10 Fascinating Facts About Texas You Didn’t Know

Pardon us for showing our pride. But if your state could boast these facts, y’all would be proud too! The following facts about Texas were compiled by TexasProud based on the Guinness Book of World Records and other reliable sources.

  • The State Capitol in Austin stands largest among all the states.
  • The San Jacinto Monument near Houston is among the tallest columns in the world; at 570 feet, its about twenty feet higher than the Washington Monument in the District of Columbia.
  • Texas has more counties (254) than any other state. Forty-one counties in Texas are each larger than the state of Rhode Island.
  • Of the nation’s ten largest cities, three are in Texas (Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio).
  • Texas is the nation’s leading producer of oil, natural gas, beef, sheep, goats, wool, cotton, rice…and, oh yes, watermelons.
  • Today, approximately 18 million people live in Texas, only slightly outnumbering its 15 million cattle. Texas today is also home for about 2.5 million deer and 200,000 alligators.
  • The land area of Texas is larger than all of New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois combined. It extends 801 miles from north to south and 773 miles from east to west.
  • The Dallas/Ft. Worth airport is larger than New York City’s Manhattan Island.
  • El Paso, Texas is closer to Los Angeles on the Pacific Coast than it is to Port Arthur on Gulf Coast of Texas. Port Arthur, on the other hand, is closer to Jacksonville, Florida on the Atlantic Coast than it is to El Paso.

If you know some facts about Texas that you think should be added here, comment below and we’ll add it to the list.


About Lyman

Lyman Hardeman has held a deep interest in Texas history. He spent his youth in College Station, Texas and received a degree in Electrical Engineering at Texas A&M in 1966. In 1995, Lyman created Lone Star Junction, a popular Texas history website that later merged with TexasProud.com. Lyman is a life member of the Texas State Historical Association and the author of Texas A&M The First 25 Years.