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Houston<\/a> is the most populous city in Texas and the fourth largest in the U.S.<\/p>\n While San Antonio<\/a> is the second-most populous in the state and seventh largest in the U.S.<\/p>\n Dallas\u2013Fort Worth<\/a> and Greater Houston are the fourth and fifth largest metropolitan statistical areas in the country, respectively.<\/p>\n Other major cities include Austin<\/a>, the second-most populous state capital in the U.S., and El Paso<\/a>. \u00a0Texas is nicknamed “The Lone Star State” to signify its former status as an independent republic, and as a reminder of the state’s struggle for independence from Mexico<\/a>. \u00a0The “Lone Star” can be found on the Texas state flag and on the Texan state seal.<\/p>\n The name Texas, based on the Caddo<\/a> word taysha (or tayshas) meaning “friends” or “allies”, was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in East Texas.<\/p>\n During Spanish colonial rule, the area was officially known as the Nuevo Reino de Filipinas: La Provincia de Texas (English: New Kingdom of the Philippines: The Province of Texas).<\/p>\n Texas is the second-largest U.S. state, after Alaska<\/a>, with an area of 268,820 square miles.<\/p>\n Texas is in the south central part of the United States of America. \u00a0Three of its borders are defined by rivers. \u00a0The Rio Grande<\/a> forms a natural border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Le\u00f3n, and Tamaulipas to the south. \u00a0The Red River<\/a> forms a natural border with Oklahoma and Arkansas to the north. The Sabine Rive<\/a>r forms a natural border with Louisiana to the east. \u00a0The Texas Panhandle<\/a> has an eastern border with Oklahoma at 100\u00b0 W, a northern border with Oklahoma at 36\u00b030′ N and a western border with New Mexico at 103\u00b0 W. \u00a0El Paso lies on the state’s western tip at 32\u00b0 N and the Rio Grande.<\/p>\n One classification system divides Texas, in order from southeast to west, into the following<\/a>: Gulf Coastal Plains, Interior Lowlands, Great Plains, and Basin and Range Province.<\/p>\n 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. \u00a0The Interior Lowlands region consists of gently rolling to hilly forested land and is part of a larger pine-hardwood forest.<\/p>\n The Great Plains region in central Texas spans through the state’s panhandle and Llano Estacado<\/a> to the state’s hill country near Austin. \u00a0This region is dominated by prairie and steppe. \u00a0“Far West Texas” or the “Trans-Pecos” region is the state’s Basin and Range Province. \u00a0The most varied of the regions, this area includes Sand Hills, the Stockton Plateau, desert valleys, wooded mountain slopes and desert grasslands.<\/p>\n Texas has 15 major rivers, with the Rio Grande as the largest. \u00a0Other major rivers include the Pecos<\/a>, the Brazos<\/a>, Colorado<\/a>, and Red River.<\/p>\n The size and unique history of Texas make its regional affiliation debatable; it can be fairly considered a Southern or a Southwestern state, or both. \u00a0The vast geographic, economic, and cultural diversity within the state itself prohibits easy categorization of the whole state into a recognized region of the United States. \u00a0Notable extremes range from East Texas which is often considered an extension of the Deep South, to Far West Texas which is generally acknowledged to be part of the interior Southwest.<\/p>\n Texas lies between two major cultural spheres of Pre-Columbian North America<\/a>: the Southwestern and the Plains areas. \u00a0Archaeologists have found that three major indigenous cultures lived in this territory, and reached their developmental peak before the first European contact. These were:<\/p>\n When Europeans arrived in the Texas region, there were several races of Native peoples divided into many smaller tribes. \u00a0They were Caddoan, Atakapan<\/a>, Athabaskan<\/a>, Coahuiltecan<\/a>\u00a0and Uto-Aztecan<\/a>. \u00a0The Uto-Aztecan Puebloan peoples lived neared the Rio Grande in the western portion of the state, the Athabaskan-speaking Apache<\/a> tribes lived throughout the interior, the Caddoans controlled much of the Red River region & the Atakapans were mostly centered along the Gulf Coast. \u00a0At least one tribe of Coahuiltecans, the Aranama<\/a>, lived in southern Texas. \u00a0This entire culture group, primarily centered in northeastern Mexico, is now extinct. \u00a0It is difficult to say who lived in the northwestern region of the state originally. By the time the region came to be explored, it belonged to the fairly well-known Comanche<\/a>, another Uto-Aztecan people who had transitioned into a powerful horse culture, but it is believed that they came later and did not live there during the 16th century. \u00a0It may have been claimed by several different peoples, including Uto-Aztecans, Athabaskans, or even Dhegihan Siouans<\/a>.<\/p>\n No culture was dominant in the present-day Texas region, and many peoples inhabited the area.\u00a0 Native American tribes that lived inside the boundaries of present-day Texas include the Alabama<\/a>, Apache, Atakapan, Bidai<\/a>, Caddo, Aranama, Comanche, Choctaw<\/a>, Coushatta<\/a>, Hasinai<\/a>, Jumano<\/a>, Karankawa<\/a>, Kickapoo<\/a>, Kiowa<\/a>, Tonkawa<\/a>, and Wichita<\/a>.<\/p>\n The region was primarily controlled by the Spanish for the first couple centuries of contact, until the Texas Revolution<\/a>. \u00a0They were not particularly kind to their native populations.<\/p>\n Whether a Native American tribe was friendly or warlike was critical to the fates of European explorers and settlers in that land.\u00a0 Friendly tribes taught newcomers how to grow indigenous crops, prepare foods, and hunt wild game. \u00a0Warlike tribes made life difficult and dangerous for Europeans through their attacks and resistance to the newcomers.<\/p>\n The first historical document related to Texas was a map of the Gulf Coast, created in 1519 by Spanish explorer Alonso \u00c1lvarez de Pineda<\/a>.\u00a0 Nine years later, shipwrecked Spanish explorer \u00c1lvar N\u00fa\u00f1ez Cabeza de Vaca<\/a> and his cohort became the first Europeans in what is now Texas.\u00a0 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.”<\/p>\n European powers ignored the area until accidentally settling there in 1685. \u00a0Miscalculations by Ren\u00e9-Robert Cavelier de La Salle<\/a> resulted in his establishing the colony of Fort Saint Louis<\/a> at Matagorda Bay<\/a> rather than along the Mississippi River.\u00a0 The colony lasted only four years before succumbing to harsh conditions and hostile natives.<\/p>\n In 1690 Spanish authorities, concerned that France posed a competitive threat, constructed several missions in East Texas.\u00a0 After Native American resistance, the Spanish missionaries returned to Mexico.\u00a0 When France began settling Louisiana, mostly in the southern part of the state, Spanish authorities responded by founding a new series of missions in East Texas in 1716.\u00a0 Two years later, they created San Antonio as the first Spanish civilian settlement in the area.<\/p>\n Hostile native tribes and distance from nearby Spanish colonies discouraged settlers from moving to the area. \u00a0It was one of New Spain<\/a>‘s least populated provinces.\u00a0 Between 1749 and 1785 most tribes had signed peace treaties with the Spanish.\u00a0 With more numerous missions being established, priests led a peaceful conversion of most tribes. \u00a0By the end of the 18th century only a few nomadic tribes had not converted to Christianity.<\/p>\n When the United States purchased Louisiana<\/a> from France in 1803, American authorities insisted the agreement also included Texas. \u00a0The boundary between New Spain and the United States was finally set at the Sabine River in 1819, at what is now the border between Texas and Louisiana.\u00a0 In 1821, the Mexican War of Independence<\/a> included the Texas territory, which became part of Mexico.\u00a0 Due to its low population, Mexico made the area part of the state of Coahuila y Tejas<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hoping more settlers would reduce the near-constant Comanche raids, Mexican Texas liberalized its immigration policies to permit immigrants from outside Mexico and Spain.\u00a0 Under the Mexican immigration system, large swathes of land were allotted to empresarios<\/a>, who recruited settlers from the United States, Europe, and the Mexican interior. \u00a0The first grant, to Moses Austin<\/a>, was passed to his son Stephen F. Austin<\/a> after his death.<\/p>\n Austin’s settlers, the Old Three Hundred<\/a>, made places along the Brazos River in 1822.\u00a0 Twenty-three other empresarios brought settlers to the state, the majority of whom were from the United States. \u00a0The population of Texas grew rapidly. \u00a0In 1825, Texas had about 3,500 people, with most of Mexican descent.\u00a0 By 1834, the population had grown to about 37,800 people, with only 7,800 of Mexican descent.\u00a0 Most of these early settlers who arrived with Austin found themselves soon after to be persons less than fortunate in life as Texas was devoid of the comforts found elsewhere in Mexico and the United States during that time. \u00a0Early Texas settler David B. Edwards described his fellow Texans as being “banished from the pleasures of life”.<\/p>\n Many immigrants openly flouted Mexican law, especially the prohibition against slavery. \u00a0Combined with United States’ attempts to purchase Texas, Mexican authorities decided in 1830 to prohibit continued immigration from the United States.\u00a0 New laws also calling for the enforcement of customs duties angered both native Mexican citizens (Tejanos) and recent immigrants.<\/p>\n The Anahuac Disturbances in 1832<\/a> were the first open revolt against Mexican rule and they coincided with a revolt in Mexico against the nation’s president.\u00a0 Texans sided with the federalists against the current government and drove all Mexican soldiers out of East Texas.\u00a0 They took advantage of the lack of oversight to agitate for more political freedom. \u00a0Texans met at the Convention of 1832<\/a> to discuss requesting independent statehood, among other issues.\u00a0 The following year, Texans reiterated their demands at the Convention of 1833<\/a>.<\/p>\n Within Mexico, tensions continued between federalists and centralists. \u00a0The unrest erupted into armed conflict in late 1835 at the Battle of Gonzales<\/a>.\u00a0 This launched the Texas Revolution, and over the next two months, the Texans defeated all Mexican troops in the region.\u00a0 Texans elected delegates who created a provisional government.\u00a0 The provisional government soon collapsed from infighting, and Texas was without clear governance for the first two months of 1836.<\/p>\n During this time of political turmoil, Mexican President Antonio L\u00f3pez de Santa Anna<\/a> personally led an army to end the revolt.\u00a0 The Mexican expedition was initially successful. \u00a0General Jos\u00e9 de Urrea<\/a> defeated all the Texan resistance along the coast culminating in the Goliad massacre<\/a>.\u00a0 Santa Anna’s forces, after a thirteen-day siege, overwhelmed Texan defenders at the Battle of the Alamo<\/a>. \u00a0News of the defeats sparked panic among Texas settlers.<\/p>\n The newly elected Texan delegates to the Convention of 1836<\/a> quickly signed a Declaration of Independence on March 2, forming the Republic of Texa<\/a>s.<\/p>\n The new government joined the other settlers in Texas in the Runaway Scrape<\/a>, fleeing from the approaching Mexican army.\u00a0 After several weeks of retreat, the Texan Army commanded by Sam Houston<\/a> attacked and defeated Santa Anna’s forces at the Battle of San Jacinto<\/a>.\u00a0 Santa Anna was captured and forced to sign the Treaties of Velasco<\/a>, ending the war.<\/p>\n While Texas had won its independence, political battles raged between two factions of the new Republic. \u00a0The nationalist faction, led by Mirabeau B. Lamar<\/a>, advocated the continued independence of Texas, the expulsion of the Native Americans, and the expansion of the Republic to the Pacific Ocean. Their opponents, led by Sam Houston, advocated the annexation of Texas to the United States and peaceful co-existence with Native Americans. The conflict between the factions was typified by an incident known as the Texas Archive War<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mexico launched two small expeditions into Texas in 1842. \u00a0The town of San Antonio was captured twice and Texans were defeated in battle in the Dawson massacre<\/a>. \u00a0Despite these successes, Mexico did not keep an occupying force in Texas, and the republic survived.\u00a0 The republic’s inability to defend itself added momentum to Texas’s eventual annexation into the United States.<\/p>\n As early as 1837, the Republic made several attempts to negotiate annexation with the United States.\u00a0 Opposition within the republic from the nationalist faction, along with strong abolitionist opposition within the United States, slowed Texas’s admission into the Union. \u00a0Texas was finally annexed when the expansionist James K. Polk<\/a> won the election of 1844<\/a>.\u00a0 On December 29, 1845, Congress admitted Texas to the U.S. as a constituent state of the Union, as the 28th<\/sup> state to be admitted.<\/p>\n The population of the new state was quite small at first and there was a strong mix between the English-speaking American settlers that dominated in the state’s eastern\/northeastern portions and the Spanish-speaking former Mexicans that dominated in the state’s southern and western portions. \u00a0Statehood brought many new settlers. \u00a0Because of the long Spanish presence in Mexico and various failed colonization efforts by the Spanish and Mexicans in northern Mexico, there were large herds of Longhorn cattle<\/a> that roamed the state. \u00a0Hardy by nature but also suitable for slaughtering and consumption, they represented an economic opportunity many entrepreneurs seized upon, thus creating the cowboy culture for which Texas is famous. \u00a0While in the early days of the republic cattle and bison were slaughtered for their hides, soon a beef industry was established with cattle being shipped all over the U.S. and the Caribbean.<\/p>\n After Texas’s annexation, Mexico broke diplomatic relations with the United States. \u00a0While the United States claimed Texas’s border stretched to the Rio Grande, Mexico claimed it was the Nueces River<\/a>. \u00a0While 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. \u00a0President Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor<\/a> south to the Rio Grande on January 13, 1846. \u00a0A few months later Mexican troops routed an American cavalry patrol in the disputed area in the Thornton Affair<\/a> starting the Mexican\u2013American War<\/a>. \u00a0The first battles of the war were fought in Texas: the Siege of Fort Texas<\/a>, Battle of Palo Alto<\/a> and Battle of Resaca de la Palma<\/a>. \u00a0After these decisive victories, the United States invaded Mexican territory ending the fighting in Texas.<\/p>\n After a series of United States victories, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo<\/a> ended the two-year war. \u00a0In return, for US$18,250,000, Mexico gave the U.S. undisputed control of Texas, ceded the Mexican Cession<\/a> in 1848, most of which today is called the American Southwest, and Texas’s borders were established at the Rio Grande.<\/p>\n The Compromise of 1850<\/a> set Texas’s boundaries at their present form. \u00a0U.S. Senator James Pearce of Maryland<\/a> drafted the final proposal where Texas ceded its claims to land which later became half of present-day New Mexico, a third of Colorado, and small portions of Kansas<\/a>, Oklahoma, and Wyoming<\/a>, to the federal government, in return for the assumption of $10 million of the old republic’s debt.\u00a0 Post-war Texas grew rapidly as migrants poured into the cotton lands of the state.<\/p>\n Texas was at war again after the election of 1860. \u00a0A State Convention considering secession opened in Austin on January 28, 1861<\/a>. \u00a0On February 1, by a vote of 166\u20138, the Convention adopted an Ordinance of Secession from the United States. \u00a0Texas voters approved this Ordinance on February 23, 1861. \u00a0Texas joined the newly created Confederate States of America<\/a> on March 4, 1861 ratifying the permanent C.S. Constitution on March 23.<\/p>\n Not all Texans favored secession initially, although many of the same would later support the Southern cause. \u00a0Texas’s most notable Unionist was the state Governor, Sam Houston. \u00a0Not wanting to aggravate the situation, Houston refused two offers from President Lincoln<\/a> for Union troops to keep him in office. After refusing to swear an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy, Houston was deposed as governor.<\/p>\n While far from the major battlefields of the American Civil War, Texas contributed large numbers of men and equipment to the rest of the Confederacy.<\/p>\n Texas descended into anarchy for two months between the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia<\/a> and the assumption of authority by Union General Gordon Granger<\/a>. \u00a0Violence marked the early months of Reconstruction<\/a>.\u00a0 Despite not meeting reconstruction requirements, Congress resumed allowing elected Texas representatives into the federal government in 1870. \u00a0Social volatility continued as the state struggled with agricultural depression and labor issues.<\/p>\n Like most of the South, the Texas economy was devastated by the War. \u00a0However, since the state had not been as dependent on slaves as other parts of the South it was able to recover more quickly. \u00a0The culture in Texas during the later 19th century exhibited many facets of a frontier territory. \u00a0The state became notorious as a haven for people from other parts of the country who wanted to escape debt, criminal prosecution, or other problems. \u00a0Indeed, “Gone to Texas<\/a>” was a common expression for those fleeing the law in other states. \u00a0Nevertheless, the state also attracted many businessmen and other settlers with more legitimate interests as well.<\/p>\n The cattle industry continued to thrive though it gradually became less profitable. \u00a0Cotton and lumber became major industries creating new economic booms in various regions of the state. \u00a0Railroad networks grew rapidly as did the port at Galveston as commerce between Texas and the rest of the U.S., and the rest of the world, expanded. \u00a0As with some other states before, the lumber industry quickly decimated the forests of Texas such that by the early 20th century the majority of the forest population in Texas was gone.<\/p>\n In 1900, Texas suffered the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history during the Galveston hurricane<\/a> in which between 6,000 and 12,000 people lost their lives. \u00a0On January 10, 1901, the first major oil well in Texas, Spindletop<\/a>, was found south of Beaumont<\/a>. \u00a0Other fields were later discovered nearby in East Texas, West Texas, and under the Gulf of Mexico. \u00a0The resulting “oil boom”<\/a> transformed Texas.\u00a0 Oil production eventually averaged three million barrels per day at its peak in 1972.<\/p>\n The Great Depression<\/a> and the Dust Bowl<\/a> dealt a double blow to the state’s economy, which had significantly improved since the Civil War. \u00a0Migrants abandoned the worst hit sections of Texas during the Dust Bowl years.<\/p>\n World War II<\/a> had a dramatic impact on Texas, as federal money poured in to build military bases, munitions factories, POW detention camps and Army hospitals.\u00a0 Hundreds of thousands of poor farmers left the fields for much better paying war jobs, never to return to agriculture.<\/p>\n Beginning around the mid-20th century, Texas began to transform from a rural and agricultural state to an urbanized and industrialized one.\u00a0 The state’s population grew quickly during this period, with large levels of migration from outside the state.\u00a0 As a part of the Sun Belt Texas experienced strong economic growth, particularly during the 1970s and early 1980s.\u00a0 Texas’s economy diversified, lessening its reliance on the petroleum industry.<\/p>\n During the late 20th century, the Republican Party<\/a> replaced the Democratic Party<\/a> as the dominant party in the state, as the latter became more politically liberal and as demographic changes favored the former.<\/p>\n Texas’s large population, abundance of natural resources, thriving cities and leading centers of higher education have contributed to a large and diverse economy. \u00a0Since oil was discovered, the state’s economy has reflected the state of the petroleum industry. \u00a0In recent times, urban centers of the state have increased in size, containing two-thirds of the population in 2005. \u00a0The state’s economic growth has led to urban sprawl and its associated symptoms.<\/p>\n Texas has the most farms and the highest acreage in the United States. \u00a0The state is ranked No.1 for revenue generated from total livestock and livestock products. \u00a0It is ranked No.2 for total agricultural revenue, behind California.\u00a0 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. \u00a0This is followed by cotton at $1.9 billion (14.6 percent), greenhouse\/nursery at $1.5 billion (11.4 percent), broilers at $1.3 billion (10 percent), and dairy products at $947 million (7.3 percent).<\/p>\n Texas leads the nation in the production of cattle, horses, sheep, goats, wool, mohair<\/a> and hay.\u00a0 The state also leads the nation in production of cotton which is the number one crop grown in the state in terms of value.<\/p>\n The state grows significant amounts of cereal crops and produce.\u00a0 Texas has a large commercial fishing industry. \u00a0With mineral resources, Texas leads in creating cement, crushed stone, lime, salt, sand and gravel.<\/p>\n Ever since the discovery of oil at Spindletop, energy has been a dominant force politically and economically within the state.\u00a0 If Texas were its own country it would be the sixth largest oil producer in the world.<\/p>\n Texas has known petroleum deposits of about 5 billion barrels which makes up about one-fourth of the known U.S. reserves.\u00a0 The state’s refineries can process 4.6 million barrels of oil a day.\u00a0 Texas also leads in natural gas production, producing one-fourth of the nation’s supply.\u00a0 Several petroleum companies are based in Texas such as: Anadarko Petroleum Corporation<\/a>, ConocoPhillips<\/a>, ExxonMobil<\/a>, Halliburton<\/a>, Marathon Oil<\/a>, Tesoro<\/a>, Valero<\/a>, and Western Refining<\/a>.<\/p>\n Unlike the rest of the nation, most of Texas is on its own alternating current power grid, the Texas Interconnection<\/a>. \u00a0Texas has a deregulated electric service. \u00a0Texas leads the nation in total net electricity production, generating 437,236 MWh in 2014. \u00a0As an independent nation, Texas would rank as the world’s eleventh-largest producer of electricity, after South Korea<\/a>, and ahead of the United Kingdom<\/a>.<\/p>\n The state is a leader in renewable energy commercialization; it produces the most wind power in the nation.\u00a0 In 2014, 10.6% of the electricity consumed in Texas came from wind turbines.\u00a0 The Roscoe Wind Farm<\/a> in Roscoe, Texas<\/a>, is one of the world’s largest wind farms with a 781.5 megawatt (MW) capacity.<\/p>\n The Energy Information Administration<\/a> states the state’s large agriculture and forestry industries could give Texas an enormous amount biomass<\/a> for use in biofuels<\/a>. \u00a0The state also has the highest solar power<\/a> potential for development in the nation.<\/p>\n With large universities systems coupled with initiatives like the Texas Enterprise Fund<\/a> and the Texas Emerging Technology Fund<\/a>, a wide array of different high tech industries have developed in Texas.<\/p>\n The Austin area is nicknamed the “Silicon Hills” and the north Dallas area the “Silicon Prairie”. \u00a0Texas has the headquarters of many high technology companies, such as Dell, Inc.<\/a>, Texas Instruments<\/a>, Perot Systems<\/a>, Rackspace<\/a>, and AT&T<\/a>.<\/p>\n The National Aeronautics and Space Administration<\/a>‘s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center<\/a> (NASA JSC) in Southeast Houston, sits as the crown jewel of Texas’s aeronautics industry.<\/p>\n Fort Worth hosts both Lockheed Martin’s Aeronautics<\/a> division and Bell Helicopter Textron<\/a>.\u00a0 Lockheed builds the F-16 Fighting Falcon<\/a>, the largest Western fighter program, and its successor, the F-35 Lightning II<\/a> in Fort Worth.<\/p>\n Texas’s affluence stimulates a strong commercial sector consisting of retail, wholesale, banking and insurance, and construction industries. \u00a0Examples of Fortune 500 companies not based on Texas traditional industries are AT&T, Kimberly-Clark<\/a>, Blockbuster<\/a>, J. C. Penney<\/a>, Whole Foods Market<\/a>, and Tenet Healthcare<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mexico, the state’s largest trading partner, imports a third of the state’s exports because of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)<\/a>.<\/p>\n Texans have historically had difficulties traversing Texas due to the state’s large size and rough terrain. \u00a0Texas has compensated by building both America’s largest highway and railway systems in length. \u00a0The regulatory authority, the Texas Department of Transportation<\/a> (TxDOT) maintains the state’s immense highway system, regulates aviation, and public transportation systems.<\/p>\n As of 2005, 79,535 miles of public highway crisscrossed Texas. \u00a0To fund recent growth in the state highways, Texas has 17 toll roads with several additional tollways proposed.<\/p>\n Texas has 730 airports, second-most of any state in the nation. \u00a0The largest Texas airport in terms of size and passengers servied is Dallas\/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)<\/a>.<\/p>\n Texas’s second-largest air facility is Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)<\/a>.<\/p>\n The next five largest airports in the state are: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport<\/a>, William P. Hobby Airport<\/a>, San Antonio International Airport<\/a>, Dallas Love Field<\/a> and El Paso International Airport.<\/a><\/p>\n Around 1,150 seaports dot Texas’s coast with over 1,000 miles of channels.\u00a0 Ports handle an average of 317 million metric tons.\u00a0 The Port of Houston<\/a> today is the busiest port in the United States in foreign tonnage, second in overall tonnage, and tenth worldwide in tonnage.<\/p>\n Both Dallas and Houston feature light rail systems. \u00a0Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)<\/a> built the first light rail system in the Southwest United States, completed in 1996.<\/p>\n The Trinity Railway Express (TRE)<\/a> commuter rail service, which connects Fort Worth and Dallas, is provided by the Fort Worth Transportation Authority<\/a> (the T) and DART.\u00a0 In the Austin area, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority<\/a> operates a commuter rail service known as Capital MetroRail<\/a> to the northwestern suburbs. \u00a0The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO)<\/a> operates light rail lines in the Houston area.<\/p>\n Amtrak<\/a> provides Texas with limited intercity passenger rail service. \u00a0Three scheduled routes serve the state: the daily Texas Eagle<\/a> (Chicago\u2013San Antonio); the tri-weekly Sunset Limited<\/a> (New Orleans\u2013Los Angeles), with stops in Texas; and the daily Heartland Flyer<\/a> (Fort Worth\u2013Oklahoma City).<\/p>\n The history of the flag of Texas is rich and complicated with dozens of flags having been flown over the state over the years.\u00a0 For those deeply interested in these many additional flags, please refer to this excellent resource<\/a>.<\/p>\n The official flag of the U.S. state of Texas is well known for its prominent single white star which gives the flag its commonly-used name: “Lone Star Flag”.\u00a0 The flag, flown at homes and businesses statewide, is highly popular among Texans and is treated with a great degree of reverence and esteem within Texas.<\/p>\n The state flag is officially described by law as:<\/p>\n a rectangle that: (1) has a width to length ratio of two to three; and (2) contains: (A) one blue vertical stripe that has a width equal to one-third the length of the flag; (B) two equal horizontal stripes, the upper stripe white, the lower stripe red, each having a length equal to two-thirds the length of the flag; and (C) one white, regular five-pointed star: (i) located in the center of the blue stripe; (ii) oriented so that one point faces upward; and (iii) sized so that the diameter of a circle passing through the five points of the star is equal to three-fourths the width of the blue stripe.[3]<\/p>\n Legislation authorizing this flag was introduced in the Congress of the Republic of Texas<\/a> on December 28, 1838, by Senator William H. Wharton<\/a> and was adopted on January 25, 1839, as the final national flag of the Republic of Texas.\u00a0 When Texas became the 28th U.S. state on December 29, 1845, the national flag became the state flag.<\/p>\n The actual designer of the flag is unknown.<\/p>\n The exact shades of red, white, and blue to be used in the flag are specified by Texas statute to be the same as those of the flag of the United States.<\/p>\n The Texas Flag Code assigns the following symbolism to the colors of the Texas flag: blue stands for loyalty, white for purity, and red for bravery.\u00a0 The code also states that the single (lone) star “represents ALL of Texas and stands for our unity as one for God, State, and Country.”<\/p>\n The nickname for Texas, “The Lone Star State,” was made official in 2015:<\/p>\n Concurrent Resolution<\/p>\n WHEREAS, Over the course of nearly 200 years, people all around the world have come to know the State of Texas as “the Lone Star State,” and it is time that this universally recognized nickname receive official recognition; and<\/p>\n WHEREAS, The exact origins of this colorful phrase, and the use of a single, white, five-pointed star to represent Texas, are unclear; some accounts trace it to a flag carried by the James Long Expedition in 1819, an early attempt to free Texas from the Spanish empire, while a recent discovery of coins that were minted in what is now San Antonio, showing a five-pointed star on one side and the year 1817 on the other, suggest that the star was already in use as a symbol for the region; and<\/p>\n WHEREAS, The first official use of the Lone Star came in 1836, when the Congress of the Republic of Texas adopted a flag with a five-pointed gold star on a background of deep azure, known as the David G. Burnet Flag; three years later, the Texas Congress adopted what is commonly known as the Lone Star Flag, showing a bright white star against deep blue on the left of the flag and two horizontal stripes of white and red on the flag’s right; this was made the official flag of the State of Texas in 1933; and<\/p>\n WHEREAS, Today, the distinctive five-pointed star and the phrase “the Lone Star State” are instantly recognizable the world over as the primary symbol and nickname for Texas; the term “Lone Star” has been adopted by countless enterprises, from a brand of beer to car dealerships, restaurants, hotels, and barbecue establishments, along with nearly every other sort of business; over the years, at least 10 communities in Texas have been named Lone Star, including towns in Morris, Floyd, Bastrop, Delta, Polk, and other counties; and<\/p>\n WHEREAS, Whatever its origins, and whatever its uses, from the serious to the playful, the phrase “the Lone Star State” has achieved universal currency as a sharp and memorable way to evoke the unique legacy of Texas and the indomitable spirit of its people; now, therefore, be it<\/p>\n RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby designate “the Lone Star State” as the official nickname of Texas.<\/p>\n In our next installment we visit the Hawkeye State: Iowa<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Legislation authorizing this flag was introduced in the Congress of the Republic of Texas on December 28, 1838, by Senator William H. Wharton and was adopted on January 25, 1839, as the final national flag of the Republic of Texas. When Texas became the 28th U.S. state on December 29, 1845, the national flag became the state flag.![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Houston-300x149.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/San-Antonio-300x71.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Dallas-300x169.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Texas-State-Seal-300x300.png\" "\\"\\"")
Origin of the Name:<\/h2>\n
Geography:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Atlas-Map-of-Texas-300x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Texas-Hill-Country-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Big-Bend-National-Park-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
History:<\/h2>\n
Pre-European Era:<\/h3>\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Puebloan-Housing-Ruins-300x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Comanche-Pursuit-of-Osage-300x178.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Colonization:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/1718-Map-of-Texas-300x248.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/1771-Map-of-Texas-300x187.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Stephen-F-Austin-253x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Early-El-Paso-300x229.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Republic:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Mexico-in-1824-300x224.png\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Republic-of-Texas-300x174.png\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/The-Alamo-300x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Statehood:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/James-K-Polk-244x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"Longhorn](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Longhorn-Cattle-300x116.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Mexican-Cession-300x199.png\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Republic-of-Texas-1836-1845-244x300.png\" "\\"\\"")
Civil War and Reconstruction (1860\u20131900):<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Civil-War-Monument-in-Galveston-186x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Earlier 20th Century:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Texas-Oil-Well-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Economic and Political Change:<\/h3>\n
Economy:<\/h2>\n
Agriculture, Fishing and Mining:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Texas-Cotton-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Energy:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Spindletop-252x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Brazos-Wind-Farm-300x199.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Technology:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Electronic-Data-Systems-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Austin-300x156.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Johnson-Space-Center-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Commerce:<\/h3>\n
Transportation:<\/h2>\n
Highways:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/High-Five-Interchange-in-Dallas-225x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Airports:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/DFW-Airport-300x146.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Houston-Intercontinental-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Ports:<\/h3>\n
Railroads:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/DART-in-Dallas-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Houston-MetroRail-300x158.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Flag of Texas:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Flag-of-Texas-300x200.png\" "\\"\\"")
Flag Design:<\/h3>\n
History and Adoption:<\/h3>\n
Colors and Symbolism:<\/h3>\n
State Nickname:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Texas-State-Capitol-300x220.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Next Up:<\/h2>\n
\nThe actual designer of the flag is unknown. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1214,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[5,6,7,41,43,40,42],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1170"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1170\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}