dominated Protestant churches andhistorically Black or African American Protestantismgrew to a collective 13% of the Protestant population.

Evangelical Protestants were 31% of the population in 2014, andBaptistswere the largest Evangelical tradition (14%);^[250]according to the 2014 study, they made up the second-largest Mainline Protestant group behindMethodists(4%).Nondenominationaland interdenominational Protestant Christians were the second largest Evangelical group (7%) followed byPentecostals(4%). The largest Evangelical Baptists in the state were theSouthern Baptist Convention(9%) and independent Baptists (3%). TheAssemblies of God USAwas the largest Evangelical Pentecostal denomination in 2014. AmongMainline Protestants, theUnited Methodist Churchwas the largest denomination (4%) and theAmerican Baptist Churches USAcomprised the second-largest Mainline Protestant group (2%).

According to the Pew Research Center in 2014, the state's largest historically African American Christian denominations were theNational Baptist Convention (USA)and theChurch of God in Christ. Black Methodists and other Christians made up less than 1 percent each of the Christian demographic. Other Christians made up 1 percent of the total Christian population, and theEasternandOriental Orthodoxformed less than 1 percent of the statewide Christian populace. TheChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintsis the largestnontrinitarianChristian group in Texas alongside theJehovah's Witnesses.^[250]

Among its Protestant population, the Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020 determined Southern Baptists numbered 3,319,962; non-denominational Protestants 2,405,786 (includingChristian Churches and Churches of Christ, and theChurches of Christaltogether numbering 2,758,353); and United Methodists 938,399 as the most numerous Protestant groups in the state.^[251]Baptists altogether (Southern Baptists,American Baptist Associates, American Baptists,Full Gospel Baptists,General Baptists,Free Will Baptists, National Baptists,National Baptists of America,National Missionary Baptists,National Primitive Baptists, andProgressive National Baptists) numbered 3,837,306; Methodists within United Methodism, theAME,AME Zion,CME, and theFree Methodist Churchnumbered 1,026,453 Texans.

The same study tabulated 425,038 Pentecostals spread among the Assemblies of God,Church of God (Cleveland), and Church of God in Christ. Nontrinitarian orOneness Pentecostalsnumbered 7,042 betweenBible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ,COOLJC, and thePentecostal Assemblies of the World. Other Christians, including the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, numbered 55,329 altogether, and Episcopalians numbered 134,318, although theAnglican Catholic Church,Anglican Church in America,Anglican Church in North America,Anglican Province of America, andHoly Catholic Church Anglican Ritehad a collective presence in 114 churches.^[254]

Non-Christian faiths accounted for 4% of the religious population in 2014, and 5% in 2020 per the Pew Research Center and Public Religion Research Institute.^[250][249]Adherents of many other religions reside predominantly in the urban centers of Texas. Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism were tied as the second largest religion as of 2014 and 2020. In 2014, 18% of the state's population were religiously unaffiliated. Of the unaffiliated in 2014, an estimated 2% wereatheistsand 3%agnostic; in 2020, the Public Religion Research Institute noted the largest non-Christian groups were theirreligious(20%),Judaism(1%),Islam(1%),Buddhism(1%) andHinduism, and other religions at less than 1 percent each.

In 1990, the Islamic population was about 140,000 with more recent figures putting the current number of Muslims between 350,000 and 400,000 as of 2012.^[255]The Association of Religion Data Archives estimated there were 313,209 Muslims as of 2020.^[251]Texas is the fifth-largestMuslim-populated state as of 2014.^[256]The Jewish population was around 128,000 in 2008.^[257]In 2020, the Jewish population grew to over 176,000.^[258]According to ARDA's 2020 study, there were 43Chabadsynagogues; 17,513Conservative Jews; 8,110Orthodox Jews; and 31,378Reform Jews. Around 146,000 adherents of religions such asHinduismandSikhismlived in Texas as of 2004.^[259]By 2020, there were 112,153 Hindus and 20 Sikh gurdwaras; 60,882 Texans adhered toBuddhism.

As of 2024, Texas had agross state product(GSP) of $2.664 trillion, thesecond highestin the U.S.^[260]Its GSP isgreater than the GDPofBrazil, the world's 8th-largest economy.^[261]The state ranks 22nd among U.S. states with a median household income of $64,034, while thepoverty rateis 14.2%, making Texas the state with 14th highest poverty rate (compared to 13.15% nationally). Texas's economy is the second-largest of anycountry subdivisionglobally, behindCalifornia.

Texas's large population, an abundance of natural resources, thriving cities and leading centers of higher education have contributed to a large and diverse economy. Since oil was discovered, the state's economy has reflected the state of thepetroleum 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 tourban sprawland its associated symptoms.^[262]

As of May 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic, the state's unemployment rate was 13 percent.^[263]

In 2010,Site Selection Magazineranked Texas as the most business-friendly state, in part because of the state's three-billion-dollarTexas Enterprise Fund.^[264]Texas has the highest number ofFortune 500company headquarters in the United States as of 2022.^[16][17]In 2010, there were 346,000 millionaires in Texas, the second-largest population of millionaires in the nation.^[f][265]In 2018, the number of millionaire households increased to 566,578.^[266]

Texas has a reputation for a low tax.^[267]According to theTax Foundation, Texans' state and local tax burdens are seventh-lowest nationally; state and local taxes cost $3,580 per capita, or 8.4 percent of resident incomes.^[268]Texas is one of seven states that lack astate income tax.^[268][269]

Instead, the state collects revenue fromproperty taxes(though these are collected at the county, city, and school district level; Texas has a state constitutional prohibition against a state property tax) andsales taxes. The state sales tax rate is 6.25 percent,^[268][270]but local taxing jurisdictions (cities, counties, special purpose districts, and transit authorities) may also impose sales and use tax up to 2percent for a total maximum combined rate of 8.25 percent.^[271]

Texas is a "tax donor state"; in 2005, for every dollar Texans paid to the federal government infederal income taxes, the state got back about $0.94 in benefits.^[268]To attract business, Texas has incentive programs worth $19 billion per year (2012); more than any other U.S. state.^[272][273]

Texas has the most farms and the highest acreage in the United States. The state is ranked No. 1 for revenue generated from total livestock and livestock products. It is ranked No. 2 for total agricultural revenue, behind California.^[274]At $7.4 billion or 56.7 percent of Texas's annual agricultural cash receipts, beef cattle production represents the largest single segment of Texas agriculture. This is followed by cotton at $1.9 billion (14.6 percent), greenhouse/nursery at $1.5 billion (11.4 percent),broiler chickensat $1.3 billion (10 percent), and dairy products at $947 million (7.3 percent).^[275]

Texas leads the nation in the production of cattle, horses, sheep, goats, wool, mohair and hay.^[275]The state also leads the nation in production of cotton which is the number one crop grown in the state in terms of value.^{[274][276][277]}The state grows significant amounts of cereal crops and produce.^[274]Texas has a large commercial fishing industry. With mineral resources, Texas leads in creating cement, crushed stone, lime, salt, sand and gravel.^[274]Texas throughout the 21st century has beenhammered by drought, costing the state billions of dollars in livestock and crops.^[278]

Ever since the discovery of oil atSpindletop, energy has been a dominant force politically and economically within the state.^[279]If Texas were its own country it would be the sixth-largest oil producer in the world according to a 2014 study.^[280]

TheRailroad Commission of Texasregulates the state'soil and gas industry, gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in theliquefied petroleum gasindustry, and surface coal anduraniummining. Until the 1970s, the commission controlled the price of petroleum because of its ability to regulate Texas's oil reserves. The founders of theOrganization of Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC) used the Texas agency as one of their models for petroleum price control.^[281]

As of January 1, 2021, Texas hasproved recoverable petroleum reservesof about 15.6 billion barrels (2.48×10⁹m³) ofcrude oil(44% of the known U.S. reserves) and 9.5 billion barrels (1.51×10⁹m³) ofnatural gas liquids.^[282][283]The state'srefineriescan process 5.95 million barrels (946,000 m³) of oil a day.^[282][283]ThePort Arthur Refineryin Southeast Texas is the largest refinery in the U.S.^[282]Texas is also a leader innatural gasproduction at 28.8 billion cubic feet (820,000,000 m³) per day, some 32% of the nation's production.^[284]Texas has 102.4 trillion cubic feet (2.90×10¹²m³) of gas reserves which is 23% of the nation's gas reserves.^[282][283]Manypetroleum companiesare based in Texas such as:ConocoPhillips,^[285]EOG Resources,ExxonMobil,^[286]Halliburton,^[287]Hilcorp,Marathon Oil,^[288]Occidental Petroleum,^[289]Valero Energy,^[290]andWestern Refining.^[291]

According to theEnergy Information Administration, Texans consume, on average, the fifth most energy (of all types) in the nation per capita and as a whole, following behind Wyoming, Alaska, Louisiana, North Dakota, and Iowa.^[282]

Unlike the rest of the nation, most of Texas is on its ownalternating currentpower grid, theTexas Interconnection. Texas has aderegulatedelectric service. Texas leads the nation in total net electricity production, generating 437,236 MWh in 2014, 89% more MWh than Florida, which ranked second.^[292][293]

The state is a leader inrenewable energy commercialization; it produces the mostwind powerin the nation.^[282][294]In 2014, 10.6% of the electricity consumed in Texas came fromwind turbines.^[295]TheRoscoe Wind FarminRoscoe, Texas, is one of the world's largestwind farmswith a 781.5megawatt(MW) capacity.^[296]The Energy Information Administration states the state's large agriculture and forestry industries could give Texas an enormous amount ofbiomassfor use in biofuels. The state also has the highestsolar powerpotential for development in the U.S.^[282]

With large universities systems coupled with initiatives like the Texas Enterprise Fund and theTexas Emerging Technology Fund, a wide array of differenthigh techindustries have developed in Texas. The Austin area is nicknamed the "Silicon Hills" and the north Dallas area the "Silicon Prairie". Many high-tech companies are located in or have their headquarters in Texas (andAustin in particular), includingDell, Inc.,^[297]Borland,^[298]Forcepoint,^[299]Indeed.com,^[300]Texas Instruments,^[301]Perot Systems,^[302]RackspaceandAT&T.^{[303][304][305]}

TheNational Aeronautics and Space Administration'sLyndon B. Johnson Space Center(NASA JSC) is located in Southeast Houston. BothSpaceXandBlue Originhave their test facilities in Texas.^[306][307]Fort Worthhosts bothLockheed Martin'sAeronautics divisionandBell Helicopter Textron.^[308][309]Lockheed builds theF-16 Fighting Falcon, the largest Western fighter program, and its successor, theF-35 Lightning IIin Fort Worth.^[310]

Texas'saffluencestimulates 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 areAT&T,Kimberly-Clark,Blockbuster,J. C. Penney,Whole Foods Market, andTenet Healthcare.^[311]

Nationally, the Dallas–Fort Worth area, home to thesecond shopping mallin the United States, has the most shopping malls per capita of any American metropolitan statistical area.^[312]

Mexico, the state's largest trading partner, imports a third of the state's exports because of theNorth American Free Trade Agreement(NAFTA). NAFTA has encouraged the formation ofmaquiladorason the Texas–Mexico border.^[313]

Historically, Texas culture comes from a blend of mostly Southern(Dixie), Western (frontier), and Southwestern(Mexican/Anglo fusion)influences, varying in degrees of such from one intrastate region to another. A popular food item, thebreakfast burrito, draws from all three, having a soft flour tortilla wrapped around bacon and scrambled eggs or other hot, cooked fillings. Adding to Texas's traditional culture, established in the 18th and 19th centuries, immigration has made Texas amelting potof cultures from around the world.^[314][315]

Texas has made a strong mark on national and international pop culture. The entire state is strongly associated with the image of thecowboyshown inwesternsand incountry western music. The state's numerous oil tycoons are also a popular pop culture topic as seen in the hit TV seriesDallas.^[316]

The internationally known slogan "Don't Mess with Texas" began as an anti-litteringadvertisement. Since the campaign's inception in 1986, the phrase has become "an identity statement, a declaration of Texas swagger".^[317]

"Texas-sized" describes something that is about the size of theU.S. stateof Texas,^[318][319]or something (usually but not always originating from Texas) that is large compared to other objects of its type.^{[320][321][322]}Texas was the largest U.S. state untilAlaskabecame a state in 1959. The phrase "everything is bigger in Texas" has been in regular use since at least 1950.^[323]

Houston is one of only five American cities with permanent professional resident companies in all the major performing arts disciplines: theHouston Grand Opera, theHouston Symphony Orchestra, theHouston Ballet, andThe Alley Theatre.^[324]Known for the vibrancy of itsvisualandperforming arts, theHouston Theater Districtranks 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.^[324]Founded in 1892,Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, also called "The Modern", is Texas's oldest art museum. Fort Worth also has theKimbell Art Museum, theAmon Carter Museum, theNational Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, theWill Rogers Memorial Center, and theBass Performance Halldowntown. TheArts DistrictofDowntown Dallashas arts venues such as theDallas Museum of Art, theMorton H. Meyerson Symphony Center,the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House,the Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, and theNasher Sculpture Center.^[325]

TheDeep Ellumdistrict within Dallas became popular during the 1920s and 1930s as the primejazzandblueshotspot in the Southern United States. The name Deep Ellum comes from local people pronouncing "Deep Elm" as "Deep Ellum".^[326]Artists such asBlind Lemon Jefferson,Robert Johnson, Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter, andBessie Smithplayed in early Deep Ellum clubs.^[327]

Austin,The Live Music Capital of the World, boasts "more live music venues per capita than such music hotbeds as Nashville, Memphis, Los Angeles, Las Vegas or New York City".^[328]The city's music revolves around thenightclubson6th Street; events like the film, music, andmultimediafestivalSouth by Southwest; the longest-running concert music program on American television,Austin City Limits; and theAustin City Limits Music Festivalheld inZilker Park.^[329]

Since 1980, San Antonio has evolved into "TheTejano MusicCapital Of The World".^[330]TheTejano Music Awardshave provided a forum to create greater awareness and appreciation for Tejano music and culture.^[331]

Within the"Big Four" professional leagues, Texas has twoNFLteams (theDallas Cowboysand theHouston Texans), twoMLBteams (theHouston Astrosand theTexas Rangers),^[332][333]threeNBAteams (theSan Antonio Spurs, theHouston Rockets, and theDallas Mavericks), and oneNHLteam (theDallas Stars). TheDallas–Fort Worth metroplexis one of onlythirteen American metropolitan areas that host sports teams from all the "Big Four" professional leagues. Outside of the "Big Four", Texas also has aWNBAteam (theDallas Wings), threeMajor League Soccerteams (Austin FC,Houston Dynamo FCandFC Dallas), and oneNWSLteam (theHouston Dash).^{[citation needed]}

Collegiate athleticshave deep significance in Texas culture, especiallyfootball. The state has twelveDivision I-FBSschools, the most in the nation. Four of the state's schools claim at least one national championship in football: the Texas Longhorns, the Texas A&M Aggies, the TCU Horned Frogs, and the SMU Mustangs.^{[334][335][336][337]}According to a survey of Division I-A coaches, therivalrybetween theUniversity of Oklahomaand the University of Texas at Austin, theRed River Shootout, ranks the third-best in the nation.^[338]The TCU Horned Frogs and SMU Mustangs also share a rivalry and compete annually in theBattle for the Iron Skillet. A fierce rivalry, theLone Star Showdown, also exists between the state's two largest universities, Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin. The athletics portion of the Lone Star Showdown rivalry has been put on hold after the Texas A&M Aggies joined the Southeastern Conference.^[339]

TheUniversity Interscholastic League(UIL) organizes most primary and secondary school competitions. Events organized by UIL include contests in athletics (the most popular beinghigh school football) as well as artistic and academic subjects.^[340]

Texans also enjoyrodeo. The world's first rodeo was hosted inPecos, Texas.^[341]The annualHouston Livestock Show and Rodeois the largest rodeo in the world. TheSouthwestern Exposition and Livestock Showin Fort Worth is the oldest continuously running rodeo incorporating many of the state's most historic traditions into its annual events. Dallas hosts theState Fair of Texaseach year atFair Park.^[342]

Texas Motor Speedwayhosts annualNASCAR Cup SeriesandIndyCar Seriesauto races since 1997. Since 2012, Austin'sCircuit of the Americasplays host to a round of theFormula 1World Championship.^[343]

ThePanther City Lacrosse Clubis a professional lacrosse team in theNational Lacrosse League. They have played local matches at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas since their inaugural 2021–2022 season.^[344]

The secondpresident of the Republic of Texas,Mirabeau B. Lamar, is theFather of Texas Education. During his term, the state set aside threeleaguesin each county for public schools. An additional 50 leagues of land set aside for the support of two universities would later become the basis of the state'sPermanent University Fund.^[345]Lamar's actions set the foundation for a Texas-wide public school system.^[346]

Between 2006 and 2007, Texas spent $7,275 per pupil, ranking it below the national average of $9,389. The pupil/teacher ratio was 14.9, below the national average of 15.3. Texas paid instructors $41,744, below the national average of $46,593. TheTexas Education Agency(TEA) administers the state's public school systems. Texas hasover 1,000school districts; all districts except theStafford Municipal School Districtare independent from municipal government and many cross city boundaries.^[347]School districts have the power totaxtheir residents and to asserteminent domainover privately owned property. Due to court-mandated equitable school financing, the state has a tax redistribution system called the "Robin Hood plan" which transfers property tax revenue from wealthy school districts to poor ones.^[348]The TEA has no authority over private orhomeschoolingactivities.^[349]

Students in Texas take theState of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness(STAAR) in primary and secondary school. STAAR assess students' attainment ofreading, writing,mathematics, science, andsocial studiesskills required under Texas education standards and theNo Child Left Behind Act. The test replaced theTexas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills(TAKS) test in the 2011–2012 school year.^[350]

Generally prohibited in theWestern world,school corporal punishmentis not unusual in the more conservative, rural areas of the state,^{[351][352][353]}with 28,569 public school studentspaddledat least one time,^[g]according to government data for the 2011–2012 school year.^[354]The rate of school corporal punishment in Texas is surpassed only byMississippi,Alabama, andArkansas.^[354]

The state's two most widely recognized flagship universities areThe University of Texas at AustinandTexas A&M University, ranked as the 21st^[355]and 41st^[356]best universities in the nation according to 2020's latest Center for World University Rankings report, respectively. Some observers^[357]also include theUniversity of HoustonandTexas Tech Universityas tier one flagships alongside UT Austin and A&M.^[358][359]TheTexas Higher Education Coordinating Boardranks the state's public universities into three distinct tiers:^[360]

• National Research Universities (Tier 1)^[361][362]
  • The University of Texas at Austin
  • Texas A&M University
  • Texas Tech University
  • University of Houston
  • The University of Texas at Arlington
  • The University of Texas at Dallas
  • The University of North Texas
  • The University of Texas at El Paso
• Emerging Research Universities (Tier 2)^[360]
  • The University of Texas at San Antonio
  • Texas State University
• Comprehensive Universities (Tier 3)^[360]
  • All other public universities (25 in total)

Texas's alternative affirmative action plan,Texas House Bill 588, guarantees Texas students who graduated in thetop 10percent of their high school class automatic admission to state-funded universities. This does not apply toThe University of Texas at Austin, which automatically admits Texas students who graduated in thetop 6percent of their high school class.^[363]The bill encourages demographic diversity while attempting to avoid problems stemming from theHopwood v. Texas(1996) case.^[364]

Thirty-six public universities exist in Texas, of which 32 belong to one of the six state university systems.^[365][366]Discovery of minerals onPermanent University Fundland, particularly oil, has helped fund the rapid growth of the state's two largest university systems: theUniversity of Texas Systemand theTexas A&M System. The four other university systems: theUniversity of Houston System, theUniversity of North Texas System, theTexas State System, and theTexas Tech Systemare not funded by the Permanent University Fund.^[367]

The Carnegie Foundation classifies four of Texas's universities as Tier One research institutions:The University of Texas at Austin, theTexas A&M University, theUniversity of HoustonandTexas Tech University. The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University are the flagship universities of theUniversity of Texas SystemandTexas A&M University System, respectively. Both were established by the Texas Constitution and hold stakes in the Permanent University Fund.^[367]

The state has sought to expand the number of flagship universities by elevating some of its seven institutions designated as "emerging research universities". The two expected to emerge first are the University of Houston and Texas Tech University, likely in that order according to discussions on the House floor of the 82nd Texas Legislature.^[368]

The state is home to various private institutions of higher learning—ranging from liberal arts colleges to a nationally recognized top-tier research university.Rice Universityin Houston is one of the leading teaching and research universities of the United States and is ranked the nation's 17th-best overall university byU.S. News & World Report.^[369]

Trinity University, a private, primarily undergraduate liberal arts university in San Antonio, has ranked first among universities granting primarily bachelor's and select master's degrees in the Western United States for 20 consecutive years byU.S. News.^[370]Private universities includeAbilene Christian University,Austin College,Baylor University,University of Mary Hardin–Baylor, andSouthwestern University.^{[371][372][373]}

Universities in Texas host three presidential libraries:George Bush Presidential Libraryat Texas A&M University,^[374]theLyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museumat The University of Texas at Austin,^[375][376]and theGeorge W. Bush Presidential LibraryatSouthern Methodist University.^[377]

Notwithstanding the concentration of elite medical centers in the state,The Commonwealth Fundranks the Texas healthcare system the third worst in the nation.^[378]Texas ranks close to last in access to healthcare, quality of care, avoidable hospital spending, and equity.^[378]In May 2006, Texas initiated the program "code red" in response to the report the state had 25.1 percent of the population without health insurance, the largest proportion in the nation.^[379]

TheTrust for America's Healthranked Texas 15th highest in adultobesity: 27.2 percent of the state's population is obese.^[380]The 2008Men's Healthobesity survey ranked four Texas cities among the top 25 fattest cities in America: Houston ranked 6th, Dallas 7th, El Paso 8th, andArlington14th.^[381]Texas had only one city (Austin, ranked 21st) in the top 25 "fittest cities" in America.^[381]The state is ranked forty-second in the percentage of residents who engage in regular exercise according to a 2007 study.^[382]

Texas has thehighest maternal mortality ratein the developed world, and the rate by which Texas women died from pregnancy-related complications doubled from 2010 to 2014, to 23.8 per 100,000—a rate unmatched in any other U.S. state or economically developed country.^[383]In May 2021, the state legislature passed theTexas Heartbeat Act, which bannedabortionfrom as early as six weeks of pregnancy, except to save the life of the mother. The Act allows private citizens to sue abortion providers and anyone else who assists in an abortion, except for the woman on whom the abortion is performed.^[384][385]On August 25, 2022, another law took effect that made committing abortion at any stage of pregnancy a felony punishable by life in prison.^[386]

Texas has many elite research medical centers. The state has 15medical schools^{[broken anchor]},^[387]four dental schools,^[388]and twooptometryschools.^[389]Texas has twoBiosafety Level 4(BSL-4) laboratories: one atThe University of Texas Medical Branch(UTMB) in Galveston,^[390]and the other at theSouthwest Foundation for Biomedical Researchin San Antonio—the first privately owned BSL-4 lab in the United States.^[391]

TheTexas Medical Centerin Houston holds the world's largest concentration of research and healthcare institutions, with over 50 member institutions.^[392]Texas Medical Center performs the most heart transplants in the world.^[393]TheUniversity of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Centerin Houston is a highly regarded academic institution that centers around cancer patient care, research, education and prevention.^[394]

San Antonio'sSouth Texas Medical Centerfacilities rank sixth in clinical medicine research impact in the United States.^[395]TheUniversity of Texas Health Science Centeris another highly ranked research and educational institution in San Antonio.^[396][397]

Both theAmerican Heart Associationand theUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical Centercall Dallas home.^[398]Theinstitution's medical schoolemploys the most medical schoolNobel laureatesin the world.^[398][399]

The state's large size and rough terrain have historically complicated transportation. Texas has compensated by building the nation's largest highway and railway systems. Theregulatory authority, theTexas Department of Transportation(TxDOT), maintains the state's highway system, regulates aviation,^[400]andpublic transportationsystems.^[401]

The state is an importanttransportation 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 hours.^[402]Texas has 33foreign trade zones(FTZ), the most in the nation.^[403]In 2004, a combined total of $298 billion of goods passed through Texas FTZs.^[403]

The first Texas freeway was theGulf Freewayopened in 1948 in Houston.^[404]As of 2005, 79,535 miles (127,999 km) of public highway crisscrossed Texas (up from 71,000 miles or 114,000 km in 1984).^[405]To fund recent growth in the state highways, Texas has17 toll roadswith several additionaltollwaysproposed.^[406]InCentral Texas, the southern section of theState Highway 130toll road has a speed limit of 85 miles per hour (137 km/h), the highest in the nation.^[407]All federal and state highways in Texas are paved.

Texas has 730 airports, second-most of any state in the nation. Largest in Texas by size and passengers served,Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport(DFW) is the second-largest by area in the United States, and fourth in the world with 18,076 acres (73.15 km²).^[408]In traffic, DFW airport is the busiest in the state, the fourth busiest in the United States,^[409]and sixth worldwide.^[410]Southwest Airlines, headquartered in Dallas, has its operations atDallas Love Field.^[411]American Airlines Group'sAmerican/American Eagle, the world's largest airline in total passengers-miles transported and passenger fleet size,^[412]uses DFW as its largest and mainhub.

Texas's second-largest air facility is Houston'sGeorge Bush Intercontinental Airport(IAH). It serves as the largest hub forUnited Airlines, the world's third-largest airline, by passenger-miles flown.^[413][h]IAH offers service to the most Mexican destinations of any U.S. airport.^[414][415]The next five largest airports in the state all serve more than three million passengers annually; they includeAustin-Bergstrom International Airport,William P. Hobby Airport,San Antonio International Airport,Dallas Love FieldandEl Paso International Airport. The smallest airport in the state to be designated an international airport isDel Rio International Airport.

Around 1,150seaportsdot Texas's coast with over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) ofchannels.^[416]Ports employ nearly one-million people and handle an average of 317 millionmetric tons.^[417]Texas ports connect with the rest of the U.S. Atlantic seaboard with theGulfsection of theIntracoastal Waterway.^[416]ThePort of Houstontoday is the busiest port in the United States in foreign tonnage, second in overall tonnage, andtenthworldwide in tonnage.^[418]TheHouston Ship Channelspans 530 feet (160 m) wide by 45 feet (14 m) deep by 50 miles (80 km) long.^[419]

Part of the state'straditionof cowboys is derived from the massivecattle driveswhich its ranchers organized in the nineteenth century todrivelivestock to railroads and markets.

The first railroad to operate in Texas was theBuffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railway, opening in August 1853.^[420]The first railroad to enter Texas from the north, completed in 1872, was theMissouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad.^[421]With increasing railroad access, the ranchers did not have to take their livestock up to the Midwest and shipped beef out from Texas. This caused a decline in the economies of the cow towns.^[422]

Since 1911, Texas has led the nation in length of railroad miles within the state. Texas railway length peaked in 1932 at 17,078 miles (27,484 km), but declined to 14,006 miles (22,540 km) by 2000. While theRailroad Commission of Texasoriginally regulated state railroads, in 2005 the state reassigned these duties to TxDOT.^[423]

In the Dallas–Fort Worth area, three public transit agencies provide rail service:Dallas Area Rapid Transit(DART),Denton County Transportation Authority(DCTA), andTrinity Metro. DART began operating the first light rail system in the Southwest United States in 1996.^[424]TheTrinity Railway Express(TRE)commuter railservice, which connects Fort Worth and Dallas, is provided byTrinity Metroand DART.^[425]Trinity Metro also operates theTEXRailcommuter rail line, connecting downtown Fort Worth and Northeast Tarrant County to DFW Airport.^[426]TheA-traincommuter rail line, operated by DCTA, acts as an extension of the DART Green line into Denton County.^[427]In the Austin area,Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authorityoperates a commuter rail service known asCapital MetroRailto the northwestern suburbs. TheMetropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas(METRO) operates light rail lines calledMETRORailin the Houston area.^[428]

Amtrakprovides Texas with limited intercity passenger rail service. Three scheduled routes serve the state: the dailyTexas Eagle(Chicago–San Antonio); the tri-weeklySunset Limited(New Orleans–Los Angeles), with stops in Texas; and the dailyHeartland Flyer(Fort Worth–Oklahoma City). Texas may get one of the nation's firsthigh-speed railline. Plans for a privately funded high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston have been planned by theTexas Central Railwaycompany.^[429]

The currentTexas Constitutionwas adopted in 1876. Like manystates, it explicitly provides for a separation of powers. The state's Bill of Rights is much larger than itsfederal counterpart, and has provisions unique to Texas.^[430]

Texas has a pluralexecutive branchsystem limiting the power of the governor, which is a weak executive compared to some other states. Except for thesecretary of state, voters elect executive officers independently; candidates are directly answerable to the public, not the governor.^[431]This election system has led to some executive branches split between parties and reduced the ability of the governor to carry out a program. WhenRepublicanpresidentGeorge W. Bushserved as Texas's governor, the state had aDemocraticlieutenant governor,Bob Bullock. The executive branch positions consist of thegovernor,lieutenant governor, comptroller of public accounts, land commissioner,attorney general, agriculture commissioner, the three-memberTexas Railroad Commission, the State Board of Education, and the secretary of state.^[431]

ThebicameralTexas Legislatureconsists of theHouse of Representatives, with 150 members, and aSenate, with 31 members. TheSpeaker of the Houseleads the House, and the lieutenant governor, the Senate.^[432]The Legislature meets in regular session biennially for just over a hundred days, but the governor can call for special sessions as often as desired (notably, the Legislature cannot call itself into session).^[433]The state'sfiscal yearbegins September1.^[434]

Thejudiciary of Texasis among the most complex in the United States, with many layers and overlapping jurisdictions. Texas has two courts of last resort: theTexas Supreme Court, for civil cases, and theTexas 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.^[435]Texas is notable forits use of capital punishment, having led the country in executions since capital punishment was reinstated in theGregg v. Georgiacase.^[436]

TheTexas Ranger Divisionof theTexas Department of Public Safetyis alaw enforcement agencywith statewidejurisdiction. Over the years, the Texas Rangers have investigated crimes ranging frommurderto political corruption. They have acted asriot policeand as detectives, protected the Texas governor, tracked down fugitives, and functioned as a paramilitary force. The Texas Rangers were unofficially created byStephen F. Austinin 1823 and formally constituted in 1835. The Rangers were integral to several important events of Texas history and some of the best-known criminal cases in the history of theOld West.^[437]

The Texas constitution defines the responsibilities of county governments, which serve as agents of the state. Commissioners court and court judges are elected to serve as the administrative arm. Most cities in the state, those over 5,000 in population, havehome-rulegovernments. The vast majority of these have charters forcouncil-managerforms of government, by which voters elect council members, who hire a professional city manager as an operating officer.^[438]

The Democratic Party dominatedTexas politicsfrom the turn of the 20th century, imposing racial segregation and white supremacy. It held power until after passage in the mid-1960s of national civil rights legislation enforcing constitutional rights of all citizens.^[439][440]

The state's conservative White voters began to support Republican presidential candidates by the mid-20th century. After this period, they supported Republicans for local and state offices as well, and most Whites became Republican Party members.^[441]The party also attracted some minorities, but many have continued to vote for Democratic candidates. The shift to the Republican Party is much-attributed to the fact the Democratic Party became increasinglyliberalduring the 20th century, and thus increasingly out-of-touch with the average Texas voter.^[442]As Texas was always aconservativestate, voters switched to the Republicans, which now more closely reflected their beliefs.^[442][443]Commentators have also attributed the shift to Republican political consultantKarl Rove, who managed numerous political campaigns in Texas in the 1980s and 1990s.^[443]Other stated reasons included court-ordered redistricting and the demographic shift in relation to theSun Beltthat favored the Republican Party and conservatism.^[129]

The2003 Texas redistrictingof Congressional districts led by RepublicanTom DeLay, was called byThe New York Times"an extreme case of partisangerrymandering".^[444]A group of Democratic legislators, the "Texas Eleven", fled the state in aquorum-busting effort to prevent the legislature from acting, but was unsuccessful.^[445]The state had already redistricted following the 2000 census. Despite these efforts, the legislature passed a map heavily in favor of Republicans, based on 2000 data and ignoring the estimated nearly one million new residents in the state since then. Career attorneys and analysts at the Department of Justice objected to the plan as diluting the votes of African American and Hispanic voters, but political appointees overrode them and approved it.^[444]Legal challenges to the redistricting reached the nationalSupreme Courtin the caseLeague of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry(2006), but the court ruled in favor of the state (and Republicans).^[446]

In the2014 Texas elections, theTea Party movementmade large gains, with numerous Tea Party favorites being elected into office, includingDan Patrickas lieutenant governor,^[447][448]Ken Paxtonas attorney general,^[447][449]in addition to numerous other candidates^[449]including conservative RepublicanGreg Abbottas governor.^[450]

Texas voters lean towardfiscal conservatism, while enjoying the benefits of significant federal investment in the state in military and other facilities achieved by the power of the Solid South in the 20th century. They also tend to havesocially conservativevalues.^[267][451]

Since 1980, most Texas voters have supported Republican presidential candidates. Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and El Paso consistently lean Democratic in both local and statewide elections.^[131]Residents of counties along theRio Grandecloser to theMexico–United States border, where there are many Latino residents, generally vote for Democratic Party candidates, while most other rural and suburban areas of Texas have shifted to voting for Republican Party candidates.^[452][453]

As of themidterm elections of 2022, a large majority of the members of Texas'sU.S. Housedelegation areRepublican, along with bothU.S. Senators. In the118th United States Congress, of the 38Congressional districts in Texas, 25 are held by Republicans and 13 by Democrats. Texas's Senators areJohn CornynandTed Cruz. Since 1994, Texans have not elected a Democrat to a statewide office. The state's Democratic voters are made up primarily by liberal andminority groupsin Austin, Beaumont, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, and San Antonio as well as minority voters in East and South Texas.^{[454][455][456]}According to a study by theCato Institute, Texas ranks last in personal freedom among the states, by factors including incarceration rates, cannabis laws, civil asset forfeiture policies, educational freedom, gambling laws, marriage freedom, and travel freedom.^[457][458]

Lesser parties that have ballot access are theGreen Partyand theLibertarian Party.^[459]

Texas has a reputation of very harsh criminal punishment for criminal offenses. It is one of the 32 states that practicecapital punishment, and since theUS Supreme Courtallowed capital punishment to resume in 1976, 40% of all U.S. executions have taken place in Texas.^[460]As of 2018, Texas had the 8th highestincarceration ratein the U.S.^[461]Texas also has strongright of self-defenseandself defenselaws, allowing citizens to use lethal force to defend themselves, their families, or their property.^[462]Texas has one of the strictestabortionbans in the country.^[463]

• Outline of Texas
• Index of Texas-related articles
• List of people from Texas
• USSTexas, 4 ships

• TexasatCurlie
• The Texas State History Museum
• The Handbook of Texas Online
• Texas Register
• South and West Texas: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary
• Geographic data related toTexasatOpenStreetMap
• View historical photographs from Texas at the University of Houston Digital Library.
• Lawrence T. Jones III Texas Photographs, DeGolyer Library
• Texas: Photographs, Manuscripts, and Imprints, DeGolyer Library
• George W. Cook Dallas/Texas Image Collection, DeGolyer Library
• John Miller Morris Real Photographic Postcards and Photographs of Texas, DeGolyer Library
• Rowe-Barr Collection of Texas Currency, DeGolyer Library
• Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory

• The Official Website of the Government of Texas
• The State of Texas
• Texas State Databases
• Texas Politics

• Energy Profile for Texas—Economic, environmental, and energy data
• USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of TexasArchivedDecember 9, 2016, at theWayback Machine
• Texas State Facts from USDA
• South and West Texas, a National Park ServiceDiscover Our Shared HeritageTravel Itinerary

31°N99°W / 31°N 99°W /31; -99 (State of Texas)