{{Otheruses1|the U.S. State}}
{{US state |
Name = Texas |
Fullname = State of Texas |
Flag = Flag of Texas.svg |
Flaglink = Flag_of_Texas |
Seal = Texas state seal.png |
Map = Map of USA highlighting Texas.png |
Nickname = Lone Star State |
Capital = Austin |
LargestCity = Houston |
Governor = Rick_Perry (R)|
Senators = Kay_Bailey_Hutchison (R)
John_Cornyn (R) |
PostalAbbreviation = TX |
OfficialLang = ''None''. English and Spanish are de facto. |
AreaRank = 2nd |
TotalArea = 696,241 |
LandArea = 678,907 |
WaterArea = 17,333 |
PCWater = 2.5 |
PopRank = 2nd |
2000Pop = 20,851,820 |
DensityRank = 28th |
2000Density = 30.75 |
AdmittanceOrder = 28th |
AdmittanceDate = December_29, 1845 |
TimeZone = Central: UTC-6/-5
Mountain: UTC-7/-6 (part of west Texas) | Latitude = 25°50'N to 36°30'N | Longitude = 93°31'W to 106°38'W | Width = 1,065 | Length = 1,270 | HighestElev = Guadalupe_Peak, 2,667 | MeanElev = 520 | LowestElev = 0 | ISOCode = US-TX | Website = www.state.tx.us }} '''Texas''' is a State located in the United States of America. The 28th U.S._state, Texas joined the United States in 1845. Its postal abbreviation is '''TX'''. The state name derives from a word in a Caddoan language of the Hasinai, ''táysha{{IPA|ʔ}}'' (or ''tejas,'' as the Spaniards spelled it), meaning ''friends'' or ''allies''. Spanish explorers mistakenly applied the word to the people and their location. With an area of 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 == {{main|History of Texas}} {{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 that 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. states 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. 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. Policies that most irritated the Texians included the Mexican ban on slavery, 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. Santa Anna himself passed into captivity, and on May_14, Republic of Texas officials and General Santa Anna signed the treaty of Velasco. 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. During the Civil War, Texas seceded from the Union and joined the Confederate_States_of_America. In 1870, the United States Congress readmitted Texas into the Union. Texas today is a state thoroughly steeped in tradition, yet equally embracing of new social and technological developments. From the state capital of Austin (also headquarters of Dell Computers and known as "Silicon Hills") to the cosmopolitan air of Dallas, to the oil-and-finance rich industry of Houston to the Latinesque cultures of San Antonio and El Paso, the state tourism slogan truly fits: "Texas: It's like a whole other country." ==Geography== Image:Texas_2002.jpg ===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 US South and part of the U.S. Southwest. Some regions of Texas are associated with the Southwest more than the South, while other regions are associated with the South more than the Southwest. Texas shares some cultural elements with both regions, with more similarities with the South, especially Arkansas and Louisiana, in East_Texas, and more similarities with the Southwest, especially Mexico and New Mexico, in West_Texas and South_Texas. Texas is so large in its east-west expanse that El Paso, 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. The north-south extent is similarly impressive; Dalhart, in the nortwestern corner of the state, is closer to the state capitals of Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming than it is to the Texas state capital (Austin). ===Human Geography=== Articles on Texas regions: *Arklatex *Big Bend *Central_Texas *Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex *Deep_East_Texas *East_Texas *Edwards Plateau *Greater Houston *North_Texas *Northeast Texas *Piney Woods *Rio_Grande_Valley *Texas_Hill_Country *Texas Panhandle *Llano_Estacado *Southeast Texas *South Texas *West_Texas For the 254 counties of Texas, {{see|List of Texas counties}} ===Natural Geography=== Image:Caddo_Lake-_Cypress.jpg]] Image:El_Capitan_base_2005-03-12.jpg]] Image:Texas_Hill_Country_Near_I-10,_2004.jpg]] Texas has five major topographic regions: # The Coastal Plain, from the Gulf_of_Mexico inland to about San Antonio and just southeast of Austin # The Hill Country and Edwards_Plateau, a hilly rocky area in central Texas bordered on the east by the Balcones_Fault zone and Blackland_Prairie. # The Great_Plains region extends into northern Texas, including the Llano_Estacado and the Panhandle High Plains # The North Central Plains # The Trans-Pecos_Desert, a subdivision of the Chihuahuan_Desert, in extreme western Texas, west of the Pecos_River ==Geology== 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. == 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,_DC, 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 is seven feet taller than the U.S. national capitol, but 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 longest in the nation. 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 Railroad Commission, the State Board of Education, and the Secretary of State. The Comptroller decides if expected state income is sufficient to cover the propsed 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. 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. 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, 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 judicial system of Texas has a reputation as one of the most complex in the United States—if not in the world—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. Counties also have much less legal power than municipalities, for instance, counties in Texas do ''not'' have zoning power or eminent domain power (except in very rare circumstances). === Municipal Government === Texas does not have townships; areas within a county are either "incorporated" (i.e., part of a city, though the city may contract with the county for needed services) or "unincorporated" (i.e., not part of a city, in these areas the county has authority for law enforcement and road maintenance). Cities are classified as either "general law" or "home rule". A city may elect "home rule" status (i.e., draft an independent city charter) once it exceeds 5,000 population and the voters agree to home rule. Otherwise, it is classified as "general law" and has very limited powers. One example of the difference in the two structures regards Annexation. General law cities cannot annex adjacent unincorporated areas without the property owner's consent; home rule cities may annex without consent, but must provide essential services within a specified period of time or the property owner may file suit to be deannexed. === School and Special Districts === In addition to cities and counties, Texas has numerous "special districts". The most common is the independent School_district, which (with one exception) has a board of trustees that is independent of any other governing authority. School district boundaries are not coaligned with city or county boundaries; it is not uncommon for a school district to cover one or more counties or for a large city to be served by several school districts. Other special districts include water supply, public hospitals, and community colleges. === Politics === {{main|Politics of Texas}} Texas politics are currently 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 state-wide authority and responsibility for legally prosecuting political mischief. 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 supposed to be drawn after the national census every 10 years, but an impasse in the Texas Legislature resulted in the districts being drawn by the courts. 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 of the change was upheld by the Republican-dominated Texas Supreme Court. 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. {{Texas Congressional Districts}} == Economy == Image:Cotton_harvest.jpg Texas remained largely rural until World_War_II, with cattle ranching, Oil, and agriculture as its main industries. Contrary to popular mythology, cattle ranching was never Texas's chief industry. Before the oil boom, back to the period of the first anglo settlers, this 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 (circa 2000) relies largely on information technology, oil and Natural_gas, energy exploration and energy trading, agriculture, and manufacturing. 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 agricultural and Information_technology labor market in Texas. Other major cities include San Antonio, Austin, Brownsville, Lubbock, Amarillo, Abilene, Beaumont, McAllen, Tyler, Odessa and Midland. Other important cities include Killeen, home to Fort_Hood the largest military Post in the U.S., El Paso, Eagle Pass, and Laredo; these have particular significance due to their location on the border with Mexico, making them important trade points. 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 of Business, limited government (the state legislature of Texas meets only once every two years), and favorable climate. === Film and television === Texas is one of the top filmmaking states in the United States, just after California and New_York. More than $1.2 billion has been spent in Texas just for filming since 1990. The Texas_Film_Commission was founded for free services to filmmakers, from location research to traveling. == Demographics == {| class="toccolours" align="right" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0 0 1em 1em; font-size: 95%;" |- ! colspan=4 bgcolor="#ccccff" align="center"| Historical populations |- ! align="center"| Census
year !! align="right"| Population || Change || Percent
Change |- | colspan=4|
|- | align="center"| 1850 || align="right"| 212,592 || align=center | - || align=center | - |- | align="center"| 1860 || align="right"| 604,215 || align=right | 391,623 || align=right | 184% |- | align="center"| 1870 || align="right"| 818,579 || align=right | 214,364 || align=right | 35% |- | align="center"| 1880 || align="right"| 1,591,749 || align=right | 773,170 || align=right | 94% |- | align="center"| 1890 || align="right"| 2,235,527 || align=right | 643,778 || align=right | 40% |- | align="center"| 1900 || align="right"| 3,048,710 || align=right | 813,183 || align=right | 36% |- | align="center"| 1910 || align="right"| 3,896,542 || align=right | 847,832 || align=right | 28% |- | align="center"| 1920 || align="right"| 4,663,228 || align=right | 766,686 || align=right | 20% |- | align="center"| 1930 || align="right"| 5,824,715 || align=right | 1,161,487 || align=right | 25% |- | align="center"| 1940 || align="right"| 6,414,824 || align=right | 590,109 || align=right | 10% |- | align="center"| 1950 || align="right"| 7,711,194 || align=right | 1,296,370 || align=right | 20% |- | align="center"| 1960 || align="right"| 9,579,677 || align=right | 1,868,483 || align=right | 24% |- | align="center"| 1970 || align="right"| 11,196,730 || align=right | 1,617,053 || align=right | 17% |- | align="center"| 1980 || align="right"| 14,229,191 || align=right | 3,032,461 || align=right | 27% |- | align="center"| 1990 || align="right"| 16,986,510 || align=right | 2,757,319 || align=right | 19% |- | align="center"| 2000 || align="right"| 20,851,820 || align=right | 3,865,310 || align=right | 23% |} The people of Texas, historically often known as ''Texians'', are now generally referred to as ''Texans''. As of 2004, the state had a population of 22,490,022. 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). The state's population grew 5.5 million between 1990 and 2004, a growth of 32.4% ===Ethnic origins=== More than one-third of Texas residents are of Hispanic origin and may be of any racial groups. Some are recent arrivals from Mexico, Central_America, or South_America, while others, known as Tejanos, 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. Perhaps numerically Mexican-Texans dominate south, south-central, and West_Texas and are a significant part of the work force of 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 predominately 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).{{ref|USCensus4thMinority}} According to the Texas state Data Center, if current trends continue, Hispanics will become a majority in the state by 2030. {|class="wikitable" |- ! '''Demographics of Texas''' ! 2004 ! 2003 ! 2002 ! 2001 ! 2000 |- | Total | 22,490,022 | 22,103,374 | 21,723,220 | 21,334,855 | 20,851,790 |- | 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.{{ref|USCensusStatePopEstimates}} The largest reported ancestry groups in Texas include: Mexican (24.3%), African_American (11.5%), German (9.9%), American (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. 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. ==Cities and metropolitan areas== ===Largest cities=== Image:Houston_tx.jpg]] Image:Downtown-san-antonio.jpeg]] Image:Dallas_Texas_USA_aerial.jpg]] Image:AustinSkyline.jpeg]] Image:FW_Night.JPG]] Texas has two global cities as Houston and Dallas hold the title of "Gamma World City" by the Globalization_and_World_Cities_Study_Group_&_Network (GaWC). Ranked by population of cities (incorporated municipalities), the five largest cities in Texas are Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, and Fort Worth. Photographs of the downtowns of those five 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.A. to have three cities with populations exceeding 1 million (California has two; no other state has more than one)--Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas, which are also among the 10 largest cities of the United_States. Austin and Fort Worth are in the top 20 largest US cities.{{ref|USCities}} ''Some cities not listed are still considered important on the basis of other factors and issues, including culture, economics, heritage, and politics.'' {| class="wikitable" |- style="background:#efefef;" ! Texas
rank !! U.S.
rank !! align=center |City !! Population !! Region |- | 1 || 4 ||align=left | Houston || 2,012,626 || Southeast Texas |- | 2 || 8 ||align=left | San Antonio || 1,236,249 || Central_Texas |- | 3 || 9 ||align=left | Dallas || 1,210,393 || North_Texas |- | 4 || 16 ||align=left | Austin || 681,804 || Central_Texas |- | 5 || 19 ||align=left | Fort Worth || 603,337 || North_Texas |}
{{see|List of cities in Texas}} {{seealso|Population of Texas cities in 2000}} ===Metropolitan areas=== Texas has 25 Metropolitan_areas (MSAs) defined by the United_States_Census_Bureau. The two largest are ranked among the top 10 United_States_metropolitan_areas. In 2003, the U.S. Census introduced "metropolitan divisions" within some metropolitan areas. Texas has two metropolitan divisions within the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington MSA. The following table lists population figures for those metropolitan areas, in rank of population. Population figures are as of the 2003 U.S._Census estimates. {| class="wikitable" |- ! Rank ! Metropolitan Area ! Metropolitan Division ! Population |- | 1 | Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington | | align=right | 5,589,670 |- | | | Dallas–Plano–Irving | align=right | 3,739,509 |- | | | Fort Worth–Arlington | align=right | 1,850,161 |- | 2 | Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown | | align=right | 5,075,733 |- | 3 | San Antonio | | align=right| 1,820,719 |- | 4 | Austin–Round Rock | | align=right| 1,377,633 |- | 5 | El Paso | | align=right| 705,436 |- | 6 | McAllen–Edinburg–Mission | | align=right| 635,540 |- | 7 | Corpus Christi | | align=right| 406,830 |- | 8 | Beaumont–Port Arthur | | align=right| 382,629 |- | 9 | Brownsville–Harlingen | | align=right| 363,092 |- | 10 | Killeen–Temple | | align=right| 343,329 |- | 11 | Lubbock | | align=right| 257,188 |- | 12 | Amarillo | | align=right| 233,231 |- | 13 | Waco | | align=right| 219,807 |- | 14 | Laredo | | align=right| 213,615 |- | 15 | Longview–Marshall | | align=right| 198,155 |- | 16 | College Station–Bryan | | align=right| 192,603 |- | 17 | Tyler | | align=right| 184,015 |- | 18 | Abilene | | align=right| 158,488 |- | 19 | Wichita Falls | | align=right| 149,653 |- | 20 | Texarkana | | align=right| 131,591 |- | 21 | Odessa | | align=right| 122,692 |- | 22 | Midland | | align=right| 118,624 |- | 23 | Sherman–Denison | | align=right| 115,153 |- | 24 | Victoria | | align=right| 112,965 |- | 25 | San Angelo | | align=right| 105,270 |} {{seealso|United States metropolitan areas}} == Education and scientific research == === Public schools === The public school systems are administered by the Texas_Education_Agency. 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 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. Texas has twenty Educational Service Center "regions" that serve the local school districts. {{see|List of school districts in Texas}} === Colleges and universities === Image:BCM.jpg]] The University_of_Texas_System, established by the Texas_Constitution in 1876, consisted of nine Academic universities, six health institutions, and UT System administration in 2004. 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 3 largest by population and is the world's 15th top ranking university{{ref|UTIs15thRanked}}. 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.{{ref|NobelPrize}} The Texas_A&M;_University_System is the second largest state university system of higher learning in Texas. Its flagship institution is Texas_A&M;_University located in College Station and is the state's oldest public institution of higher education. Funded research generally exceeds that of all other Texas universities, 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 home to the Texas_Medical_Center, the world's largest concentration of Research and Healthcare institutions, such as Baylor_College_of_Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and The_University_of_Texas_M._D._Anderson_Cancer_Center. The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, which now ranks as one of the world's most productive and highly regarded academic institutions devoted to cancer patient care, research, education, and prevention. Houston is the location of a well known prestigious private institution of Rice_University, which boasts one of the largest Financial_endowments of any university in the world. The small undergraduate student body is among the nation's most select and one of the highest percentages of National Merit Scholarship winners. Rice University maintains a variety of research facilities and laboratories. Rice is also associated with the Houston Area Research Center, a consortium supported by Rice, the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M; University, and the University of Houston. 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 San_Antonio is home to many universities, such as the rapidly-growing UTSA, a branch of the University of Texas system, as well as Trinity University, St. Mary's University, and University of the Incarnate Word, and Our Lady of the Lake University. {{seealso|List of colleges and universities in Texas}} ==Transportation== === Interstate_highways === Image:Interstate10.png *Interstate_10 *Interstate_20 *Interstate_27 *Interstate_30 *Interstate_35 *Interstate_37 *Interstate_40 *Interstate_44 *Interstate_45 *Interstate_69 (proposed extension) *Interstate_410 *Interstate_610_(Texas) *Interstate_635 *Interstate_820 === United_States_highways === Image:US59.png
== Professional sports teams ==
Memphis and later to Nashville,_Tennessee, and became the Tennessee_Titans. Houston also formerly had the Arena_Football_League team Houston_Thunderbears, and the Minor League Soccer team Houston_Hotshots.
== Miscellaneous information ==
Image:USS_Texas_1.jpg, the oldest remaining Dreadnought.]]
* 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, Texas's capitol building in Austin is taller than the capitol building in Washington,_D.C.
===State designations and symbols===
Image:Bluebonnet1.jpg]]
* 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 flag{{ref|USStateNicknames}})
* state tree — the Pecan
* state bird — the mockingbird
* official state song — ''Texas_Our_Texas''
* state mammals (three)
** small — Armadillo
** large — Texas_longhorn
** flying — Mexican_free-tailed_bat
===Other state designations===
Image:CurrentTexasPlate.jpg
*Air_Force — Commemorative_Air_Force (formerly known as the ''Confederate_Air_Force''), based in Midland
*state dance — Square_Dance
*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_Cut{{ref|USStateGemstoneCut}}
*state grass — Sideoats_grama (''Bouteloua curtipendula'')
*state insect — Monarch_butterfly (''Danaus plexippus'')
*musical instrument — Guitar
*state peppers (two)
**native — Chiltepin
**other — Jalapeño
*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 — 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==
{{portal}}
* Don't_Mess_with_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
* Wikitravel Entry
== References ==
===Footnotes===
# {{note|USCensus4thMinority}} U.S. Census Bureau News, August 11, 2005
# {{note|USCensusStatePopEstimates}} U.S. Census Bureau Annual Estimates of the Population by Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Origin for States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2004.
# {{note|USCities}} List_of_United_States_cities_by_population
# {{note|UTIs15thRanked}} London Times ranking of the World's Top 50 Universities
# {{note|NobelPrize}} The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas list of Texas Nobel Laureates
# {{note|USStateNicknames}} 50states.com list of State Nicknames
# {{note|USStateGemstoneCut}} 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
==External links==
* About Texas ''- Many Texas subject area links from the Texas State Library''
*The Handbook of Texas Online ''- Published by the Texas State Historical Association''
**Geology of Texas
**Texas Indians
**Texas Pre-History
* Texas Politics: Texas government resource provided by the University of Texas at Austin
* Texas Almanac ''- 2006-2007 Edition''
*Texas Online - ''The Texas Government web portal.''
* Texas Legislature Online
*Texas Child Support
*Comanche Lodge - A History Of The Comanche Indian People
*GenealogyBuff.com - Texas Genealogy Library of Files.
* The Portal to Texas History
*Interactive Texas Map
*''Lone Star Junction,'' a Texas history resource
*Origin of state name and nickname
*State Department of Public Safety, Texas Ranger Division
*Texas Divorces Index 1968-2002 - ''Texas Divorces Index 1968-2002.''
*Texas Historical Commission - ''Official Website''
*Texas Map Collection
*Texas Marriages Index 1966-2002 - ''Texas Marriages Index 1966-2002.''
*Texas News - ''A collection of news clippings and links related to Texas.''
*Texas Obituary Links - ''A directory of obituary resources arranged by county.''
*Texas Panhandle Plains - History Of Amarillo and the Southern Plains
*Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
*''Texas Register'', hosted by the University of North Texas Libraries
*The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum website
*The Native Plant Society of Texas
*The Native Prairies Association of Texas
*Texan Nobel laureates
*Texas Newspapers
*Open Directory: Texas
*County Maps of Texas Full color maps. List of cities, towns and county seats
*Pictures of Texas - Wildflowers and other natural landscapes
{{Texas}}
{{United States}}
Category:States_of_the_American_West
*
Category:States_of_the_United_States
Ar:تكساس
Bg:Тексас
Bs:Texas
Ca:Texas
Cs:Texas
Da:Texas_(USA)
De:Texas
Et:Texas
El:Τέξας
Es:Texas
Eo:Teksaso
Fr:Texas
Gd:Texas
Gl:Texas
Ko:텍사스_주
Io:Texas
Id:Texas
It:Texas
He:טקסס
La:Texia
Lt:Teksasas
Hu:Texas
Nl:Texas
Ja:テキサス州
Mk:Тексас
No:Texas
Nn:Texas
Pl:Teksas_(stan_w_USA)
Pt:Texas
Ru:Техас
Simple:Texas
Sk:Texas
Sl:Teksas
Sr:Тексас
Fi:Teksas
Sv:Texas
Tt:Texas
Th:มลรัฐเทกซัส
Vi:Texas
Uk:Техас
Zh:德克萨斯州
Mountain: UTC-7/-6 (part of west Texas) | Latitude = 25°50'N to 36°30'N | Longitude = 93°31'W to 106°38'W | Width = 1,065 | Length = 1,270 | HighestElev = Guadalupe_Peak, 2,667 | MeanElev = 520 | LowestElev = 0 | ISOCode = US-TX | Website = www.state.tx.us }} '''Texas''' is a State located in the United States of America. The 28th U.S._state, Texas joined the United States in 1845. Its postal abbreviation is '''TX'''. The state name derives from a word in a Caddoan language of the Hasinai, ''táysha{{IPA|ʔ}}'' (or ''tejas,'' as the Spaniards spelled it), meaning ''friends'' or ''allies''. Spanish explorers mistakenly applied the word to the people and their location. With an area of 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 == {{main|History of Texas}} {{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 that 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. states 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. 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. Policies that most irritated the Texians included the Mexican ban on slavery, 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. Santa Anna himself passed into captivity, and on May_14, Republic of Texas officials and General Santa Anna signed the treaty of Velasco. 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. During the Civil War, Texas seceded from the Union and joined the Confederate_States_of_America. In 1870, the United States Congress readmitted Texas into the Union. Texas today is a state thoroughly steeped in tradition, yet equally embracing of new social and technological developments. From the state capital of Austin (also headquarters of Dell Computers and known as "Silicon Hills") to the cosmopolitan air of Dallas, to the oil-and-finance rich industry of Houston to the Latinesque cultures of San Antonio and El Paso, the state tourism slogan truly fits: "Texas: It's like a whole other country." ==Geography== Image:Texas_2002.jpg ===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 US South and part of the U.S. Southwest. Some regions of Texas are associated with the Southwest more than the South, while other regions are associated with the South more than the Southwest. Texas shares some cultural elements with both regions, with more similarities with the South, especially Arkansas and Louisiana, in East_Texas, and more similarities with the Southwest, especially Mexico and New Mexico, in West_Texas and South_Texas. Texas is so large in its east-west expanse that El Paso, 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. The north-south extent is similarly impressive; Dalhart, in the nortwestern corner of the state, is closer to the state capitals of Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming than it is to the Texas state capital (Austin). ===Human Geography=== Articles on Texas regions: *Arklatex *Big Bend *Central_Texas *Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex *Deep_East_Texas *East_Texas *Edwards Plateau *Greater Houston *North_Texas *Northeast Texas *Piney Woods *Rio_Grande_Valley *Texas_Hill_Country *Texas Panhandle *Llano_Estacado *Southeast Texas *South Texas *West_Texas For the 254 counties of Texas, {{see|List of Texas counties}} ===Natural Geography=== Image:Caddo_Lake-_Cypress.jpg]] Image:El_Capitan_base_2005-03-12.jpg]] Image:Texas_Hill_Country_Near_I-10,_2004.jpg]] Texas has five major topographic regions: # The Coastal Plain, from the Gulf_of_Mexico inland to about San Antonio and just southeast of Austin # The Hill Country and Edwards_Plateau, a hilly rocky area in central Texas bordered on the east by the Balcones_Fault zone and Blackland_Prairie. # The Great_Plains region extends into northern Texas, including the Llano_Estacado and the Panhandle High Plains # The North Central Plains # The Trans-Pecos_Desert, a subdivision of the Chihuahuan_Desert, in extreme western Texas, west of the Pecos_River ==Geology== 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. == 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,_DC, 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 is seven feet taller than the U.S. national capitol, but 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 longest in the nation. 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 Railroad Commission, the State Board of Education, and the Secretary of State. The Comptroller decides if expected state income is sufficient to cover the propsed 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. 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. 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, 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 judicial system of Texas has a reputation as one of the most complex in the United States—if not in the world—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. Counties also have much less legal power than municipalities, for instance, counties in Texas do ''not'' have zoning power or eminent domain power (except in very rare circumstances). === Municipal Government === Texas does not have townships; areas within a county are either "incorporated" (i.e., part of a city, though the city may contract with the county for needed services) or "unincorporated" (i.e., not part of a city, in these areas the county has authority for law enforcement and road maintenance). Cities are classified as either "general law" or "home rule". A city may elect "home rule" status (i.e., draft an independent city charter) once it exceeds 5,000 population and the voters agree to home rule. Otherwise, it is classified as "general law" and has very limited powers. One example of the difference in the two structures regards Annexation. General law cities cannot annex adjacent unincorporated areas without the property owner's consent; home rule cities may annex without consent, but must provide essential services within a specified period of time or the property owner may file suit to be deannexed. === School and Special Districts === In addition to cities and counties, Texas has numerous "special districts". The most common is the independent School_district, which (with one exception) has a board of trustees that is independent of any other governing authority. School district boundaries are not coaligned with city or county boundaries; it is not uncommon for a school district to cover one or more counties or for a large city to be served by several school districts. Other special districts include water supply, public hospitals, and community colleges. === Politics === {{main|Politics of Texas}} Texas politics are currently 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 state-wide authority and responsibility for legally prosecuting political mischief. 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 supposed to be drawn after the national census every 10 years, but an impasse in the Texas Legislature resulted in the districts being drawn by the courts. 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 of the change was upheld by the Republican-dominated Texas Supreme Court. 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. {{Texas Congressional Districts}} == Economy == Image:Cotton_harvest.jpg Texas remained largely rural until World_War_II, with cattle ranching, Oil, and agriculture as its main industries. Contrary to popular mythology, cattle ranching was never Texas's chief industry. Before the oil boom, back to the period of the first anglo settlers, this 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 (circa 2000) relies largely on information technology, oil and Natural_gas, energy exploration and energy trading, agriculture, and manufacturing. 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 agricultural and Information_technology labor market in Texas. Other major cities include San Antonio, Austin, Brownsville, Lubbock, Amarillo, Abilene, Beaumont, McAllen, Tyler, Odessa and Midland. Other important cities include Killeen, home to Fort_Hood the largest military Post in the U.S., El Paso, Eagle Pass, and Laredo; these have particular significance due to their location on the border with Mexico, making them important trade points. 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 of Business, limited government (the state legislature of Texas meets only once every two years), and favorable climate. === Film and television === Texas is one of the top filmmaking states in the United States, just after California and New_York. More than $1.2 billion has been spent in Texas just for filming since 1990. The Texas_Film_Commission was founded for free services to filmmakers, from location research to traveling. == Demographics == {| class="toccolours" align="right" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0 0 1em 1em; font-size: 95%;" |- ! colspan=4 bgcolor="#ccccff" align="center"| Historical populations |- ! align="center"| Census
year !! align="right"| Population || Change || Percent
Change |- | colspan=4|
|- | align="center"| 1850 || align="right"| 212,592 || align=center | - || align=center | - |- | align="center"| 1860 || align="right"| 604,215 || align=right | 391,623 || align=right | 184% |- | align="center"| 1870 || align="right"| 818,579 || align=right | 214,364 || align=right | 35% |- | align="center"| 1880 || align="right"| 1,591,749 || align=right | 773,170 || align=right | 94% |- | align="center"| 1890 || align="right"| 2,235,527 || align=right | 643,778 || align=right | 40% |- | align="center"| 1900 || align="right"| 3,048,710 || align=right | 813,183 || align=right | 36% |- | align="center"| 1910 || align="right"| 3,896,542 || align=right | 847,832 || align=right | 28% |- | align="center"| 1920 || align="right"| 4,663,228 || align=right | 766,686 || align=right | 20% |- | align="center"| 1930 || align="right"| 5,824,715 || align=right | 1,161,487 || align=right | 25% |- | align="center"| 1940 || align="right"| 6,414,824 || align=right | 590,109 || align=right | 10% |- | align="center"| 1950 || align="right"| 7,711,194 || align=right | 1,296,370 || align=right | 20% |- | align="center"| 1960 || align="right"| 9,579,677 || align=right | 1,868,483 || align=right | 24% |- | align="center"| 1970 || align="right"| 11,196,730 || align=right | 1,617,053 || align=right | 17% |- | align="center"| 1980 || align="right"| 14,229,191 || align=right | 3,032,461 || align=right | 27% |- | align="center"| 1990 || align="right"| 16,986,510 || align=right | 2,757,319 || align=right | 19% |- | align="center"| 2000 || align="right"| 20,851,820 || align=right | 3,865,310 || align=right | 23% |} The people of Texas, historically often known as ''Texians'', are now generally referred to as ''Texans''. As of 2004, the state had a population of 22,490,022. 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). The state's population grew 5.5 million between 1990 and 2004, a growth of 32.4% ===Ethnic origins=== More than one-third of Texas residents are of Hispanic origin and may be of any racial groups. Some are recent arrivals from Mexico, Central_America, or South_America, while others, known as Tejanos, 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. Perhaps numerically Mexican-Texans dominate south, south-central, and West_Texas and are a significant part of the work force of 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 predominately 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).{{ref|USCensus4thMinority}} According to the Texas state Data Center, if current trends continue, Hispanics will become a majority in the state by 2030. {|class="wikitable" |- ! '''Demographics of Texas''' ! 2004 ! 2003 ! 2002 ! 2001 ! 2000 |- | Total | 22,490,022 | 22,103,374 | 21,723,220 | 21,334,855 | 20,851,790 |- | 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.{{ref|USCensusStatePopEstimates}} The largest reported ancestry groups in Texas include: Mexican (24.3%), African_American (11.5%), German (9.9%), American (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. 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. ==Cities and metropolitan areas== ===Largest cities=== Image:Houston_tx.jpg]] Image:Downtown-san-antonio.jpeg]] Image:Dallas_Texas_USA_aerial.jpg]] Image:AustinSkyline.jpeg]] Image:FW_Night.JPG]] Texas has two global cities as Houston and Dallas hold the title of "Gamma World City" by the Globalization_and_World_Cities_Study_Group_&_Network (GaWC). Ranked by population of cities (incorporated municipalities), the five largest cities in Texas are Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, and Fort Worth. Photographs of the downtowns of those five 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.A. to have three cities with populations exceeding 1 million (California has two; no other state has more than one)--Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas, which are also among the 10 largest cities of the United_States. Austin and Fort Worth are in the top 20 largest US cities.{{ref|USCities}} ''Some cities not listed are still considered important on the basis of other factors and issues, including culture, economics, heritage, and politics.'' {| class="wikitable" |- style="background:#efefef;" ! Texas
rank !! U.S.
rank !! align=center |City !! Population !! Region |- | 1 || 4 ||align=left | Houston || 2,012,626 || Southeast Texas |- | 2 || 8 ||align=left | San Antonio || 1,236,249 || Central_Texas |- | 3 || 9 ||align=left | Dallas || 1,210,393 || North_Texas |- | 4 || 16 ||align=left | Austin || 681,804 || Central_Texas |- | 5 || 19 ||align=left | Fort Worth || 603,337 || North_Texas |}
{{see|List of cities in Texas}} {{seealso|Population of Texas cities in 2000}} ===Metropolitan areas=== Texas has 25 Metropolitan_areas (MSAs) defined by the United_States_Census_Bureau. The two largest are ranked among the top 10 United_States_metropolitan_areas. In 2003, the U.S. Census introduced "metropolitan divisions" within some metropolitan areas. Texas has two metropolitan divisions within the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington MSA. The following table lists population figures for those metropolitan areas, in rank of population. Population figures are as of the 2003 U.S._Census estimates. {| class="wikitable" |- ! Rank ! Metropolitan Area ! Metropolitan Division ! Population |- | 1 | Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington | | align=right | 5,589,670 |- | | | Dallas–Plano–Irving | align=right | 3,739,509 |- | | | Fort Worth–Arlington | align=right | 1,850,161 |- | 2 | Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown | | align=right | 5,075,733 |- | 3 | San Antonio | | align=right| 1,820,719 |- | 4 | Austin–Round Rock | | align=right| 1,377,633 |- | 5 | El Paso | | align=right| 705,436 |- | 6 | McAllen–Edinburg–Mission | | align=right| 635,540 |- | 7 | Corpus Christi | | align=right| 406,830 |- | 8 | Beaumont–Port Arthur | | align=right| 382,629 |- | 9 | Brownsville–Harlingen | | align=right| 363,092 |- | 10 | Killeen–Temple | | align=right| 343,329 |- | 11 | Lubbock | | align=right| 257,188 |- | 12 | Amarillo | | align=right| 233,231 |- | 13 | Waco | | align=right| 219,807 |- | 14 | Laredo | | align=right| 213,615 |- | 15 | Longview–Marshall | | align=right| 198,155 |- | 16 | College Station–Bryan | | align=right| 192,603 |- | 17 | Tyler | | align=right| 184,015 |- | 18 | Abilene | | align=right| 158,488 |- | 19 | Wichita Falls | | align=right| 149,653 |- | 20 | Texarkana | | align=right| 131,591 |- | 21 | Odessa | | align=right| 122,692 |- | 22 | Midland | | align=right| 118,624 |- | 23 | Sherman–Denison | | align=right| 115,153 |- | 24 | Victoria | | align=right| 112,965 |- | 25 | San Angelo | | align=right| 105,270 |} {{seealso|United States metropolitan areas}} == Education and scientific research == === Public schools === The public school systems are administered by the Texas_Education_Agency. 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 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. Texas has twenty Educational Service Center "regions" that serve the local school districts. {{see|List of school districts in Texas}} === Colleges and universities === Image:BCM.jpg]] The University_of_Texas_System, established by the Texas_Constitution in 1876, consisted of nine Academic universities, six health institutions, and UT System administration in 2004. 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 3 largest by population and is the world's 15th top ranking university{{ref|UTIs15thRanked}}. 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.{{ref|NobelPrize}} The Texas_A&M;_University_System is the second largest state university system of higher learning in Texas. Its flagship institution is Texas_A&M;_University located in College Station and is the state's oldest public institution of higher education. Funded research generally exceeds that of all other Texas universities, 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 home to the Texas_Medical_Center, the world's largest concentration of Research and Healthcare institutions, such as Baylor_College_of_Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and The_University_of_Texas_M._D._Anderson_Cancer_Center. The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, which now ranks as one of the world's most productive and highly regarded academic institutions devoted to cancer patient care, research, education, and prevention. Houston is the location of a well known prestigious private institution of Rice_University, which boasts one of the largest Financial_endowments of any university in the world. The small undergraduate student body is among the nation's most select and one of the highest percentages of National Merit Scholarship winners. Rice University maintains a variety of research facilities and laboratories. Rice is also associated with the Houston Area Research Center, a consortium supported by Rice, the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M; University, and the University of Houston. 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 San_Antonio is home to many universities, such as the rapidly-growing UTSA, a branch of the University of Texas system, as well as Trinity University, St. Mary's University, and University of the Incarnate Word, and Our Lady of the Lake University. {{seealso|List of colleges and universities in Texas}} ==Transportation== === Interstate_highways === Image:Interstate10.png *Interstate_10 *Interstate_20 *Interstate_27 *Interstate_30 *Interstate_35 *Interstate_37 *Interstate_40 *Interstate_44 *Interstate_45 *Interstate_69 (proposed extension) *Interstate_410 *Interstate_610_(Texas) *Interstate_635 *Interstate_820 === United_States_highways === Image:US59.png
''North-south routes'' | ''East-west routes'' |
*U.S._Highway_59 *U.S._Highway_259 *U.S._Highway_67 *U.S._Highway_69 *U.S._Highway_75 *U.S._Highway_175 *U.S._Highway_271 *U.S._Highway_77 *U.S._Highway_277 *U.S._Highway_133 *U.S._Highway_79 *U.S._Highway_81 *U.S._Highway_181 *U.S._Highway_281 *U.S._Highway_83 *U.S._Highway_183 *U.S._Highway_285 *U.S._Highway_385 *U.S._Highway_87 *U.S._Highway_287 *U.S._Highway_96 (north-south despite number) | *U.S._Highway_54 *U.S._Highway_57 (east-west despite number) *U.S._Highway_60 *U.S._Highway_62 *U.S._Highway_70 *U.S._Highway_66 (historic ''Route 66'') *U.S._Highway_80 *U.S._Highway_180 *U.S._Highway_380 *U.S._Highway_82 *U.S._Highway_84 *U.S._Highway_90 *U.S._Highway_190 *U.S._Highway_290 |