Texas is located in the
United States Southwest.
With an area of 261797 square miles (678051 km²)
and a population of 23.5 million in 254 counties,
the state is 2nd largest in both area,
behind Alaska, and population,
behind California.
Texas declared its independence
from Mexico in 1836 and existed as the independent Republic of
Texas for nearly a decade.
In 1845, it joined the United States
as the 28th state.
For more details, contact the Texas State Government Website.
WEATHER
The huge size of Texas and its location at the intersection of several climate zones gives the state highly variable weather.
There are 3 main zones: the humid subtropical climate of the eastern half of Texas, the temperate semi-arid steppe climate of the northwestern part, and the subtropical near-desert climates of the southern parts of West Texas, around El Paso.
El Paso averages as little as 7.8 inches [198 mm] of rain per year while as much
as 59 inches [1499 mm] falls near Galveston.
Snow often falls during winter months in the north.
Temperatures in the summer months average from 80 ° F [26 ° C]
in the mountains of West Texas to around 100 ° F [38 ° C] in the Rio Grande Valley.
Summer temperatures range from the upper 50s ° F [12 ° C] in the West
Texas mountains to 80 ° F [27 ° C] along the Gulf Coast near Galveston.
Thunderstorms are common in the eastern and northern part of the state.
Tornado activity is common in Texas, averaging around 139 incidents per year. This is more than any other state.
ECONOMY
The Texas Association of Business
represents companies from the largest multi~national
corporations to small businesses in nearly every
Texas community.
The Association works to improve the business climate
and to help make the state's economy the strongest in the world.
For more than 75 years, they have been on the front
lines of the legislative, regulatory, and
judicial battlefields, fighting for every
issue that impacts business to ensure that
employers’ opinions are being heard.
Texas has more Fortune 500 company headquarters than any other state.
With an annual gross state product of almost 100 billion USDollars,
Texas has the 2nd largest economy in the USA
(behind California).
The state has 2 major economic centers:
Dallas and Houston.
Fully 1/3 of the 33 billionaires residing in Texas make their home in Dallas.
Houston stands at the center of the petro~chemical,
biomedical research trades, and aerospace (particularly NASA) while
Dallas functions as the center of the defense manufacturing and information technology labor market in Texas.
Texas leads the nation in beef,
which usually exceed 16 million head of cattle.
Cotton is the leading crop and the state's 2nd most valuable farm product.
Texas also leads in national production of grain sorghum, watermelons, cabbages, spinach, wheat, and corn.
Texas healthy economic growth is attributed to the availability of jobs, the low cost of housing,
the lack of a personal state income tax,
limited business regulations, central geographic location, favorable climate, and vast supplies of oil and gas.
The proven petroleum deposits of Texas make up approximately 1/3 of the known national supply.
Texas is home to a major film industry.
Austin is 1 of the top filmmaking locations in the country.
Billions of dollars have been spent on film and
television production.
Texas is internationally known for its energy and aeronautics industries,
and for the ship channel at the Port of Houston
(the 6th~largest port in the world).
The Texas Medical Center contains the world's largest concentration of research and health~care institutions.
SCHOOLS
The state's public school systems are administered by the
Texas Education Agency, located in Austin.
The Texas Education Agency is comprised of the commissioner
of education and agency staff.
The TEA and the State Board of Education guide and monitor
activities and programs related to public education in Texas.
The SBOE consists of 15 elected members representing different
regions of the state.
One member is appointed chair by the governor.
Under the leadership of the commissioner of education,
the mission of the Texas Education Agency is to provide
guidance and resources to help schools meet the educational
needs of all students.
The TEA operational costs are supported by both state
and federal funds.
There are more than 100 colleges and universities and dozens of
institutions engaged in research and development in Texas.
The University of Texas at
Austin, Texas
A&M University, and the University of Houston
are the state's 3 largest institutions.
The state is home to the oldest university in the state,
Baylor University; and also Rice University;
1 of the country’s
leading teaching and research universities.
Texas has over 1000 school districts.
All but 1 of the school districts in
Texas are separate from any form
of municipal government. School districts may
cross city and county boundaries.
Texas also has numerous private schools.
The TEA has no authority over private school operations.
Private schools may or may not be accredited, and achievement
tests are not required for private school graduating seniors.
Many private schools will obtain accreditation and perform
achievement tests as a means of encouraging future parents
that the school is genuinely interested in educational performance.
It is generally considered to be among the least restrictive states
in which to home school.
Neither the Texas Education Agency
nor the local school district
has authority to regulate home school activities.
There is no minimum number of days in a year, or hours in a day,
that must be met, and achievement tests are not required for
home school graduating seniors.
The state has little or no authority to regulate the practice.
For more details please contact the
Texas Education Agency.
HOSPITALITY
Explore the Lone Star State.
Discover the variety of unique activities offered in
each of the 7 distinct Texas regions.
From Dude Ranches in the Texas Hill Country,
a remote lodge in the middle of Big Bend National Park,
to a resort hotel along the Riverwalk in San Antonio,
Texas has the perfect place to stay.
Texas has as many cities as
there are stars in the sky.
Take a road trip, and you will find exciting events everywhere.
There are fairs, festivals, sports, shows, concerts,
exhibits & other events across Texas
that will take your breath away. 
TourTexas.com
is an official website of the
Texas Travel Industry Association.
Based in Austin, the Association
unites businesses, organizations, associations and
individuals who are dedicated to
developing Texas tourism to its fullest potential.
For more details please contact
Texas State Tourism.
NEWS
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