State Name:
Texas
Capital:
Austin
Date of Entry:
December 29, 1845
Maps:
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| Map of the USA. Texas outlined in dark ink & with name written on it. |
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| A close-up of Texas & its neighbors. |
Neighbors:
Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mexico, New Mexico
Water Borders:
Red River, Sabine River, Gulf of Mexico, Rio Grande
Total Area:
268,581 square miles
Five Largest Cities:
Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth
Famous Geographical Point:
South Padre Island
State Nickname:
The Lone Star State. The Texas flag from the time it was an independent republic, to now, well into statehood, famously features one star.
Famous Person:
Frederick "Tex" Avery, animator, director, cartoonist, and voice actor (best known for Bugs Bunny and co.)
It was hard to choose. So many famous people are from Texas! On the bright side, I now know that Cyd Charisse's real name was Tula Ellice Finklea. I can see the appeal of the stage name.
Book Set In/About:
Texas: A Novel by James A. Michener
This nearly 1500-page behemoth spans four and a half centuries of Texas history, from Spanish conquistadors to modern statehood.
Movie Set In/About:
"Hud" (1963), directed by Martin Ritt
On a failing Texas cattle farm, a father and son are locked in a power struggle.
Headline of the Day:
"Northwest Mall Picked as Houston Station Site for Texas Bullet Train" on KTRK-TV.
Texas is kind of like baseball for me. It comes with a nostalgic love that perhaps only extends to my thinking about it and not to my actually experiencing it for any length of time.
ReplyDeleteMy adviser in college was from Texas and though we were living in Missouri, I could tell how much she loved her state. She kept moving around, taking a job in Massachusetts and North Carolina, and she and her family eventually worked their way back to Texas, where she is quite happy to live. The way she described it in her Christmas Letter had me wanting to move there myself.
Richard Linklater is another person who fuels my in-thought-only love of Texas. I enjoy his movies, and the man is a master at filming his home state: the sun going down over the baseball field in Dazed and Confused, floating on a tube in the middle of the night in Everybody Wants Some, and pretty much every single long shot in Boyhood.
I'd like to visit someday; the extent of my Texas experience was a quick drive across the panhandle.
There's something special about Texas. I really enjoyed living there, especially Austin. I would still go back to Austin to live in a heartbeat, if given the opportunity. The recent bombings were breaking my heart. I'm glad it's over. You should definitely visit some day, although I definitely recommend avoiding summer, unless you're fond of 90+ degree heat.
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