27 Fun Facts About Texas That Will Surprise You

Texas is known for cowboy boots, barbeques, and hot weather, and yes, Texas does have all of those, but there are many more interesting things going on in the lone star state.

Here are 27 fun facts about Texas that you may find surprising.

1. Texas has been ruled by several nations throughout history, including Spain, France, and Mexico.

2. When Texas declared its independence from Mexico in 1836, it became a sovereign republic. Although Mexico refused to acknowledge Texas’ independence, the state remained solo for about ten years until it merged with the United States.

3. Texas has some of the oldest rocks identified, with some dating back 1.9 billion years.

4. The well-known phrase “Don’t mess with Texas” originated as an anti-litter slogan made by an advertising company tasked with finding a way to keep Texas clean. The phrase was well-liked and became the unofficial slogan for Texas pride.

5. Texas produces more oil, natural gas, and sulfur than any other place in the country.

6. Texas has more species of bird than any other state. In fact, it is the only state that has ever had a spotting of the rare bat falcon species.

7. Texas has a city called “Earth,” which is the only location on Earth named Earth.

8. There are over 1,000 ghost towns in Texas, many of which were abandoned in the 1800s.

9. Texas’ flag is the only state flag allowed to fly at the same height as the U.S. flag and is the only other flag that citizens are allowed to pledge allegiance to.

10. The entire world population could fit inside of Texas, and each person would have about 950 square feet to themselves.

11. It is still a hangable offense in Texas to steal cattle or put graffiti on another person’s cow; of course, this punishment is not used.

12. Texas has a city called “slaughter” that has, ironically, never had a homicide.

13. The largest city in Texas is Houston, and it’s also the fourth largest city in the U.S.

14. Texas emits the most greenhouse gasses in the United States and is the 7th largest greenhouse gas producer globally.

15. Texas has more tornadoes than any other state and averages about 139 per year.

16. Texas legalized medical marijuana in 2015, but it has the fewest medical marijuana patients in the country. According to the dispensary list at MarijuanaDoctors.com, Texas only has 13 dispensaries while other large states have hundreds.

17. Over 1,000 people move to Texas every day, many of which are relocating from other countries.

18. Texas has over 2.8 million small businesses and 28 million residents, meaning that approximately 1 in 10 Texans work for themselves.

19. The largest freeway in the world is the Katy Freeway in Texas. It has 26 lanes and is ranked the second most hated bottleneck.

20. Although helium is the second most abundant element in the universe, Earth has a limited supply of its usable form, and %90 of the world’s recoverable helium is located in Amarillo, Texas.

21. If Texas were a country, it would have the 13th highest GDP in the world and currently has the 2nd highest in the country.

22. Texas has had over 250 bigfoot sightings and has a bigfoot research center. However, If you decide to hunt him down, Texas law enforcement has no problem with you shooting and killing him.

23. West Texas is home to “blood lake,” a body of water that developed a ruby red color in 2011 when it became deprived of oxygen and a bacteria called Chromatiaceae started to thrive in its stagnant water. The predominantly Christian state perceived this color change as a sign that doomsday was near.

24. You do not need to have a large ceremony or even sign any papers to be considered legally married in Texas. All you have to do is publicly introduce somebody as your spouse at least three times.

25. In 2005, the town of Clark, Texas, renamed itself “DISH” in a deal made with DISH network that gave each resident ten years of free cable in return.

26. During the 19th century, Texas saw an influx of German immigrants which made German a common second language in the state. In fact, Texas has its own dialect of German called “Texas German” that is still spoken to this day.

27. Whole Foods, 7 eleven, Dr.Pepper, Dell, Indeed, Tito’s Vodka, and Yeti are all businesses that started small in Texas.

It may be surprising to find out that Texas has over 1,000 ghost towns, an entire community of bigfoot researchers, and the most hated freeway.

However, I am sure you are not surprised to hear that Texas has many other things to offer, like beautiful landscapes, a rich culture, and some of the friendliest people.