15 Fun Facts About Texas That You Must Know

Howdy y’all doing today? You would have people saying this all the time when you are in Texas. Texas is one of the most iconic states in America located in the south central part of America. From its history, culture, and people, Texas has its own unique charm. There is so much to discover about Texas. 

Known as The Lone Star State, Texas does not become the state we all know today overnight. Changes and instability have always been a part of them and it makes them strong just like what we know today.  If you enjoy country music and cowboys, you need to know the place where it all started. Get your cowboy boots and hats ready cause we are going to discover more about Texas.

1. Six Flags Over Texas 

The Six Flags Over Texas is a famous theme park located in Dallas Texas. The entertainment park was created based on the idea of Angus G. Wynne Jr. who wanted to make theme parks larger than Disneyland but closer to town for easier and cheaper access. Then, the theme park finally opened in 1961 where it has six different themed areas which are based on the six different flags that have ruled over Texas. 

Now, the park has over 10 themed areas to facilitate both the young kids and adults in order to fulfill its vision of being a family entertainment park. It has a good combination of kids’ rides and thrilling rides which is suitable for families to come. The Six Flag is also a chain of theme parks in America that has opened several parks in different states and also in Mexico and Canada.  

2. 39th Largest Country In The World

Have you ever wondered how big Texas is? Texas is the second largest state in America at 695,662 km square land size. It comes just under the state of Alaska. With its huge land, Texas is bigger than any country in Europe. It would have been the 39th largest country in the world if it remained as its own country. There are roughly 200 different countries in the world. It means if Texas remained as its own country it would be bigger than most of the countries we know today.  

3. Home To Tornadoes

On average, Texas encounters 132 tornadoes annually. Its peak tornado season is in spring between March to May. Due to its vast area and proximity to the Tornado Alley, Texas is easily considered as the Tornado Capital of America. Since Texas is really big some cities like El Paso and Presidio experience almost no tornadoes at all, while cities like Keene and Joshua have too experienced so many tornadoes.

4. Dr. Pepper Comes From Texas

The famous Dr. Pepper soda was first invented in Waco, Texas. A pharmacist named Charles Ardelton formulated the carbonated drink in the 1880s. The drink was first served to the public in 1885 in the drugstore where Ardelton worked. It was sold as a pick-me-up drink or brain potion to bring in some energy. 

People started coming in and became fans of “Wako”. Then, it changes its name to Dr. Pepper, after Ardelton’s doctor friend’s name, to give a healthy sense to it. In 1904, it was distributed nationwide making it the oldest carbonated drink brand in America. 

5. Texas Power Grid 

Texas has managed its own electricity since 1970. ERCOT is an independent, non-profit organization that is responsible for providing Texas with its electricity. It serves 75% of the whole Texas region. There are three power grids in America: the Eastern, Western, and Texas/ERCOT grid. Thus, if there is a power shortage in America, it won’t affect Texas. While lights are off when you are in other parts of America, your friend in Texas most likely won’t be experiencing that. 

6. Texas Was Once Independent 

Before officially being part of America, Texas has had several other countries ruling over them including Spain, France, and Mexico. Texas was also once its own independent country. After struggling with the rule of Mexico for 15 years, Texas rebelled and successfully set itself free from Mexico in 1836. 

They decided to be their own country ever since then. Tasting the bitter sweet experience of standing on their own feet, Texas finally decided to give up its independence and join the United States as its 28th state in 1845. 

7. Largest Bat Colony 

In the northern outskirts of San Antonio, there is the famous Braven Cave. Braven Cave is home to 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats. It is the area which is considered as the key maternity site of these bats. Female bats would come and give birth to their young in this cave. Since 1991, Braven Cave has been adopted as a conservatory site for many bird species.

The Bat Conservation International (BCI) has been working hard to restore the 1500 acres of land to its natural beauty. They hope that in the near future the site will be open to the public where they can observe and study bats closer. 

8. Texas Unique Laws  

Texas has some unique laws regarding marriage. In Texas, for your marriage to be considered legal and official, it is important for the two parties to agree that they are getting married, live together as husband and wife, and tell others that they are married. It might seem usual to you. 

However, Texas people took the last part of it a bit too far. Your marriage is legal when you publicly announce your marriage not one, but three times. You can do it by words, by using wedding rings, etc., but you must do it three times before it is considered legal. Thus, there is no such thing as secret marriage in Texas. You are just not legally married if nobody knows about it. 

9. Barefoot Without Permission is Illegal

Texas has some of the most outrageous laws you will ever know. In Texas, going barefoot without permission is illegal. This law is set in order to enforce cleanliness and sanitation in the city. You can only go barefoot if you pay for the $5 permit before doing so, especially in public spaces. 

10. Home To Museums 

If you are planning to visit Texas anytime soon, you need to consider going to one of the many museums in Texas. Texas has around 1000 local museums only for its history museums and it has numbers of museums that cover sciences, arts, etc. The Space Center Houston, George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, and Mexic-Arte Museum are three of many museums that you need to visit when you are in Texas.  

11. 24-Hour Notice Crime 

One of the most-talked about laws in Texas is the 24-hour notice law. It is said that you should warn the victim 24 hours before you commit a crime against them. This law is said to be part of Texas anti-crime efforts. However, people are still debating whether this rule actually really exists today. What we know is that in 1973, this law was proposed, but didn’t make the cut for it to be official.  

12. Deadliest Natural Disaster America Has Ever Seen 

Being home to tornadoes, Texas has faced some of the biggest and most deadliest tornadoes in history. The Great Galveston Storm is the deadliest disaster that America has ever experienced. It happened in 1900 and nearly 8000 people got killed because of it. Almost a quarter of the Gavelstone’s population is wiped off. Gavelstone, once the grandest city in Texas was turned into pieces in just a short amount of time due to this. Up to this day, you can still see remnants of the hurricane. 

13. State for The Car Racer

Texas also owns the road with the highest speed limit in America. Since different states have their own speed limit, Texas has the speed limit 85 mph which is the highest mark in the whole of America. You can only find this super high speed limit only in one specific road: the Texas State Highway 30. It is a toll road that bypasses the Austin metropolitan area. The only road in America where you can legally drive that fast. 

14. Origin of Seven Eleven

Texas is home to some of the most popular brands in the world. One of them is the Seven-Eleven. You must all know about seven-eleven and some of us might live by the food and drinks they sold. Its first ever branch was established in Dallas, Texas in 1927. It is a Japanese-American convenience store chain which established its US headquarters in Dallas. Seven-eleven is apparently the first ever convenience store in America. Now, they have operated 60,000 stores all across the country. 

15. “Don’t Mess With Texas” 

The famous local pride saying, “Don’t Mess WIth Texas”, was originally not used to express your pride as Texans. It is actually a campaign made by an advertising agency to promote anti-littering campaigns in Texas. In the 1980s, Texas spent $20 million dollars just to clean up the trash in their highways. Thus, they found it necessary  to come up with a solution to raise awareness on this matter among highway users. This is where the campaign steps in. Unexpectedly, the campaign gains more and more popularity and people start using the phrase to show how proud they are to be Texans. 

As a state, Texas has experienced so much in the past. These experiences have shaped and molded them to be the strong and independent state that we all know today. That is all for Texas and just like what the Texans will say: Catch ya later! 

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