All About Texas
Texas is a constituent state of the United States of America. With the fourth longest seacoast among the 48 coterminous states and a large shipping industry to match, it occupies the south-central segment of the nation. Its 266,807 square miles (691,030 square kilometres) make it larger than any nation in Europe with the exception of Russia. Water delineates many of its borders: the Rio Grande carves a shallow channel that separates Texas from Mexico on the southwest; the Gulf of Mexico laps its crescent-shaped coast on the southeast; the Sabine River forms most of the eastern boundary with Louisiana, where by land it is bounded by Arkansas as well; and the wriggling course of the Red River on the north makes up two-thirds of the state's boundary with Oklahoma. The Panhandle section juts northward, forming a counterpart in the western part of Oklahoma, and New Mexico lies to the west. Austin is the state capital.
The vastness and diversity of Texas, the largest state in the Union except for Alaska, are evident in nearly all aspects of its physical character, its history, and the economic and social life of its people. As an example, January temperatures in the Rio Grande valley have been known to register well over 90° F (32° C), while at the same time, nearly halfway to Canada, blizzards were blocking highways in the Panhandle section of the state. The image of Texas was that of a raw and lawless frontier when, in 1845, it surrendered its status as an independent republic to become the 28th state of the United States. This picture has altered drastically in the 20th century and now combines great agricultural wealth, major oil and natural gas production, high national rankings in industry and finance, huge urban centres that foster a cosmopolitan cultural life, and seemingly unending stretches of high prairie and range devoted to cattle and cotton.
The name of the state derives from the Spanish name (from an Indian word meaning allies or friends) for an Indian group. Texas is commonly divided into East and West, although the dividing line between the two is ambiguous. Generally, though, East Texas has a wet climate and is characterized by cotton and ties to the Old South, while West Texas is dry and is characterized by cattle ranching and an affinity to the West.
Far from being merely wide, arid plains that are filled with cattle and cowboys, Texas comprises a series of gigantic steps, from the fertile and densely populated Coastal Plains in the southeast to the high plains and mountains in the west and northwest. Stretching inland from the Gulf Coast, the Coastal Plains range from sea level to about 1,000 feet (305 metres). These flat, low prairies extend inland to form a fertile crescent that is well adapted to farming and cattle raising. Near the coast much land is marshy, almost swamp, except where drained by man-made devices. The western anchor of the Coastal Plains is the Rio Grande valley, where a heavy investment in citrus farming occasionally is damaged by disastrous freezes.
Cotton, cattle, and oil - all based on land resources - dominated the successive stages in Texas' economic development until the mid-20th century, and they have continued to undergird the state's basic wealth. Retailing and wholesaling, banking and insurance, and construction have been among the activities reflecting the general affluence, urbanization, and diversification of the state's economy. Despite the growth of manufacturing and other industries, however, the Texas economy has remained heavily dependent on oil and gas. Fluctuations in oil prices - such as those occurring in the 1980s - have directly affected the economy, with the result that the classic Texas ''boom and bust'' economic cycle has continued.
Numerous national corporate headquarters have moved to Texas, and petroleum companies have explored for new sources of energy to continue their leadership in providing fuel for the nation. The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, an installation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is located in Houston and is among many federal air installations in Texas. In addition, tourism has become a major business, and Dallas has attracted attention as a fashion centre - generally a low-wage industry, however, for most employees. Texas also has become preeminent in its oceanographic investigations into uses of the continental shelf and in the areas of medicine and surgery.
The vastness of Texas and its contrasts in terrain originally posed great difficulties for transportation yet greatly stimulated its development. The desire to develop inland areas was one factor leading to the establishment of Austin as the capital. In 1852 the legislature granted public lands to railroads for each mile of track constructed, and in 1883 it authorized a county road tax for farm-to-market dirt roads. By 1900 railroads crisscrossed the state, and dirt roads straggled between most communities. Today Texas leads the nation in road and rail mileage. It has a well-developed federal and state highway system, although concentrated in the more heavily populated east; this system is supplemented by an extensive network of roads maintained by counties and cities. As in other states, the actual mileage of mainline railroads has diminished, and passenger transportation has been discontinued over most lines. Operating freight revenues, however, have increased tremendously since the mid-20th century.
