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For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation).
Map of Texas, showing major cities and roads
Texas (IPA: /ˈtɛksəs/) is a state geographically located in the south-central part of the United States, which the Census Bureau places in a sub-region of the U.S. South designated West South Central. It is also known as the Lone Star State.
With an area of 268,820 square miles (696,200 km²) and a rapidly growing population of 23.5 million, as estimated in 2006, spread among 254 counties, Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population. Dallas and Houston are the centers of the state\'s two largest metropolitan areas. Other major cities include the state capital of Austin, the state\'s oldest major city of San Antonio, and the western city of El Paso.[1] Due to its long history as a center of the American cattle industry, Texas is associated throughout much of the world with the image of the cowboy.
Topographically, the easternmost section of the state is covered by the same Piney Woods that cover much of the Deep South. Moving westward, this evolves into semi-forests of oak and cross timbers then, as the climate gradually becomes more arid, turns into rolling plains and prairie and, eventually, desert in the Big Bend region surrounding El Paso. It is these wide open spaces of the Texas prairie that have lent currency to the phrase that "everything is bigger in Texas."[citation needed]
Because of its large size and unique history, the regional affiliation of Texas is often debated. Historically and culturally, it has very close ties to the South. However, due to Texas\'s history as a Spanish colony, its border with Mexico, and its large Latino population, Texas can also be considered a Southwestern state. Nevertheless, while most residents acknowledge these categories, many claim an independent "Texan" identity superseding regional labels.
Spain was the first European country to claim Texas. Starting in the 1820s, North American and European immigrants began arriving in the area, and in 1836 Texas declared its independence from Mexico, and continued to exist as the independent Republic of Texas for nearly a decade. In 1845, it joined the United States as the 28th state. Texas is one of only four independent states to enter the US federation.[citation needed] Annexation of Texas led the United States to war with Mexico leading to the Mexican Cession and helping to plant seeds for the U.S. Civil War. Texas was the 7th state to join the Confederate States of America. Shortly after the start of the 20th century, discovery of oil led to an economic boom in the state and greatly increased funding for higher education. Texas grew rapidly, becoming the second largest state in population by 1994, and became economically diversified, with a growing base in high technology.
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Texas state welcome sign
The state\'s name derives from táyshaʔ, a word in the Caddoan language of the Hasinai, which means "friends" or "allies".Texas Almanac. Retrieved on 11, 2006. Retrieved on 07, 2006.Texas. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved on 2007-02-25.Wallace Chafe, p.c.
The word Texas has found its way into the American English vernacular in ways not directly related to the actual state. Due to the state\'s large geographic size, the term "Texas sized" is often used to describe large things.Farivar, Cyrus (2007-06-26). Texas-Sized Supercomputer to Break Computing Power Record (HTML). Wired News. Retrieved on [].Blumenthal, Ralph (2007, July 30). [http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/07/30/news/lake.php Texas-sized noxious weed threatens State\'s largest natural lake] (HTML). International Herald Tribune. Retrieved on []. The state\'s name has been used as part of several brands such as the Louisville, Kentucky restaurant chain, Texas Roadhouse, and the multinational semiconductor corporation, Texas Instruments. Texas Hold \'Em is the most popular form of poker in the world.
A shortened form of "Texas", Tex, has been used as a nickname for someone having been born and/or raised in the state. Some people nicknamed "Tex" include basketball coach Tex Winter and original Dallas Cowboys president and general manager Tex Schramm. Tex also has been used as a prefix for several words related to Texas including Tex-Mex or the city Texarkana.
The common nickname for the state, The Lone Star State comes from the single star of the former Republic of Texas. The star is still found on the state seal and flag, symbolizing Texas\'s fight for independence and that Texas was an independent republic.Texas (HTML). NETSTATE.COM (12/11/2007). Retrieved on [].
Prior to European colonization, Texas was inhabited by Native American nations such as the Caddo, Comanche and Apache. Spain was the first European country to claim the territory of Texas. Starting in the 1820s, American and European immigrants began arriving in the area. Mexico declared its independence from Spain, and Texas declared its independence from Mexico on March 2, 1836. Following this date, Texas existed as the independent republic for nearly a decade. In 1845, it joined the United States as the 28th state. Texas is one of only four independent states to enter the US federation.[citation needed] Annexation of Texas led the United States to war with Mexico leading to the Mexican Cession. In the American Civil War, Texas was the 7th state to join the Confederate States of America. Near the turn of the 20th century, discovery of oil led to an economic boom in the state. Texas grew rapidly, becoming the second largest state in population 1994, diversifying its economy, with a growing base in high technology.
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| History of Texas |
Texas boasts that "Six Flags" have flown over its soil: the national flags of Spain, the Fleur-de-lis of France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States of America, and the United States of America.Flags of Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
American Indian tribes who once lived inside the boundaries of present-day Texas include Apache, Atakapan, Bidai, Caddo, Comanche, Cherokee, Kiowa, Tonkawa, Wichita, Hueco and the Karankawa of Galveston. 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.Native Americans from the Handbook of Texas Online
Alonso Álvarez de Pineda, creator of the first map of the northern Gulf Coast, made the first documented European sighting of Texas in 1519.Chipman (1992), p. 243. Weber (1992), p. 34. On 6 November 1528, shipwrecked Spanish conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca became the first known European in Texas.Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca from the Handbook of Texas Online Texas was immediately claimed by Spain as part of New Spain.Spanish Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online but was not settled immediately. In 1685 La Salle established the first European community in Texas, the French colony of Fort Saint Louis.Weber (1992), p. 149. The colony, located along Matagorda Bay, lasted only four years before succumbing to harsh conditions and hostile natives.Chipman (1992), p. 83.
Due to the perceived French encroachment, Spain established its first presence in Texas in 1691 constructing of several missions in East Texas.Chipman (1992), p. 89. The missions failed quickly, and Spain did not resettle Texas until two decades had passed.Weber (1992), p. 155. Spain returned to East Texas in 1716, establishing several missions and a presidio to maintain a buffer between Mexico and the French territory of Louisiana.Chipman (1992), pp. 111–112.Weber (1992), p. 160. Two years later, the first civilian settlement in Texas, San Antonio, was established as a way station between the missions and the nearest existing Spanish settlement.Weber (1992), p. 163. San Antonio quickly became a target for raids by the Lipan Apache.Weber (1992), p. 188. In 1749, the Spanish signed a peace treaty with the Apache,Weber (1992), p. 193. which angered the enemies of the Apache and resulted in raids by the Comanche, Tonkawa, and Hasinai tribes.Weber (1992), p. 189. Fear of Indian attacks and remoteness from the rest of the kingdom discouraged settlers from moving to Texas, and it remained one of the least populated provinces of New Spain.Chipman (1992), p. 205.
The Comanche signed a treaty with Spain in 1785Weddle (1995), p. 163. and later assisted in defeating the Lipan Apache and Karankawa tribes which had continued to cause difficulties for Spanish settlers.Weddle (1995), p. 164.Chipman (1992), p. 200. An increase in the number of missions in the province allowed for a peaceful conversion of other tribes, and by the end of the 1700s only a few of the hunting and gathering tribes had not been Christianized.Chipman (1992), p. 202.
Although Spain also held Louisiana for several years, in 1799 it ceded the neighboring territory back to France. Napoleon selling of Louisiana to the United States the following year, led to a border dispute of Texas.Weber (1992), p. 291. U.S. President Thomas Jefferson insisted that the purchase included all land to the east of the Rocky Mountains and to the north of the Rio Grande.Weber (1992), p. 292. The dispute was resolved in 1819, with the signing of the Adams-Onís Treaty recognizing the Sabine River as Texas\'s eastern boundary.Weber (1992), p. 299. Two years later, the state became a province of Mexico after the Mexican War of Independence.Weber (1992), p. 300.
Moses Austin was the first Anglo American to receive permission to settle in Texas, but died before he could bring settlers to Texas. His son, Stephen F. Austin, continued his father\'s work. In 1821, Texas became part of the newly independent Republic of Mexico and, in 1824, became the northern section of Coahuila y Tejas. Spain\'s policy of allowing only full-blooded Spaniards to settle Texas also ended with Mexico\'s independence. On 3 January 1823, Stephen F. Austin began a colony of 297 Anglo-American families known as the "Old Three Hundred" along the Brazos River, after Austin was authorized to do so by Governor Antonio María Martínez and then successive Mexican officials as Mexico went through tumultuous political regime changes. Austin soon organized even more groups of immigrants, with authorization from the Mexican government. By 1830, the 30,000 Anglo settlers in Texas outnumbered Tejanos two to one.
The Convention of 1832 and the Convention of 1833 were responses to rising unrest at policies of the Mexican government, which included ending duty free imports from the United States and the threat of losing a special allowance for slavery in the state. Slavery was abolished in Mexico after its independence.Mexican Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online In 1835, Antonio López de Santa Anna, President of Mexico, proclaimed a unified constitution for all Mexican territories, including Texas. The new Constitution ended the republic and the federation, imposed a central style of government with power concentrated in the President, and turned states into provinces with governors appointed from Mexico City. Some states around Mexico rebelled against this imposition, including Chihuahua, Zacatecas and Yucatan. Texans were also irritated by other policies including the forcible disarmament of Texan settlers, and the expulsion of immigrants and legal landowners originally from the United States. Centralista forces\' suppression of dissidents in Zacatecas also inspired fear of the Mexican government.Texas Revolution from the Handbook of Texas Online
Republic of Texas. The present-day outlines of the U.S. states are superimposed on the boundaries of 1836–1845
On 2 March 1836, the Convention of 1836 signed a Declaration of Independence.Unanimous Declaration of IndependenceConvention of 1836 from the Handbook of Texas Online On 21 April 1836, the Texans—led by General Sam Houston—won their independence at the Battle of San Jacinto. Santa Anna\'s capture led to the Treaties of Velasco, which gave Texas firm boundaries; Mexico repudiated the treaties, considered Texas a breakaway province, and vowed to reconquer it. Later in 1836, the Texans adopted a constitution that formally legalized slavery. The Republic of Texas included the area of the present state of Texas, and additional unoccupied territory to the west and northwest.
Most Texans wanted their Republic to be annexed into the United States because of the Republic\'s defensive and financial difficulties. Events such as the Dawson Massacre and two recaptures of Béxar in Texas of 1842 added momentum to the desire for statehood.Calvert, R.; A. De Léon & G. Cantrell (2002), written at Wheeling, Illinois, The History of Texas, Harlan Davidson However, strong Northern opposition to adding another slave state blocked Texas\'s admission until pro-annexation James K. Polk won the election of 1844. On 29 December 1845, Texas was admitted to the U.S. as a constituent state of the Union.Annexation from the Handbook of Texas Online Texas was the only state to enter the United States by treaty instead of territorial annexation.[citation needed] The Mexican–American War followed, with decisive victories by the U.S.Mexican War from the Handbook of Texas Online Post war Texas grew rapidly as migrants poured into the cotton lands of the state.Cotton Culture from the Handbook of Texas Online
Just before the American Civil War, elected delegates met in convention and authorized secession from the U.S. on 1 February 1861. Texas voters later approved the measure in referendum, and the state was accepted as a charter member by the provisional government of the Confederate States of America on 1 March 1861.Secession Convention from the Handbook of Texas Online Partly due to its distance from the front lines of the war, a major role for Texas was to supply men, especially cavalry, for Confederate forces, many veterans of the Mexican–American War. Texan regiments fought in every major battle throughout the war.Texas Civil War Museum. Retrieved on 2006-09-03. Texas was a "supply state" for the Confederate forces until mid-1863, when the Union capture of the Mississippi River made large movements of men or cattle impossible. The last battle of the Civil War was fought in Texas, at Palmito Ranch, on 12 May 1865, at least a month after the surrender of the Confederate armies in the eastern theatres of war.Battle of Palmito Ranch from the Handbook of Texas Online
Texas descended into near-anarchy during the two months between the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia and the assumption of authority by Union General Gordon Granger, as Confederate forces demobilized or disbanded and government property passed into private hands through distribution or plunder.Civil War from the Handbook of Texas Online Juneteenth commemorates the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation on 19 June 1865 in Galveston by General Gordon Granger; over 2-1/2 years after the original announcement of 1 January 1863.Juneteenth from the Handbook of Texas Online President Johnson, on 20 August 1866, declared that civilian government had been restored to Texas.[2] On 30 March 1870 the Congress readmitted Texas into the Union, despite not meeting all reconstruction requirements.Restoration from the Handbook of Texas Online
The first major oil well in Texas was Spindletop, a little hill south of Beaumont, on the morning of 10 January 1901. Other oil fields were later discovered nearby in East Texas, West Texas, and under the Gulf of Mexico. The resulting “Oil Boom” permanently transformed the economy of Texas.Spindletop Oilfield from the Handbook of Texas Online Oil production eventually averaged three million barrels of oil per day at its peak in 1972.Oil and Gas Industry from the Handbook of Texas Online The economy, which had shown significant progress since the American Civil War, was dealt a double blow by the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.
From 1950 through the 1960s, Texas modernized and dramatically expanded its system of higher education. Under the leadership of Governor John B. Connally, the state created a long-range plan for higher education, a more rational distribution of resources, and a central state apparatus designed to manage state institutions more efficiently. These changes, helped Texas universities receive federal research funds during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.Blanton, Carlos Kevin. "The Campus and the Capitol: John B. Connally and the Struggle over Texas Higher Education Policy, 1950-1970" Southwestern Historical Quarterly 2005 108(4): 468-497. ISSN 0038-478X
The geography of Texas spans a wide range of features and timelines. Texas is the southernmost part of the Great Plains, which ends in the south against the folded Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico. It is in the south-central part of the United States of America. It is considered to form part of the U.S. South and also part of the U.S. Southwest.
The Rio Grande, Red River and Sabine River all provide natural state lines where Texas borders Oklahoma on the north, Louisiana and Arkansas on the east, & the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south. But to the west, the borders with the State of New Mexico & with the panhandle of Oklahoma are not based on natural features of terrain.
Some residents divide Texas into five regions: North, East, Central, South, and West. Texas Almanac divides Texas into four physical regions: Gulf Coastal Plains, Interior Lowlands, Great Plains, and The Basin and Range Province. This is the difference between human geography and physical geography.
Some regions of Texas are more associated with the South than the Southwest (primarily East Texas, Central Texas, and North Texas), while others share more similarities with the latter (primarily far West Texas and South Texas). The upper Texas Panhandle and the South Plains parts of West Texas do not easily fit into either category. The former has much in common with the Midwestern United States, while the latter, originally settled primarily by anglo Southerners, yet with a notable Hispanic population, is somewhat of a blend of South and Southwest.
The size of Texas prohibits easy categorization of the entire state wholly in any recognized region of the United States; geographic, economic, and even cultural diversity between regions of the state preclude treating Texas as a region in its own right.
Texas is the southernmost part of the Great Plains, which ends in the south against the folded Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico. The continental crust here is a stable Mesoproterozoic craton which changes across a broad continental margin and transitional crust into true oceanic crust of the Gulf of Mexico. The oldest rocks in Texas date from the Mesoproterozoic and are about 1,600 million years old. These Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks underly most of the state, and are exposed in three places: Llano uplift, Van Horn, and the Franklin Mountains, near El Paso. This is overlain by mostly sedimentary rocks. The oldest sediments were deposited on the flanks of a rifted continental margin, or passive margin that developed during Cambrian time. This margin existed until Laurasia and Godwana collided in Pennsylvanian time to form Pangea. This is the buried crest of the Appalachian Mountains—Ouachita Mountains—Marathon Mountains zone of Pennsylvanian continental collision. This orogenic crest is today buried beneath the Dallas—Waco—Austin—San Antonio trend. During this time E. Texas was a region of high mountains and shallow seas covered W. Texas.
The late Paleozoic mountains collapsed as rifting in Jurassic time began to open the Gulf of Mexico. Pangea began to break up in the Triassic but seafloor spreading to form the Gulf of Mexico occurred only in the mid and late Jurassic. The shoreline shifted again to the eastern margin of the state and the Gulf of Mexico passive margin began to form. Today there are 9 miles (14 km) to 12 miles (19 km) of sediments buried beneath the Texas continental shelf and a large proportion of remaining US oil reserves are to be found here. At the start of its formation, the incipient Gulf of Mexico basin was restricted and seawater often evaporated completely to form thick evaporite deposits of Jurassic age. These salt deposits have buoyantly risen up through the passive margin sediments to form salt dome diapirs, commonly found in East Texas, along the Gulf coast.
East Texas outcrops consist of Cretaceous and Paleogene sediments with contain important deposits of Eocenelignite. Oil is found in the Mississippian ad Pennsylvanian sediments in the north, Permian sediments in the west, Cretaceous sediments in the east, and along the Gulf coast and out on the Texas continental shelf. Oligocene volcanic rocks are found in far west Texas, in the Big Bend area. A blanket of Miocene sediments known as the Ogallala formation in the western high plains region is an important aquifer. Texas has no active or dormant volcanoes and few earthquakes, being situated far from an active plate tectonic boundary.
The large size of Texas and its location at the intersection of several climate zones gives the state highly variable weather. In general, though, there are three main climate zones: the humid subtropical climate (Koppen Cfa) of the eastern half of Texas, the temperate semi-arid (Koppen BSk) steppe climate of the northwestern part, including the Panhandle, and the subtropical steppe climate (nearly an arid desert climate, Koppen BSh) of the southern parts of West Texas, particularly around El Paso.
The Panhandle of the state is colder in winter than North Texas, while the Gulf Coast has mild winters. Texas has wide variations in precipitation patterns. El Paso, on the western end of the state, averages as little as 8 inches (200 mm) of annual rainfall while Houston, on the southeast Texas averages as much as 54 inches (1,400 mm) per year.Weather. Handbook of Texas Online. Dallas in the North Central region averages a more moderate 37 inches (940 mm) per year. Snowfall often falls in the winter months in the north. Maximum temperatures in the summer months average from the 80s °F (26 °C) in the mountains of West Texas and on Galveston Island to around 100 °F (38 °C) in the Rio Grande Valley. Nighttime summer temperatures range from the upper 50s °F (14 °C) in the West Texas mountainsMonthly Averages for Marfa, TX weather.com to 80 °F (27 °C) in Galveston.Monthly Averages for Galveston, TX. weather.com.
Thunderstorms are very common in Texas, especially the eastern and northern portion of the state. Texas also experiences the highest number of tornadoes out of every state in the Union, with an average of around 139 a year. Although these tend to strike most frequently in North Texas and the Panhandle, every part of the state is subject to these violent storms. [3] NOAA National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved on 24 October 2006. Tornadoes occur mostly between the months of April-July but may strike at any time of the year.
Texas emits the most greenhouse gases out of any state.Borenstein, Seth. "Blame Coal: Texas Leads in Overall Emissions", USA Today, 04-06-2007. Retrieved on 2007-06-06. The state\'s annual carbon dioxide emissions are nearly 1.5 trillion pounds (680 billion kg). Texas would be the world\'s seventh-largest producer of greenhouse gases if it were its own country.MSN City Guides. "Five Cities that Need help Getting Green". Heinrich Boll Foundation North America. "Approaches, Challenges, Potentials: Renewable Energy and Climate Change Policies in U.S. States", 2003-12. Much of the greenhouse gas emissions come from the state\'s refining and manufacturing industries which provide the bulk of the United States\'s petroleum and plastics.
The annual Houston International Festival spotlights a different culture each year
As of 2006, the state has an estimated population of 23,507,783, an increase of 579,275 (2.5%) from the prior year and an increase of 2,655,993 (12.7%) since the year 2000. Texas has seen an increase in population in all three subcategories—natural (births less deaths), net immigration, and net migration. The natural increase since the last census was 1,389,275 people (2,351,909 births minus 962,634 deaths), immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 801,576 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 451,910 people. The state passed New York in the 1990s to become the second-largest U.S. state in population.
As of 2004, the state has 3.5 million foreign-born residents (15.6 percent of the state population), of which an estimated 1.2 million are illegal immigrants (illegal immigrants account for more than one-third of the foreign-born population in Texas and 5.4 percent of the total state population).
As of the 2006 US Census estimates, the racial distribution in Texas are as follows: 54.4% White American, 11.9% African American, 3.4% are Asian American or American Indian, and 35.7% are Hispanics or Latino (of any race).http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/48000.html
The largest reported ancestry groups in Texas include: Mexican (25.3%), German (10.9%), African American (10.5%), English (7.2%), and Scots-Irish (7.2%). Descendants from some of these ancestry groups are underreported.
Much of east, central, and north Texas is inhabited by white Protestant heritage, primarily descended from ancestors from Great Britain and Ireland. Much of central and southeast-central Texas is inhabited by whites of German descent. African Americans, who historically made up one-third of the state population, are concentrated in those parts of East Texas where the cotton plantation culture was most prominent prior to the American Civil War, as well as in Dallas and Houston.
Several of the smaller European settlements have left their marks on the state. Frontier Texas saw settlements of Germans, particularly in Fredericksburg and New Braunfels. 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. Lavaca County is predominantly Czech.
More than one-third of Texas residents are of Hispanic origin and may be of any racial group. Many have recently arrived, while others, Tejanos, have ancestors who have multigenerational ties in Texas. Hispanics dominate south, south-central, and west Texas and are a significant part of the residents in San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas.
Immigrants (including illegal aliens)—primarily from far southern Mexico and Central America also contribute to the state\'s growth. The influx of immigration is partially responsible for Texas having a population younger than the U.S. average.
Recently, the Asian population in Texas has grown—primarily in Houston and Dallas.
Texas is a part of the strong socially conservative Evangelical Protestant, Bible Belt, and has a higher percentage of people with religious affiliation than any other statehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A19148-2003Jan20?language=printer. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas is home to three major evangelical seminaries, Dallas Theological Seminary, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Criswell College. The city has several of America\'s largest megachurches including the Potter\'s House pastored by T.D Jakes. Houston is home to the largest church in the nation, Lakewood Church, which is pastored by Joel Osteen. Lubbock, Texas has the most churches per capita in the nation.http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A19148-2003Jan20?language=printer
In 2000, The religious demographics of Texas were:State Membership Report - Texas. Association of Religion Data Archives. Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
The largest single denominations by number of adherents in 2000 were the Catholic Church 4,368,969, the Southern Baptist Convention 3,519,459 and the United Methodist Church 1,022,342.
As of 2000, six incorporated places in Texas had populations greater than 500,000, of which two are global cities: Houston and Dallas.http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/citylist.html Texas has a total of 25 metropolitan areas, with four having populations over 1 million and two over 5 million.
Texas has the most cities in the US, three, with populations exceeding 1 million: Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas; which are also among the 10 largest cities of the United States. Austin and Fort Worth are among the top 20 largest U.S. cities.List of United States cities by population
Houston
San Antonio
Dallas
| Texas rank | U.S. rank | City | Population within city limits | Metro Population | Land Area square miles (km²) | Texas Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Houston | 2,144,491 | 5,539,949 | 601.7 sq mi(1,558 km²) | East Texas |
| 2 | 7 | San Antonio | 1,296,682 | 1,942,217 | 412.1 sq mi(1,067 km²) | South Texas |
| 3 | 9 | Dallas | 1,232,940 | 6,003,967 | 385.0 sq mi(997 km²) | North Texas |
| 4 | 16 | Austin | 709,893 | 1,513,565 | 258.4 sq mi (669 km²) | Central Texas |
| 5 | 18 | Fort Worth | 653,320 | 6,003,967 | 298.9 sq mi (774 km²) | North Texas |
| 6 | 21 | El Paso | 609,415 | 736,310 | 250.5 sq mi (649 km²) | West Texas |
| 7 | 49 | Arlington | 362,805 | 6,003,967 | 99.0 sq mi (257 km²) | North Texas |
| 8 | 63 | Corpus Christi | 283,474 | 431,741 | 460.2 sq mi (1,192 km²) | South Texas |
| 9 | 69 | Plano | 250,096 | 6,003,967 | 71.6 sq mi (186 km²) | North Texas |
| 10 | 86 | Garland | 216,346 | 6,003,967 | 57.1 sq mi (148 km²) | North Texas |
The Texas Constitution—adopted in 1876—is the second-oldest state constitution still in effect. As with many state constitutions, it explicitly provides for the separation of powers and incorporates its bill of rights directly into the text of the constitution (as Article I). The bill of rights is considerably lengthier and more detailed than the federal Bill of Rights, and includes provisions unique to Texas.
The executive branch consists of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Comptroller of Public Accounts, Land Commissioner, Attorney General, Agriculture Commissioner, the three-member Texas Railroad Commission, the State Board of Education, and the Secretary of State. All of these positions are elected by the populace, with the exception of the Secretary of State, who is appointed by the Governor. The governor, Rick Perry, commands the state militia and can veto bills passed by the Legislature and call special sessions of the Legislature (an exclusive power for the Governor). The Governor also appoints members of various executive boards and fills judicial vacancies between elections. The Comptroller decides if expected state income is sufficient to cover proposed state budgets. The executive branch also consists of state agencies, boards and commissions. .
The bicameral Texas Legislature consists of the House of Representatives, with 150 members, and a Senate, with 31 members. The Speaker of the House, currently Tom Craddick leads the House, and the Lieutenant Governor, currently David Dewhurst, leads the Senate. The Legislature meets in regular session only once every two years. The Governor can call a special sessions, as often as desired.
The judicial system of Texas is one of the most complex in the United States, with many layers and many overlapping jurisdictions. Texas has two courts of last resort: the Texas Supreme Court, for civil cases, and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Except for some municipal benches, partisan elections select judges at all levels of the judiciary; the Governor fills vacancies by appointment.
Protesters at the 6th Annual March to Stop Executions
The justice system in Texas has a strict sentencing for criminals. Texas leads the nation in executions, with 400 executions from 1982 to 2007.Graczyk, Michael. "Texas Executes 400th Inmate", The Washington Post, 2007-08-22. Retrieved on 2007-08-22. Only capital murder is eligible for the death penalty. A bill making the rape of a child a capital crime in some instances is currently under consideration.http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/4626812.html Before 2005, the alternate sentence was life with the possibility of parole after 40 calendar years; in 2005, the law was modified to make the alternate sentence life without parole.
Known for their role in Texas law enforcement history, the Texas Ranger Division of the Texas Department of Public Safety continue to provide special law enforcement services to the state. Texas Game Wardens—law enforcement officers working for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department—are given the same amount of authority as any other law enforcement officer. It is a common myth that they can enter private property without a search warrant and search people or vehicles with no probable cause.[citation needed]
Map outlining 254 counties of Texas
There are 32 congressional districts in Texas, the second-most after California.
Texas has a total of 254 counties—the most of any state. Each county is run by a commissioners’ court consisting of four elected commissioners and a county judge elected from all the voters of the county. County government is similar to the "weak" mayor-council system; the county judge has no veto authority, but votes along with the other commissioners. All county elections are partisan.
Unlike other states, Texas does not allow for consolidated city-county governments, nor does it have a form of metropolitan government. Cities and counties are permitted to enter "interlocal agreements" to share services. Further, counties are not granted "home rule" status; their powers are strictly defined by state law and the Texas Constitution.
Texas does not have townships— areas within a county are either incorporated or unincorporated. Incorporated areas are part of a municipality either as a town or a city, though it may contract with the county for needed services. Unincorporated areas are not part of a municipality; in these areas, the county has authority for law enforcement and road maintenance. Municipalities are classified as either "general law" or "home rule". A municipality may elect home rule status (draft an independent 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. All municipal elections in Texas are nonpartisan. Once a municipality elects home rule status, it keeps that status even if the population later falls below 5,000.
Governor Rick Perry
The Democratic Party held a monolithic political presence in Texas from the beginning of its statehood until the late 20th century. Like many "Solid South" states, Texas harbored a deep resentment towards the Republican Party for the Radical Reconstruction after the American Civil War. Conservative Democrats however, endorsed many Republican presidential candidates because they perceived a liberal shift in their national party. When President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, he reportedly said "We have lost the South."
In 1978, the state elected its first post-reconstruction Republican governor, and in 2003, Republicans, for the first time, gained control of the state legislature. Today, Republicans control most of Texas\'s House delegation, and both U.S. Senators. Of the 32 congressional districts in Texas, 19 seats are held by Republicans and 13 by Democrats. The Republicans that represent Texas in the U.S. Senate are Kay Bailey Hutchison (since 1993) and John Cornyn (since 2003). Since 1994 Texans have not elected a Democrat to a statewide office. The remains of the state\'s Democratic presence is primarily comprised of minority groups and urban voters, particularly in Austin. Democrats and independents still hold many positions in city governments.
The Texas political atmosphere leans towards fiscal and social conservatism. Since 1980 Texas supported Republican Presidential candidates. In 2000 and 2004 Republican George W. Bush won Texas with 60.1% of the vote. This is in part due to his popularity as a recent Governor of that state. Austin is considered the state\'s most liberal city or "populist" bastion, and Houston is among the few urban areas that consistently vote Republican, but their metropolitan areas are very divided politically. Dallas remains approximately split. In the southwest part of the state, particularly in El Paso, Democrats are strong.
In 2006, Texas had a gross state product of $1.09 trillion,http://www.cpa.state.tx.us/ecodata/ecoind/ecoind5.html#product the second highest in the U.S.http://www.bea.gov/bea/newsrel/gspnewsrelease.htm
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