Known for their generosity, hospitality, unusual accent, and penchant for the larger-than-life, Texans are wonderful people to meet, and the variety of cultural experiences, from feasting on bratwurst with the Germans of the Hill Country to watching Flamenco dancers with the Tejanos of the Rio Grande valley, is seemingly unlimited.
The large size of the state should not be underestimated. Texas measures over 267,000 square miles (695,673 sq. km) in area, making it slightly larger than France. Having a car is essential for travel between cities, and within most. The traveler should factor on long driving times between cities and destinations.
Texas is bordered by the states of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, and Chihuahua.
READ THIS ==> READ THIS ==> This list is meant to be only a SMALL REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE of READ THIS ==> cities, not a complete list of all the interesting ones. READ THIS ==> We know you want to see your city listed here, but in the interest READ THIS ==> of keeping the list manageable a consensus was reached to limit READ THIS ==> the list to nine ( 9 ). Please discuss on the talk page. Thanks! READ THIS ==>
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France, Spain and Mexico have all laid claim to '''Texas''' at one point or another. However in 1836, Texas won its independence from Mexico and became the Republic of Texas. The most famous battle of the fight for independence was the stand at the Alamo. Although tragic, the sacrifice allowed the main army of Texas time enough to gather their strength and defeat the formidable Mexican army, led by General Santa Anna. Nine years later Texas agreed to be annexed by the United States and became the 28th state of the Union.
The ethnic background of Texas is extremely diverse. Fully one-third of the population has some sort of Hispanic background. There are also many German settlements (Fredericksburg, New Braunfels, et. al.), as well as Norwegian, Polish, Czech, Swedish and French settlements. Also a sizeable number of African-Americans (mainly in East and Southeast Texas) and Asian-Americans (usually found in metropolitan areas of Texas) can be found.
Texas is a huge state and thusly experiences an extreme variety of weather. The state is very warm in the summer months, with temperatures often above 100oF (38oC). In West Texas and the Panhandle, summers are usually dry with fits of stormy weather. North (Dallas/Fort Worth region) and coastal (Houston region) areas have unstable climates (hence the oft-repeated saying about Texas weather: "If you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes" – though 10 minutes later you might not like the change). Thunderstorms are common, sometimes generating tornadoes and hailstorms. It is often warmer near the coast, though humidity can be unbearable in the summer. Conversely, the spring, autumn and winter are relatively pleasant for most of the state. It rarely dips below the freezing point in winter, except in the Panhandle region where the winters can get quite cold (Lubbock and Amarillo have suffered devastating blizzards in the past), and though it is quite rare, even points as far south as Corpus Christi and Brownsville have seen snow.
As stated before, the sheer size of the state is not to be underestimated. Brewster County in West Texas is larger in land area than Rhode Island and Delaware combined; Texarkana is closer to Chicago than it is to El Paso, and Brownsville is closer to Mexico City than it is to Dallas. If you are wanting to take in the full Texas experience, you will need ample time to do so.
Texas has no official language. However, as with the rest of the United States, English is the predominant language of the state. Spanish is also widely spoken by approximately one-third of the population. (Don't assume that all people of Mexican origin speak Spanish; some families have been in Texas for longer than Texas has been part of the U.S.) Texas also has small numbers of Chinese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese speakers as well.
Don't assume that the majority people are going to have a "Texan" accent. While you will run into many that do, the majority of Texans, especially in the cities, lack the "Texan twang" we associate with the state's residents.
Texas shares an international border with Mexico as well as a 600 mile coastline. It is bordered on the north by the state of Oklahoma, on the west by the state of New Mexico, and on the east by the states of Arkansas and Louisiana. As a state of the United States, all visa and passport rules of the USA apply.
Texas has several international airports, including the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), the largest and busiest airport in Texas and 2nd busiest airport in the United States. It is a major airline hub and is relatively cheap to fly into. George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is also a major hub and has the most international connections in the state. Other major airports can be found in, San Antonio, El Paso, and Austin, though almost every reasonably sized city in the state is served by some kind of air transportation.
Three Amtrak trains serve the state: The Texas Eagle, Sunset Limited, and Heartland Flyer. Fares are high and ride times are long, but the Amtrak offers a unique perspective for those who are interested.
Texas is well-served from other points in the U.S. by the United States Interstate Highway system, the quality and condition of which is generally very good. There are many roads which cross into Texas from Mexico, most notably in Laredo and El Paso. Due to the enormous amount of traffic from Mexico and Central America, Laredo is the country's largest inland port, and wait times at this and all border stations can often be tremendous. In all, Texas boasts over 72,000 miles of state and federal highways.
Note: If you are not a U.S. citizen and you are driving into the U.S. from Mexico, you must have a visa or valid permit beforehand, as they are not issued at the bridges accross the Rio Grande. If you are a U.S. citizen, you must present a passport to customs at the border crossings to re-enter the United States. Otherwise, your vacation in Mexico just got longer!
Major ports in Texas include Houston, Corpus Christi, Galveston, Beaumont, Port Arthur and Brownsville. Both the Port of Houston and the Port of Galveston are home ports for Cruise ships.
The road system is almost universally excellent, and even the most remote points in the state can be accessed with an average sedan. Gas stations are numerous, however in West Texas do not press your luck. Texan highways are often built with parallel frontage roads and turnarounds at most exits. Speed limits are very strictly enforced in rural areas of the state; Texas state troopers will pull you over for an infraction as small as five miles per hour over the speed limit, as traffic fines are often an important source of income for many smaller towns, but when travelling through larger cities observing the "common speed" is much safer. [http://www.texas-map.org/ Texas Map] features a detailed scrollable road map which can be printed in sections. The rural speed limit in Texas is generally 70 MPH, though it increases to 80 MPH on Interstates 10 and 20 in the sparsely populated far western portion of the state.
On the down side, Texas has one of America's worst traffic safety records. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Texas had the nation's highest number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities in 1997.
Texas is home to several major airlines: American Airlines [http://www.aa.com/] (Dallas/Ft Worth Airport), Southwest Airlines [http://www.southwest.com/] (Houston Hobby Airport and Dallas Love Field), and Continental Airlines [http://www.continental.com/] (Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport). American and Continental fly to many national and international destinations. Southwest is the no-frills discounter granddad and flies throughout Texas and most of the United States. Travel to any destination world-wide is quite painless from the larger Texas airports. Direct flights to and from Houston's IAH include London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dubai, Doha, and Tokyo. Direct flights to and from Dallas/Fort Worth's DFW include Buenos Aires, Frankfurt, London, Paris, Tokyo, Toronto, and Vancouver.
Since Texas cities are geographically dispersed, travel by train is expensive and often inconvenient, though Amtrak [http://www.amtrak.com/] does provide several lines. Passenger service is no longer an option for cities in the Panhandle or southern Texas. Again, the size of the state is startling; traveling across the width of Texas (from Orange, in the eastern extremity, near Houston, to El Paso in the western extremity) is roughly the same distance as one would encounter while traveling from El Paso to Los Angeles or from Houston to Jacksonville, Florida. Texarkana, in the northeast corner of the state, is closer to Chicago than it is to the extreme southern tip of Texas.
Greyhound [http://www.greyhound.com/home.asp] provides intercity bus service. Other bus carriers include TNM&O, Kerrville Bus Co. & Americanos.
Texas has many cities with fabulous nightlife. Some of the more notable include:
The maximum legal Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) limit for adults is 0.08.
In early 2006, the controversial Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission (TABC) program that allows for "public intoxication" arrests in any public area or business establishment, including bars, drew national attention. This was due to an unfortunate incident where people staying in a hotel were arrested for being intoxicated in that hotel's bar. There has been enough negative feedback from the public regarding the TABC program that it has been suspended for review.
The crime rate in Texas is relatively low. In the larger cities, if you stay in the tourist areas you will be generally safe (talk to your hotel concierge or manager if you aren't sure about a certain area). The rural areas have a very low crime rate. Texans have a reputation for carrying firearms or resolving disputes with gunfire, but such actions are not significantly more common here than in other parts of the US. Concerns about crime spilling over from Juarez across the border into El Paso have waned, as El Paso remains a very safe city.
The startling heat of a Texas summer is not to be underestimated. The state has experienced temperatures as high as 120oF (49oC), and though this extreme is rare, it is a good indicator of how hot things can get. Areas from north central Texas down to the coast also tend to experience stifling humidity during the spring and summer months, so pack accordingly with plenty of loose, light colored clothing. The western portion of the state tends to experience higher temperatures and lower humidity, and although Texas deserts are beautiful, the heat can be dangerous without the proper precautions. Bring plenty of water and sunscreen. Be aware of the weather during hurricane season on the coast (June through November, though hurricanes move slow and provide days to weeks of warning), and of tornado season (spring and summer) if you're planning a trip from the Dallas/Fort Worth area and points west.
Texas is in ''"Tornado Alley"''. Check the Tornado safety page if you are visiting Texas.
'''Texas is generally safe for gays and lesbians''', as the laws against homosexuality were struck down by the Supreme Court (via Lawrence v. Texas court case in 2003). Some Texans do hold some negative views towards public displays of homosexuality, but this varies by where one travels, with homophobic views usually being found in the more rural parts Texas. Regardless, violence against gays is very rare. The cities of Austin, Dallas, and Houston contain large gay scenes, and attitudes towards homosexuals are more positive in those cities than in any other parts of the state.
To the east is the South region of the United States, specifically the bordering states of Louisiana and Arkansas. Oklahoma is to the north, and the state of New Mexico is to the west. For a completely different perspective, and source of much talk in Texas, Mexico is to the south.
Out of Dallas/ Houston, it's easy to fly to any worlwide destination. Both cities host regular flights to Europe, Asia, and South America. From San Antonio, Austin, Corpus Christi, connecting to one of these cities is not a big hassle. From El Paso, it may be easier to fly to Los Angeles and then to other points worldwide. Many deep south Texas residents sometimes cross the border and take flights from Monterrey now that it has non-stops to New York and other cities north.
For the braver, more adventurous (and more frugal) passengers, the Greyhound bus may be another option. Please take into consideration that this mode of transportation is used by those who cannot afford air travel and you may be riding with migrant workers, and very low income Americans. Even so, conditions in stations and on the buses are first class. The Greyhound takes you to remote cities within Texas, and can take you as far as Mexico City and all points in Canada. Passengers on Greyhound going to Mexico must have a valid passport.