State Pride

I just got back from a trip to Mississippi and while I was there I realized something. Texas is a very proud state. Proud in the best sense of the word, of course. Texans are always uplifting their state. We're always singing songs about it, wearing it on t-shirts, and flying its grand ol' flag.

While I was in Mississippi I never once saw a Mississippi flag. I was there for two whole days. I was in the capitol of Mississippi! But I never saw their flag. I haven't got a clue what it looks like. I was also in Louisiana for several hours. I drove from the west side to the east side of Louisiana and again, never once saw a flag. Not one.
About a year ago I was in Oklahoma. Its pretty much the same story there. I was able to find one Oklahoma flag flying in front of the library. But that's it.
I was talking to an out-of-state friend the other day about this same topic. When I asked her what her state flag looked like she couldn't even remember!

So I decided once I got back into Texas I was going to count how many Texas flags I could find in one day. The answer? 92. Ninty-two. Did you hear me? Should I say it again? 92. In one day of driving around Houston, Tx I found 92 Texas flags. That's amazing. They were absolutely everywhere. They flew outside of car dealerships, business buildings, peoples homes. They were on billboards, bumberstickers and even painted onto the sides of buildings.

Its obvious how proud we Texans are of our state. And why shouldn't we be? Its the greatest state there is!

Here are some interesting Texas facts....

Capital City: Austin

Statehood: December 29, 1845 (28th)

Population: 20,044,141

Nickname: Lone Star State

Motto: Friendship

State Bird: Mockingbird

State Flower: Bluebonnet (lupinus)

State Tree: Pecan (carya illinoensis)

State Song: Texas, Our Texas

State Mammal (Large) : Texas Longhorn

State Mammal (Small): Armadillo

State Reptile: Horned Lizard

State Flying Mammal: Mexican Free-tailed Bat

State Plant: Prickly Pear Cactus

State Folk Dance: Square Dance

State Fruit: Texas Red Grapefruit

State Dish: Chili

State Pepper: Jalapeno

State Fish: Guadalupe Bass

State Insect: Monarch Butterfly

OTHER INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT TEXAS

. Texas is popularly known as The Lone Star State.

. The Alamo is located in San Antonio. It is where Texas defenders fell to Mexican General Santa Anna and the phrase Remember the Alamo originated. The Alamo is considered the cradle of Texas liberty and the state's most popular historic site.

. The King Ranch in Texas is bigger than the state of Rhode Island.

. More wool comes from the state of Texas than any other state in the United States.

. Texas is the only state to enter the United States by treaty instead of territorial annexation.

. The state was an independent nation from 1836 to 1845.

. Texas boasts the nation's largest herd of whitetail deer.

. When Texas was annexed in 1845 it retained the right to fly its flag at the same height as the national flag.

. The capital city of Austin is located on the Colorado River in south-central Texas. The capitol building is made from Texas pink granite.

. Austin is considered the live music capital of the world.

. Texas is home to Dell and Compaq computers and central Texas is often referred to as the Silicon Valley of the south.

. Dr Pepper was invented in Waco, Tx in 1885.

. The first suspension bridge in the United States was the Waco Bridge. Built in 1870 and still in use today as a pedestrian crossing of the Brazos River.

. Texas comes from the Hasinai Indian word tejas meaning friends or allies.

. Texas has the first domed stadium in the country. The structure was built in Houston and opened in April 1965.

. The Houston Comets are the only team in the country to win four back-to-back WNBA championships. 1997-2000 Cynthia Cooper remains the only player to win the WNBA Championship MVP.

. The worst natural disaster in United States history was caused by a hurricane that hit Galveston in 1900. Over 8000 deaths were recorded.

. The first word spoken from the moon on July 20, 1969 was Houston.

. Texas possesses three of the top ten most populous cities in the United States. These towns are Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio.

. El Paso is closer to Needles, California than it is to Dallas.

. Texas includes 267,339 square miles, or 7.4% of the nation's total area.

. The state's cattle population is estimated to be near 16 million.

. More land is farmed in Texas than in any other state.

. More species of bats live in Texas than in any other part of the United States.

. Laredo is the world's largest inland port.

. Port Lavaca has the world's longest fishing pier.

. The Tyler Municipal Rose Garden is the world's largest rose garden. It contains 38,000 rose bushes representing 500 varieties of roses set in a 22-acre garden.

. Amarillo has the world's largest helium well.

. The world's first rodeo was held in Pecos on July 4, 1883.

. The Flagship Hotel on Seawall Boulevard in Galveston is the only hotel in North America built entirely over the water.

. Brazoria County has more species of birds than any other comparable area in North America.

. The Aransas Wildlife Refuge is the winter home of North America's only remaining flock of whooping cranes.

. Jalapeno pepper jelly originated in Lake Jackson and was first marketed in 1978.

Until next time, Juliana.