Portal:Texas

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Texas
State of Texas
Map of the United States with Texas highlighted
Map of the United States with Texas highlighted

Texas (/ˈtɛksəs/ TEK-səss, locally also /ˈtɛksɪz/ TEK-siz; Spanish: Texas or Tejas, pronounced [ˈtexas]) is the most populous state in the South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south and southwest. Texas has a coastline on the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast. Covering 268,596 square miles (695,660 km2), and with over 30 million residents as of 2023, it is the second-largest U.S. state by both area and population.

Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State for its former status as an independent republic. The Lone Star can be found on the Texas state flag and the Texas state seal. Spain was the first European country to claim and control the area of Texas. Following a short-lived colony controlled by France, Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming the Republic of Texas. In 1845, Texas joined the United States as the 28th state. The state's annexation set off a chain of events that led to the Mexican–American War in 1846. Following victory by the United States, Texas remained a slave state until the American Civil War, when it declared its secession from the Union in early 1861 before officially joining the Confederate States of America on March 2. After the Civil War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation.

Historically, four major industries shaped the Texas economy prior to World War II: cattle and bison, cotton, timber, and oil. Before and after the Civil War, the cattle industry—which Texas came to dominate—was a major economic driver and created the traditional image of the Texas cowboy. In the later 19th century, cotton and lumber grew to be major industries as the cattle industry became less lucrative. Ultimately, the discovery of major petroleum deposits (Spindletop in particular) initiated an economic boom that became the driving force behind the economy for much of the 20th century. Texas developed a diversified economy and high tech industry during the mid-20th century. , it has the most Fortune 500 company headquarters (53) in the United States. With a growing base of industry, the state leads in many industries, including tourism, agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace, and biomedical sciences. Texas has led the U.S. in state export revenue since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product. (Full article...)

Benjamin Milam leads the Texian soldiers fighting in the Battle of Goliad

The Battle of Goliad was the second skirmish of the Texas Revolution. In the early-morning hours of October 9, 1835, Texas settlers attacked the Mexican Army soldiers garrisoned at Presidio La Bahía, a fort near the Mexican Texas settlement of Goliad. La Bahía lay halfway between the only other large garrison of Mexican soldiers (at Presidio San Antonio de Béxar) and the then-important Texas port of Copano.

In September, Texians began plotting to kidnap Mexican General Martín Perfecto de Cos, who was en route to Goliad to attempt to quell the unrest in Texas. The plan was initially dismissed by the central committee coordinating the rebellion. However, within days of the Texian victory at the Battle of Gonzales, Captain George Collinsworth and members of the Texian militia in Matagorda began marching towards Goliad. The Texians soon learned that Cos and his men had already departed for San Antonio de Béxar but continued their march. (Full article...)
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Murphy wearing the U.S. Army khaki "Class A" (tropical service) uniform with full-size medals, 1948

Audie Leon Murphy (20 June 1925 – 28 May 1971) was an American soldier, actor, and songwriter. He was widely celebrated as the most decorated American combat soldier of World War II, and has been described as the most highly decorated soldier in U.S. history. He received every military combat award for valor available from the United States Army, as well as French and Belgian awards for heroism. Murphy received the Medal of Honor for valor that he demonstrated at the age of 19 for single-handedly holding off a company of German soldiers for an hour at the Colmar Pocket in France in January 1945, before leading a successful counterattack while wounded and out of ammunition.

Murphy was born into a large family of sharecroppers in Hunt County, Texas. After his father abandoned them, his mother died when he was a teenager. Murphy left school in fifth grade to pick cotton and find other work to help support his family; his skill with a hunting rifle helped feed his family. (Full article...)

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Clockwise from top left: Urban Towers at Las Colinas, the former Texas Stadium, Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, Downtown Las Colinas Skyline, The Mustangs at Las Colinas
Irving is a city in Dallas County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and is an inner ring suburb of Dallas. Irving is noted for its racial and ethnic diversity. The city had a population of 256,684 according to the 2020 United States Census, making it the twelfth-most populous city in Texas, and the 87th most populous in the U.S. Irving includes the Las Colinas mixed-use master-planned community and part of the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. (Full article...)

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Attractions


San Jacinto Monument seen from the USS Texas
Landmarks
Alamo Mission in San Antonio
Fort Sam Houston
King Ranch
San Jacinto Monument
Spindletop
Texas State Capitol
USS Texas (BB-35)
Presidential libraries
George Bush Presidential Library
George W. Bush Presidential Library
Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum
Battle of Palo Alto historical marker
Historic places
Adolphus Hotel
Barton Springs
Hotel Paso del Norte
Caverns of Sonora
Dealey Plaza
Eisenhower Birthplace Historic Site
El Camino Real de los Tejas Historic Trail
Elissa
Fair Park
Fort Concho
Fort Davis Historic Site
Lyndon B. Johnson Historical Park
Mission San Juan Capistrano
Natural Bridge Caverns
Palo Alto Battlefield Historic Site
Plaza Hotel (El Paso, Texas)
San Antonio Missions Historical Park
Strand Historic Landmark District


Eagle Point, Caprock Canyons State Park

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