Texas
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Template:Otheruses1 Template:US state Texas is a state in the South and Southwest regions of the United States. It joined the United States in 1845 as the 28th state, after nearly ten years as the Republic of Texas, an independent country.
The state name derives from a word in a Caddoan language of the Hasinai, táyshaTemplate:IPA (or tejas, as the Spaniards spelled it), meaning "those who are friends," friends or allies. Spanish explorers mistakenly applied the word to the people and their location. (The Texas Department of Transportation pays homage to the origin of Texas' name in its "Drive Friendly" safe driving campaign.)
With an area of 268,820 square miles (696,241 km2) and a population of 22.5 million, Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous 48 states in area. (Alaska is the largest U.S. state in area and California is the most populous.) Texas has historically had a "larger than life" reputation, especially in cowboy films.
History
Template:Main Template:Texas History Texas can claim that "Six Flags" have flown over its soil: the Fleur-de-lis of France, and the national flags of Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the United States of America and the Confederate States of America.
Native American tribes who once lived inside the boundaries of present-day Texas include Apache, Atakapan, Bidai, Caddo, Comanche, Cherokee, Kiowa, Tonkawa, and Wichita. Currently, there are three federally recognized Native American tribes which reside in Texas: the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas, and the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo of Texas.
On November 6, 1528 shipwrecked Spanish conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca became the first known European to set foot on Texas. A member of the Narváez expedition, he was later enslaved by a Native American tribe of the upper Gulf coast, and explored what are now the U.S. state of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona on foot from coastal Louisiana to Sinaloa, Mexico, over a period of roughly six years. He returned to Europe in 1537, where he wrote about his experiences in a work called La relación ("The Tale").
Image:Stephen f austin.jpg Prior to 1821, Texas was part of the Spanish colony of New Spain. Moses Austin managed to buy land from the Spanish government in Texas. Moses purchased it with the help of Baron Felipe de Bastrop who presented the land scheme to the royal governor of Texas Antonio de Martinez. The governor passed along the favorable idea to his superior Commandant General of the Eastern Interior Province Joaquin de Arredondo. Moses was granted 200,000 acres (800 km²) of land of his choice.
After Mexican independence in 1821, Texas became part of Mexico and in 1824 became the northern section of Coahuila y Tejas. On 3 January 1823, Stephen F. Austin began a colony of 300 American families along the Brazos River in present-day Fort Bend County and Brazoria County, centered primarily in the area of what is now Sugar Land. This group became known as the "Old Three Hundred." The "Conventions" of 1832 and 1833 responded to rising unrest at the policies of the ruling Mexican government.
War for Independence
In 1835, Antonio López de Santa Anna, President of Mexico, proclaimed a unified constitution for all Mexican territories, including Texas. North American settlers in Texas announced they intended to secede from Mexico rather than give up their "right" to slavery, which Mexico had abolished. Other policies that irritated the Texians included the forcible disarmament of Texian settlers, and the expulsion of illegal immigrants from the United States of America. The example of the Centralista forces' suppression of dissidents in Zacatecas also inspired fear of the Mexican government.
Image:Wpdms republic of texas.png
On March 2 1836, the "Convention of 1836" signed the Texas "Declaration of Independence," declaring Texas an independent nation. On April 21 1836 the Texans won their independence when they defeated the Mexican forces of Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. A factor in the defeat of Santa Anna's army at San Jacinto was the time the Texas Army got to gather itself, thanks to a small group of brave men at The Alamo and General Sam Houston's strategy of giving up land until he had properly trained his army. Santa Anna himself passed into captivity, and on May 14, Republic of Texas officials and General Santa Anna signed the treaty of Velasco. However, Santa Anna was not authorized under the Mexican Constitution to make treaties, nor did the Mexican government ratify the Treaties of Velasco.
Later in 1836, the Texans adopted a constitution that formally legalized slavery in Texas. The Republic of Texas included all the area now included in the state of Texas, although its self-proclaimed western and northwestern borders extended as far west as Santa Fe and as far northwest as present-day Wyoming, respectively.
In 1845, Texas was admitted to the United States as a constituent state of the Union. Annexation was mutually beneficial to Texas and the United States. Texas was in a very susceptible position following independence, with a weak government, little industry, and minimal infrastructure. The U.S. could not allow such a tenuous nation to sit right on its border. Texas also lay partially in the way of the U.S. expansion to the Pacific, and its "Manifest Destiny". The major stumbling block of annexation, besides the potential for war with Mexico, was the fact that Texas was a slave state and potentially would tip the balance between free and slave states due to its huge size. Some southerners were pushing for the ability to divide Texas into multiple states, thereby increasing the number of slave states even more. A compromise was reached in that if Texas were divided, any states north of the Missouri Compromise would be free states.
Some confusion has arisen over the annexation of Texas. Texas was admitted to the Union via a 'Joint Resolution for Annexing Texas to the United States' on March 1, 1845. Prior to the resolution there were several efforts to arrive at a formal annexation treaty. These efforts failed due to the ongoing struggle between 'slave', and 'free' states. Due to the requirement of the U.S. Constitution (Article II, Section 2) that all treaties be approved by 2/3rds of the Senate, a formal treaty was thus blocked. President John Tyler suggested that annexation be accomplished by the 'Joint Resolution for Annexing Texas to the United States' as it required only a simple majority of members from each chamber of the U.S. Congress for passage.
Civil War
During the Civil War, Texas seceded from the Union February 1, 1861, and joined the Confederate States of America March 2, 1861. Texas was most useful for supplying hardy soldiers for Confederate forces (veterans of the Mexican War), and in cavalry. As a whole, Texas was mainly a "supply state" for the Confederate forces. Texans were involved in every major battle in every state throughout the war. The last battle of the Civil War was fought in Texas. On April 12, 1865, more than a month after General Lee surendered, Col. Theodore H. Barrett of the Union, dispatched an expedition of 250 men of the 62nd U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment, and 50 men of the 2nd Texas Cavalry Regiment to attack Rebel outposts and camps under Lt. Col. David Branson. Bad weather prevented the instructed time to attack, and Mexicans informed the Rebels of the Federal's invasion. Lt. Col. Brandson asked for reinforcements from Col. Barrett, who answered with 200 of the 34th Indian Volunteer Infantry. After many skirmishes, they reached Palmito Ranch and torched supplies. After retreating from a firefight, the colonels engaged Col. John S. "Rip" Ford who attacked with a large cavalry force. In addition, Confederates attacked Barrett's Union lines with artilary. Barrett was forced to retreat with more than 118 casualties. It is a battle where Native Americans, Hispanic, and Americans were all fighting. In March 30, 1870, although Texas did not meet all the requirements, the United States Congress readmitted Texas into the Union.
Texans pride themselves in a history of tradition, yet seeking new social and technological developments along the way. Round Rock is the headquarters of Dell and the surrounding area is known as "Silicon Hills", Dallas is a famously cosmopolitan metropolis and the birthplace of the integrated circuit, Houston is a global leader in the energy industry, and cultures of San Antonio and El Paso retain their Mexican heritage while Fort Worth maintains its western heritage. With a nod to its diversity and its past as a former sovereign nation, the state tourism slogan is "Texas: It's like a whole other country."
Geography
Location
Texas borders New Mexico on the west, Oklahoma on the north (across the Red River), and Louisiana (across the Sabine River) and Arkansas on the east. To the southwest, across the Rio Grande, Texas borders the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas. To the southeast of Texas lies the Gulf of Mexico.
Texas lies in the south-central part of the United States of America. Texas is considered to form part of the U.S. South and also part of the U.S. Southwest. Some regions of Texas are associated with the South more than the Southwest, (primarily East Texas), while other regions share more similarities with the Southwest than the south (primarily West Texas and South Texas).
Texas is so large in its east-west expanse that El Paso, in the western corner of the state, is closer to San Diego, California than to Beaumont, near the Louisiana state line; Beaumont, in turn, is closer to Jacksonville, Florida than it is to El Paso. Also, Texarkana, in the northeastern corner of the state, is closer to Chicago, Illinois than it is to El Paso. The north-south expanse is similarly impressive; Dalhart, in the northwestern corner of the state, is closer to the state capitals of Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Wyoming than it is to Austin, its own state capital.
Natural geography
According to the Texas Almanac, Texas has four major physical regions:
- The Gulf Coastal Plains, from the Gulf of Mexico inland to the Balcones Fault and the Eastern Cross Timbers. This large area stretches from the cities of Paris to San Antonio to Del Rio but shows just as large variety in vegetation. The thick pineywoods of east Texas and the brush country south of San Antonio are found here.
- The Interior Lowlands are bounded by the Caprock Escarpment to the west, the Edwards Plateau to the South, and the Eastern Cross Timbers to the east. This area includes the North Central Plains around the cities of Abilene and Wichita Falls, the Western Cross Timbers to the west of Fort Worth, the Grand Prarie, and the Eastern Cross Timbers to the east of Dallas.
- The Great Plains that include the Llano Estacado, the Panhandle, Edwards Plateau, Toyah Basin, and Llano Basin. It is bordered on the east by the Caprock Escarpment in the panhandle and then by the Balcones Fault to the southeast. Cities in this region include Austin, San Angelo, Midland and Odessa, Lubbock, and Amarillo. The Hill Country is a popular name for the area of hills along the Balcones Escarpment and is a tranistional area between the Great Plains and the Gulf Coastal Plains.
- The Basin and Range Province, in extreme western Texas, west of the Pecos River beginning with the Davis Mountains on the east and the Rio Grande to its west and south. This is the only part of Texas regarded as mountainous and includes seven named peaks in elevation greater than 2,438.4 m (8,000 ft).
Geology
Image:TXSeaWIFS1.jpg Texas is the southernmost part of the Great Plains, which ends in the south against the folded Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico. It is mostly sedimentary rocks, with east Texas underlain by a Cretaceous and younger sequence of sediments, the trace of ancient shorelines east and south until the active continental margin of the Gulf of Mexico is met. This sequence is built atop the subsided crest of the Appalachian Mountains–Ouachita Mountains–Marathon Mountains zone of Pennsylvanian continental collision, which collapsed when rifting in Jurassic time opened the Gulf. West from this orogenic crest, which is buried beneath the Dallas–Waco–Austin–San Antonio trend, the sediments are Permian and Triassic in age. Oil is found in the Cretaceous sediments in the east, the Permian sediments in the west, and along the Gulf coast and out on the Texas continental shelf. A few exposures of Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks are found in the central and western parts of the state, and Oligocene volcanic rocks are found in far west Texas, in the Big Bend area. A blanket of Miocene sediments known as the Ogallala formation in the western high plains region is an important aquifer. Texas has no active or dormant volcanoes and few earthquakes, being situated far from an active plate tectonic boundary. (The Big Bend area is the most seismically active; however, the area is sparsely populated and suffers minimal damages and injuries, and no known fatalities have been attributed to a Texas earthquake.)
Government and politics
State law and government
Image:Texas state capitol 1.jpg Austin is the capital of Texas. The State Capitol resembles the federal Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., but is faced in pink granite and is topped by a statue of the "Goddess of Liberty" holding aloft a five-point Texas star. Like several other southern state capitols, it faces south instead of north. The capitol building was purposely built seven feet taller than the U.S. national capitol, however it is less massive.
Republican Rick Perry has served as Governor of Texas since December 2000 when George W. Bush vacated the office to assume the Presidency. Two Republicans represent Texas in the U.S. Senate: Kay Bailey Hutchison (since 1993) and John Cornyn (since 2002). Texas has 32 representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives: 21 Republicans and 11 Democrats.
The Texas Constitution, adopted in 1876, is the second oldest state constitution still in effect. As with many state constitutions, it explicitly provides for the separation of powers and incorporates its bill of rights directly into the text of the constitution (as Article I). The bill of rights is considerably lengthier and more detailed than the federal Bill of Rights, and includes some provisions unique to Texas.
The executive branch consists of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Comptroller of Public Accounts, Land Commissioner, Attorney General, Agriculture Commissioner, the three-member Texas Railroad Commission, the State Board of Education, and the Secretary of State. The Comptroller decides if expected state income is sufficient to cover the proposed state budget. Except for the Secretary of State—who is appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate—each of these officials is elected (the three Railroad Commission members are voted at-large; the State Board of Education members are voted in single-member districts). There are also a large number of state agencies and numerous boards and commissions. Partly because of the large number of elected officials, the Governor's powers are quite limited in comparison to other state governors or the U.S. President. In popular lore and belief the Lieutenant Governor, who heads the Senate and appoints its committees, has more power than the Governor. The Governor commands the state militia and can veto bills passed by the Legislature and call special sessions of the Legislature (this power is exclusive to the Governor and can be exercised as often as desired). He or she also appoints members of various executive boards and fills judicial vacancies between elections.
The Legislature of Texas, like the legislature of every other state except Nebraska, is bicameral (that is, it has two chambers). The House of Representatives has 150 members, while the Senate has 31. The speaker of the house, currently Tom Craddick (R-Midland) leads the House, and the Lieutenant Governor (currently Republican David Dewhurst) leads the State Senate. The Legislature meets in regular session only once every two years. The Legislature cannot call itself into special session; only the Governor may call a special session, and may call as many sessions as often as desired.
The judicial system of Texas has a reputation as one of the most complex in the United States, with many layers and many overlapping jurisdictions. Texas has two courts of last resort: the Texas Supreme Court, which hears civil cases, and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Except in the case of some municipal benches, partisan elections choose all of the judges at all levels of the judiciary; the Governor fills vacancies by appointment.
County government
Texas has a total of 254 counties, by far the most counties of any state. Each county is run by a "commissioners court" consisting of four elected commissioners (one from each of four precincts drawn based on population) and a "county judge" elected from all the voters of the county. The county judge does not have authority to veto a decision of the commissioners court, s/he votes along with the commissioners. In smaller counties, the county judge actually does perform judicial duties, but in larger counties the judge's role is limited to serving on the commissioners court. Certain officials, such as the sheriff and tax collector, are elected separately by the voters and state law specifies their salaries, but the commissioners court determines their office budgets. All county elections are partisan.
Counties also have much less legal power than municipalities, for instance, counties in Texas do not have zoning power (except in very rare circumstances). However, counties do have eminent domain power.
Unlike other states, which allow for consolidated city-county governments, Texas law has no such provision.
Municipal government
Texas does not have civil townships; areas within a county are either "incorporated" (i.e., part of a city, though the city may contract with the county for needed services) or "unincorporated" (i.e., not part of a city, in these areas the county has authority for law enforcement and road maintenance). However, cities are permitted a zone of extraterritorial jurisdiction beyond their borders, though their powers are limited in these zones.
Cities are classified as either "general law" or "home rule". A city may elect "home rule" status (i.e., draft an independent city charter) once it exceeds 5,000 population and the voters agree to home rule. Otherwise, it is classified as "general law" and has very limited powers. One example of the difference in the two structures regards annexation. General law cities cannot annex adjacent unincorporated areas without the property owner's consent; home rule cities may annex without consent, but must provide essential services within a specified period of time (generally within three years) or the property owner may file suit to be deannexed.
Larger cities (those exceeding 225,000) have a unique authority: that of "limited annexation", whereby an adjoining area may be annexed for purposes of imposing city ordinances related to safety and building codes. The residents can vote for mayor and council races, but cannot vote in bond elections (and, consequently, the city cannot collect city sales tax from businesses or city property tax from owners). The purpose of limited annexation is to allow the city to control development in an area that it eventually will fully annex; it must do so within three years (though it can arrange "non-annexation agreements" with local property owners). During each of the three years, the city must develop a land use plan (i.e., zoning), identify needed capital improvements, and identify the financing for such improvements as well as to provide essential services. [1]
Municipal elections in Texas are nonpartisan, in the sense that candidates do not appear on the ballot on party "lines," and do not run as party "tickets". However, a candidate's party affiliation is usually known or can be discerned with minimal effort (as the candidate most likely has supported other candidates on partisan tickets). In some instances, an informal "citizen's group" will support a "slate" of candidates that it desires to see elected (often in opposition to an incumbent group with which it disagreed on an issue). However, each candidate must be voted on individually.
School and special districts
In addition to cities and counties, Texas has numerous "special districts." The most common is the independent school district, which (with one exception) has a board of trustees that is independent of any other governing authority. School district boundaries are not generally coaligned with city or county boundaries; it is not uncommon for a school district to cover one or more counties or for a large city to be served by several school districts.
Other special districts include Groundwater Conservation Districts (regulatory agencies), river authorities, water supply disricts (for irrigation or municipal supply), public hospitals, road districts and community colleges.
As with municipal elections in Texas, board members or trustees are elected on a "nonpartisan" basis or may be appointed.
Politics
Regardless of party affiliation, Texas politics are dominated by fiscal and social conservatism.
Texas politics are presently dominated by the Republican Party, which has strong majorities in the Texas Senate and House of Representatives. Every executive branch official elected statewide is Republican, as is every member of Texas's two courts of last resort; no Democrat has won a statewide election since 1994. The majority of the state's delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives is Republican, as are both U.S. Senators. A notable exception to this trend is the Travis County District Attorney, Ronnie Earle, a Democrat elected by the people of Austin who has served since 1978 with statewide authority and responsibility for legally prosecuting political mischief. Ronnie Earle is nationally known for leveling charges against Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, which were dismissed in court, and against Representative Tom DeLay, which have not yet been resolved. The position of Travis County DA is uniquely so - empowered by the Texas Constitution; most states grant this authority to the more broadly elected position of Attorney General.
Note: The congressional districts in Texas were redrawn in 2003 by the Republican-dominated legislature. Districts are usually drawn after the national census every 10 years, but an impasse in the Texas Legislature resulted in the districts being drawn by the courts in 2001. The legislature, with controversial help from U.S. Congressman Tom DeLay, redrew the districts after the Republicans gained a larger share of the legislature. A court challenge to the legality of the non-Census-timed redistricting was upheld by the Republican-dominated Texas Supreme Court; the United States Supreme Court has agreed to review the case.
Like other Southern states, Texas historically was a one-party state of the Democratic Party. The Democrats controlled a majority in the Texas House and in the state's Congressional delegation until the 2002 and 2004 elections, respectively. One of the most famous Texans was a Democrat: Lyndon Baines Johnson served in the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and as vice-president and president of the United States. Another famous Texas Democrat was longtime speaker of the House, Sam Rayburn. The shift from Democrat to GOP control in Texas politics is due to the national GOP adopting "official" conservative stances on fiscal and social issues and the national Democratic Party adopting "official" liberal stances on these issues.
Crime and Punishment
The justice system in Texas has a reputation for strict sentencing. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, of the 21 counties in the United States where more than a fifth of residents are prison inmates, 10 are in Texas.
Texas leads the nation in executions by far, with 359 executions from 1976 to 2006. The second-highest ranking state is Virginia, with 94. Only "capital murder" (equivalent to such terms as "murder with malice aforethought" in other states) is eligible for the death penalty (prior to 2005 the alternate sentence was life with the possibility of parole after 40 calendar years; a 2005 law change changed the alternate sentence to life without parole and eliminated the life with parole option).
A 2002 Houston Chronicle poll of Texans found that when asked "Do you support the death penalty?" 69.1% responded that they did, 21.9% did not support and 9.1% were not sure or gave no answer.
Congressional Districts
Economy
Texas remained largely rural until World War II, with cattle ranching, oil, and agriculture as its main industries. Contrary to popular mythology, cattle ranching (though important) was never Texas' chief industry – before the oil boom, back to the period of the first Anglo settlers, the chief industry was cotton farming (as in most of the South).
In 1926 San Antonio had over 120,000 people, the largest population of any city in Texas. After World War II, Texas became increasingly industralized. Its economy today relies largely on information technology, oil and natural gas, energy exploration and energy trading, agriculture, and manufacturing. The major segment of the economy depends largely on the region involved – for example, the timber industry is a major portion of the East Texas economy but a non-factor elsewhere, while aerospace and defense manufacturing is primarily centered within the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
The state has two major economic centers: the Greater Houston area and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Houston stands at the center of the petrochemical and biomedical research trades while Dallas functions as the center of the aerospace/defense manufacturing and information technology labor market in Texas. Other major cities include San Antonio, Austin, Brownsville, Lubbock, Amarillo, Abilene, College Station, Beaumont, McAllen, Tyler, Odessa and Midland. Other important cities include Killeen (home to Fort Hood, the largest military post in the U.S.) and the cities of El Paso, Eagle Pass, and Laredo (these have particular significance due to their location on the border with Mexico, making them important trade points). Image:Wiki texas.jpg The state passed New York in the 1990s to become the second-largest U.S. state in population (after California). Texas had a gross state product of $764 billion, the third highest in America after California and New York respectively. Texas's growth is often attributed to the availability of jobs, the low cost of housing (housing values in the Dallas and Houston areas, while generally rising, have not risen at the astronomical rates of other areas such as San Francisco), the lack of a personal state income tax, low taxation and limited regulation of business, a geographic location in the center of the country, limited government (the Texas Legislature meets only once every two years), and favorable (weather) climate in many areas of the state.
Imports and Exports
Texas is the largest international exporter among the 50 American states, with international merchandise exports totalling $117.2 Billion in 2004.(USA Today, Feb 26, 2006, 6B) The Port of Houston is among the top 10 sea ports in the world in terms of commerce; Air Cargo World rated Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as "the best air cargo airport in the world" [2].
Film and television
Texas is one of the top filmmaking states in the United States, just after California and New York. In the past 10 years alone (1995-2004), more than $2.89 billion has been spent in Texas for film and television production.
The Texas Film Commission was founded for free services to filmmakers, from location research to traveling.
Healthcare and medical research
Image:Texas Medical Center ariel.JPG
Houston is the seat of the internationally-renowned Texas Medical Center, which contains the world's largest concentration of research and healthcare institutions.
There are 42 member institutions in the Texas Medical Center—all are non-profit organizations, and are dedicated to the highest standards of patient and preventive care, research, education, and local, national, and international community well-being. These institutions include 13 renowned hospitals and two specialty institutions, two medical schools, four nursing schools, and schools of dentistry, public health, pharmacy, and virtually all health-related careers. It is where one of the first, and still the largest, air emergency service was created—a very successful inter-institutional transplant program was developed—and more heart surgeries are performed than anywhere else in the world.
Some of the academic and research health institutions are Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The M. D. Anderson Cancer Center is widely considered one of the world’s most productive and highly-regarded academic institutions devoted to cancer patient care, research, education and prevention.
Other prominent healthcare and medical research centers in the state are the South Texas Medical Center in San Antonio and the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
Texas has two Biosafety Level 4 laboratories: one at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston [3], and the other at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in San Antonio, the first privately owned BSL-4 lab in the United States.[4]
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census year | Population | Change | Percent Change |
| 1850 | 212,592 | - | - |
| 1860 | 604,215 | 391,623 | 184% |
| 1870 | 818,579 | 214,364 | 35% |
| 1880 | 1,591,749 | 773,170 | 94% |
| 1890 | 2,235,527 | 643,778 | 40% |
| 1900 | 3,048,710 | 813,183 | 36% |
| 1910 | 3,896,542 | 847,832 | 28% |
| 1920 | 4,663,228 | 766,686 | 20% |
| 1930 | 5,824,715 | 1,161,487 | 25% |
| 1940 | 6,414,824 | 590,109 | 10% |
| 1950 | 7,711,194 | 1,296,370 | 20% |
| 1960 | 9,579,677 | 1,868,483 | 24% |
| 1970 | 11,196,730 | 1,617,053 | 17% |
| 1980 | 14,229,191 | 3,032,461 | 27% |
| 1990 | 16,986,510 | 2,757,319 | 19% |
| 2000 | 20,851,820 | 3,865,310 | 23% |
| Image:Texas population map.png
The people of Texas, historically often known as Texians, are now generally referred to as Texans. As of 2005, the state has an estimated population of 22,859,968, which is an increase of 388,419, or 1.7%, from the prior year and an increase of 2,008,176, or 9.6%, since the year 2000. In all three subcategories – "natural" (births less deaths), net immigration, and net migration – Texas has seen an increase in population. The natural increase since the last census was 1,155,182 people (1,948,398 births minus 793,216 deaths), immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 663,161 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 218,722 people. As of 2004, the state has 3,450,500 foreign-born residents (15.6% of the state population), of which an estimated 1.2 million are illegal aliens (illegal aliens account for more than one-third of the foreign-born population in Texas and 5.4% of the total state population). |
Ethnic origins
More than one-third of Texas residents are of Hispanic origin and may be of any racial group. Some are recent arrivals from Mexico, Central America, or South America, while others, known as Tejanos (though interestingly everyone in Texas is known as a Tejano in Spanish), have ancestors who have lived in Texas since before Texan independence, or at least for several generations. Tejanos are the largest ancestral group in southern Duval County. Numerically Mexican-Texans dominate south, south-central, and west Texas and are a significant part of the work force in the cities of Dallas and Houston.
Other population groups in Texas also exhibit great diversity. Frontier Texas saw settlements of Germans, particularly in Fredericksburg and New Braunfels. In fact, the largest family in Texas today is of German descent. After the European revolutions of 1848, German, Polish, Swedish, Norwegian, Czech and French immigration grew, and continued until World War I. The influence of the diverse immigrants from Europe survives in the names of towns, styles of architecture, genres of music, and varieties of cuisine. Texans of German descent dominate much of central and southeast-central Texas and one county in the area, Lavaca, is predominantly Czech.
In recent years, the Asian population in Texas has grown, especially in Houston and in Dallas. People from mainland China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, India, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Pakistan, and other countries have settled in Texas.
In August 2005, it was announced by the United States Census that Texas has become the fourth minority-majority state in the nation (after Hawaii, New Mexico, and California).Template:Ref According to the Texas state Data Center, if current trends continue, Hispanics will become a majority in the state by 2030.
The largest reported ancestry groups in Texas include: Mexican (24.3%), African American (11.5%), German (9.9%), English (7.2%), and Irish (7.2%).
Much of east, central, and north Texas is inhabited primarily by Texans of White Anglo Saxon Protestant heritage, primarily descended from the British Isles. African Americans, who historically made up one-third of the state population, are concentrated in those parts of East Texas where the ante-bellum cotton plantation culture was most prominent, as well as in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metropolitan areas.
Census data reports 7.8% of Texas's population as under 5, 28.2% under 18, and 9.9% over 64 years. Females made up 50.4% of the population.
| Demographics of Texas | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 22,490,022 | 22,103,374 | 21,723,220 | 21,334,855 | 20,851,790 |
| White (Non-Hispanic) | 10,986,937 | 11,049,172 | 11,094,951 | 11,138,076 | 11,190,222 |
| 49.8% | 50.4% | 51.1% | 51.8% | 52.7% | |
| Hispanic (of any race) | 7,781,211 | 7,519,603 | 7,258,302 | 6,993,458 | 6,669,666 |
| 34.6% | 34.0% | 33.4% | 32.8% | 32.0% | |
| Black (Non-Hispanic) | 2,535,285 | 2,500,125 | 2,463,047 | 2,426,088 | 2,378,444 |
| 11.3% | 11.3% | 11.3% | 11.4% | 11.4% | |
| Asian (Non-Hispanic) | 695,293 | 666,261 | 636,223 | 604,846 | 567,526 |
| 3.1% | 3.0% | 2.9% | 2.8% | 2.7% | |
| Native American (Non-Hispanic) | 77,662 | 76,071 | 74,538 | 72,762 | 70,405 |
| 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | |
| Mixed/Other | 210,349 | 203,238 | 196,159 | 188,529 | 178,812 |
| 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% |
All data comes from the United States Census state population estimates.Template:Ref
Cities and metropolitan areas
Largest cities
Image:DowntownHouston.jpg Image:Downtown-san-antonio.jpeg Image:Dallas-Reunion.JPG Image:AustinSkyline.jpeg Image:DTFW.JPG Image:El Paso Skyline.jpg
Texas has two out of 11 U.S. global cities as Houston and Dallas ranked "Gamma World City" by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network (GaWC).
Ranked by population of cities (incorporated municipalities), the six major cities in Texas are Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth, and El Paso. Photographs of the downtowns of those six cities are displayed to the right, in order of each city's population according to 2004 U.S. Census estimates within city limits.
Texas is the only state in the U.S. to have three cities with populations exceeding one million (California has two; no other state has more than one) — Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas, which are also among the 10 largest cities of the United States, and are the three largest cities in the Southern United States. Austin and Fort Worth are in the top 20 largest U.S. cities.Template:Ref.
- Some cities not listed are still considered important on the basis of other factors and issues, including culture, economics, heritage, and politics.
| Texas rank | U.S. rank | City | Population | Geographic area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Houston | 2,012,626 | Southeast Texas |
| 2 | 8 | San Antonio | 1,236,249 | South Texas |
| 3 | 9 | Dallas | 1,210,393 | North Texas |
| 4 | 16 | Austin | 681,804 | Central Texas |
| 5 | 19 | Fort Worth | 603,337 | North Texas |
| 6 | 21 | El Paso | 592,099 | West Texas |
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Metropolitan areas
Texas has 25 metropolitan areas (MSAs) defined by the United States Census Bureau. The two largest are ranked among the top 10 United States metropolitan areas.
As of November 2003, there is now an additional classification, that of a “Metropolitan Division.” Texas has two metropolitan divisions within the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington MSA. The term metropolitan division is used to refer to a county or group of counties within a metropolitan area that has a population core of at least 2.5 million. While a metropolitan division is a subdivision of a larger metropolitan area, it often functions as a distinct social, economic, and cultural area within the larger region.
The following table lists population figures for those metropolitan areas, in rank of population. Population figures are as of the 2004 U.S. Census estimates.
| Texas rank | U.S. rank | Metropolitan Area | Metropolitan Division | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington | 5,700,256 | |
| Dallas–Plano–Irving | 3,812,875 | |||
| Fort Worth–Arlington | 1,887,381 | |||
| 2 | 7 | Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown | 5,180,443 | |
| 3 | 29 | San Antonio | 1,854,050 | |
| 4 | 38 | Austin–Round Rock | 1,412,271 | |
| 5 | 68 | El Paso | 713,126 | |
| 6 | 74 | McAllen–Edinburg–Mission | 658,248 | |
| 7 | 114 | Corpus Christi | 409,741 | |
| 8 | 126 | Beaumont–Port Arthur | 383,443 | |
| 9 | 129 | Brownsville–Harlingen | 371,825 | |
| 10 | 139 | Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood | 346,116 | |
| 11 | 167 | Lubbock | 257,663 | |
| 12 | 180 | Amarillo | 236,113 | |
| 13 | 187 | Waco | 222,439 | |
| 14 | 188 | Laredo | 219,464 | |
| 15 | 199 | Longview | 200,405 | |
| 16 | 208 | Bryan–College Station | 189,468 | |
| 17 | 210 | Tyler | 186,414 | |
| 18 | 237 | Abilene | 158,515 | |
| 19 | 255 | Wichita Falls | 147,826 | |
| 20 | 274 | Texarkana | 132,716 | |
| 21 | 289 | Odessa | 124,488 | |
| 22 | 298 | Midland | 120,344 | |
| 23 | 302 | Sherman–Denison | 115,933 | |
| 24 | 307 | Victoria | 113,450 | |
| 25 | 331 | San Angelo | 105,510 |
- See also: United States metropolitan areas
Education
Colleges and universities
Image:Utcampus night.jpg Image:TAMUcampus.jpg Image:UH skyline.JPG Image:Image048.jpg Image:Rice University.JPG Image:Dallas Hall1.JPG
The University of Texas System, established by the Texas Constitution in 1876, consists of nine academic universities and six health institutions. UT System institutions enrolled a total of 182,752 students in fall 2004 making it one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation. In 2004, the University of Texas at Austin, which is the largest institution in the UT System and in the state of Texas, maintained an enrollment of 50,377 students. The University of Texas at Austin was once the largest institution in the United States, but it is now one of the top three largest by population and is the nation's 52nd ranked university[5]. Seven doctoral programs at UT Austin rank in the top 10 in the nation and 22 degree programs rank in the top 25, according to a comprehensive study of the quality of graduate schools conducted by the United States National Research Council. Four of the seven medical schools of Texas are within the University of Texas System. In 2004, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas was ranked the 16th highest ranking medical school in the United States, with four of Texas' eleven Nobel laureates.Template:Ref
The Texas A&M University System, established by the 1871 Texas legislature, is the second largest state university system of higher learning in Texas. Its flagship institution, Texas A&M University located in College Station, opened in 1876 and is the state's oldest public institution of higher education. Funded research generally exceeds that of all other Texas universities including UT Austin, and Texas A&M ranks among the top ten national universities in research. It is the second largest university in the state of Texas and also one of the top 10 largest schools in the nation.
The University of Houston System is the largest urban state system of higher education in the Gulf Coast, which has four universities with three located in Houston. Its flagship institution is the University of Houston, the only doctoral degree granting extensive research institution in Houston and is the third largest in the state of Texas with an enrollment of over 36,000. The interdisciplinary research conducted at UH breaks new ground in such vital areas as superconductivity, space commercialization, biomedical engineering, economics, education, petroleum exploration and management. UH is also home to over 40 research centers and institutes. Amongst the most prestigious of the University of Houston's colleges is the University of Houston Law Center (law school). The UH Law Center's Health Law and Policy Institute is ranked number one in the nation while the Intellectual Property Law Program is ranked fifth, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Houston is the location of a well known prestigious private institution, Rice University, which boasts one of the largest financial endowments of any university in the world. The small undergraduate student body is among the nation's most select and one of the highest percentages of National Merit Scholarship winners. Rice University maintains a variety of research facilities and laboratories. Rice is also associated with the Houston Area Research Center, a consortium supported by Rice, the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, and the University of Houston.
Another liberal arts college in Houston is the University of St. Thomas. Founded by the Basilian Order in 1947, the University has become one of the premier Catholic universities in the world, renowned for its Theology and Philosophy departments. Former UST president Archbishop Michael J. Miller currently serves in the Roman Curia as the prefect of Catholic universities throughout the world. The campus is also home to some major historic buildings, such as the Link Lee Mansion (once the largest house in Texas) and Hughes House (the childhood home of Howard Hughes).
Houston is also home to Texas Southern University, the first historically black college and university (HBCU) to house a law school, and was also the first state-supported institution in the city of Houston. Over the years, the University's educational facilities and programs expanded, and many of its graduates began to achieve local, regional, and national recognition for their influence in politics, education, business, technology, medicine, and the arts. Its pioneering spirit continues today.
The Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex has the fourth largest university in the state—the University of North Texas—along with two UT System institutions—The University of Texas at Dallas and The University of Texas at Arlington, as well as private universities such as Southern Methodist University, which is the Metroplex's largest law school, and Texas Christian University. Baylor University, among the largest Baptist universities in the world, is located 90 miles south in Waco.
San Antonio is home to many colleges and universities, such as The University of Texas at San Antonio, the second largest institution of the University of Texas System, as well as University of Texas Health Science Center, Trinity University, St. Mary's University, University of the Incarnate Word, and Our Lady of the Lake University.
Other large public universities in Texas include Texas State University-San Marcos (formerly Southwest Texas State University) and Texas Tech University in Lubbock, the only institution in Texas with the university, law school, and medical school all residing on the same campus.
Primary and secondary education
Texas has over 1,000 school districts, ranging in size from the gigantic Houston Independent School District to the 13-student Divide Independent School District in rural south Texas. All but one of the school districts in Texas are separate from any form of municipal government, hence they are called "independent school districts," or "ISD" for short. School districts may (and often do) cross city and county boundaries. School districts have the power to tax their residents and to use eminent domain. The sole exception to this rule is Stafford Municipal School District, which serves all of the city of Stafford.
The public school systems are administered by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The TEA is divided into twenty Educational Service Center "regions" that serve the local school districts.
Especially in the metropolitan areas, Texas also has numerous private schools of all types (non-sectarian, Catholic, and Protestant). The TEA has no authority over private school operations; private schools may or may not be accredited, and achievement tests are not required for private school graduating seniors. However, many private schools will obtain accreditation and perform achievement tests as a means of encouraging future parents that the school is genuinely interested in educational performance.
Homeschooling is popular in Texas—generally considered to be among the least restrictive states in which to home school. Neither TEA nor the local school district has authority to regulate home school activities; the state law only requires that the curriculum 1) must teach "reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics and a study of good citizenship" (the latter interpreted to mean a course in civics) and 2) must be taught in a bona fide manner. Texas Home School Coalition FAQ There are no minimum number of days in a year, or hours in a day, that must be met, and achievement tests are not required for home school graduating seniors. The validity of home schooling was challenged in Texas, but a landmark case, Leeper v. Arlington ISD, ruled that home schooling was legal and that the state had little or no authority to regulate the practice.
Transportation
Highways
Image:Texas45.jpg Texas freeways are heavily traveled and often under construction to meet the demands of continuing growth. Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) planners have sought ways to reduce rush hour congestion, primarily through High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane for vans and carpools. The "Texas T," an innovation originally introduced in Houston, is a ramp design that allows vehicles in the HOV lane, which is usually the leftmost lane, to exit directly to transit centers or to enter the freeway directly into the HOV lane without crossing multiple lanes of traffic. Timed freeway entrances, which regulate the addition of cars to the freeway, are also common. Houston and San Antonio have extensive networks of freeway cameras linked to transit control centers to monitor and study traffic.
One characteristic of Texas's freeways are its frontage roads. Alongside most freeways are two to four lanes in each direction parallel to the freeway permitting easy access to individual city streets. Other states have frontage roads, of course, but in Texas they can be found even in the most remote areas. Frontage roads provide access to the freeway from businesses alongside, such as gas stations and retail stores, and vice versa. New landscaping projects and a longstanding ban on new billboards are ways Houston has tried to control the potential side effects of convenience.
Airports
Image:Dfw airport.jpg The Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, located nearly equidistant from downtown Dallas and downtown Fort Worth, is the largest airport in state, the second largest in the United States, and third largest in the world. In terms of traffic, DFW is the busiest in the state, fourth busiest in the United States, and sixth busiest in the world. The airport serves 135 domestic destinations and 37 international, and is the largest and main hub for American Airlines (900 daily departures), the world's largest airline, and also the largest hub for American Eagle.
Texas's second-largest air facility is the George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). The airport is the ninth-busiest in the United States for total passengers, and nineteenth busiest worldwide. Houston is the headquarters of Continental Airlines, and George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is Continental Airline's largest hub, with over 750 daily departures (over 250 operated by Continental Airlines). Because of Houston's proximity to American Airlines' hub in Dallas-Fort Worth, that airline also maintains a large presence at IAH. A long list of cities within Texas, as well as international destinations are served directly from this airport. With 30 destinations in Mexico, IAH offers service to more Mexican destinations than any other U.S. airports. IAH currently ranks second in the United States among U.S. airports with scheduled non-stop domestic and international service (221 destinations), trailing only Atlanta Hartsfield with 250 destinations.
Professional sports
Miscellaneous information
- Four ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Texas in honor of the state.
- Famous for their role in the history of Texas law enforcement, the Texas Rangers continue today to provide special law enforcement services to the state.
- One state holiday, Juneteenth (from "June" + "Nineteenth," its date), commemorates the day in 1865 that the slaves in Texas learned of the Emancipation Proclamation.
- At 311 feet (95 m), Texas's capitol building in Austin is taller than the capitol building in Washington, D.C.
- Texas is the largest state in the continental United States, larger than the nation of France.
- Texas was one of only a few states that were once their own countries (Republic of Texas: March 1836-March 1845)
- Texas produced three million barrels of oil in one year at its peak.
State designations and symbols
- state flower — the bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis)
- state motto — "Friendship"
- state nickname — The Lone Star State (after the single star on several historical flags of Texas, including the current Texas flagTemplate:Ref, because Texas was an independent country before becoming a US state) also The Friendship State
- state tree — the pecan
- state bird — the mockingbird
- official state song — Texas Our Texas
- state mammals (three)
- small — armadillo
- large — Texas longhorn (cattle)
- flying — Mexican free-tailed bat
Other state designations
- state dinosaur — the Brachiosaur Sauropod, Pleurocoelus
- state dish — chili con carne
- state fiber and fabric — cotton
- state fish — Guadalupe bass
- state folk dance — square dance
- state fruit — Texas red grapefruit
- state gem — Texas blue topaz
- state gemstone cut — The Lone Star CutTemplate:Ref
- state grass — Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula)
- state insect — monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
- state molecule; buckyball
- musical instrument — guitar
- state peppers (two)
- state plant — prickly pear cactus
- state reptile — Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum), commonly called the "horny toad"
- state shell — lightning whelk (Busycon perversum pulleyi)
- state ship — the Battleship USS Texas (BB-35)
- state shrub — crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)
- state native shrub — Texas purple sage (Leucophyllum frutescens))
- state slogan — "It's like a whole other country"
- state snack — tortilla chips and salsa
- state sport — rodeo
- state stone — petrified palmwood
- state tartan — Texas Bluebonnet Tartan
- state vegetable — Texas sweet onion
The pledge to the Texas Flag is:
- Honor the Texas Flag;
- I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas,
- one and indivisible
See also
- Don't Mess with Texas
- Gone to Texas
- List of bands from Texas
- List of Texas-related topics
- List of Texans
- List of Texas county name etymologies
- List of Texas county seat name etymologies
- The size of Texas
- Catastrophic Texas Hurricanes since 1900
- Template:Wikitravel
Notes
- Template:Note U.S. Census Bureau News, August 11, 2005
- Template:Note U.S. Census Bureau Annual Estimates of the Population by Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Origin for States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2004.
- Template:Note List of United States cities by population
- Template:Note The Times Higher Education Supplement - ranking of the World's Top 50 Universities
- Template:Note The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas list of Texas Nobel Laureates
- Template:Note 50states.com list of State Nicknames
- Template:Note State History Guide Texas Symbols, Gemstone Cut: Lone Star Cut
Further reading
- Gone to Texas : a History of the Lone Star State, Randolph B. Campbell, Oxford University Press, 2003, hardback, 500 pages.
- Imperial Texas: An Interpretive Essay in Cultural Geography, D. W. Meinig, University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas, 1969, hardback, 145 pages.
- Great River, The Rio Grande in North American History, Paul Horgan, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, reprint, 1977, in one hardback volume, ISBN 0-03-029305-7
- Conquest And Conscience: The 1840's by Robert Sobel (Crowell 1971).
External links
- About Texas - Many Texas subject area links from the Texas State Library
- The Handbook of Texas Online - Published by the Texas State Historical Association
- Texas Politics: Texas government resource provided by the University of Texas at Austin
- Texas Almanac - 2006-2007 Edition
- Texas Online - The Texas Government web portal.
- Texas Legislature Online
- Statistics about Texas
- GenealogyBuff.com - Texas Genealogy Library of Files.
- The Portal to Texas History
- State Department of Public Safety, Texas Ranger Division
- Texas Historical Commission - Official Website
- Texas Obituary Links - A directory of obituary resources arranged by county.
- Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
- Texas Register, hosted by the University of North Texas Libraries
- The Native Plant Society of Texas
- The Native Prairies Association of Texas
- Texan Nobel laureates
- Texas Newspapers
- Open Directory: Texas
| Image:Flag of Texas.svg | State of Texas </b> Texas Topics | History | Republic of Texas | Politics | Texans |
|---|---|
| Capital | Austin |
| Image:Bluebonnet1.jpg Regions | Arklatex | Big Bend | Brazos Valley | Central Texas | Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex | Deep East Texas | East Texas | Edwards Plateau | Galveston Bay | Golden Triangle | Greater Houston | North Texas | Northeast Texas | Permian Basin | Piney Woods | Rio Grande Valley | Texas Hill Country | Texas Panhandle | Llano Estacado | Southeast Texas | South Texas | West Texas</font> |
| Image:Texas state seal.png Metropolitan areas | Abilene | Amarillo | Austin–Round Rock | Beaumont–Port Arthur | Brownsville–Harlingen | Bryan–College Station | Corpus Christi | Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington | El Paso | Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown | Killeen–Temple | Laredo | Longview–Marshall | Lubbock | McAllen–Edinburg–Mission | Midland–Odessa | San Angelo | San Antonio | Sherman–Denison | Texarkana | Tyler | Victoria | Waco | Wichita Falls See also: List of Texas counties |
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