kd_baby's VirtualTourist Home Page

I love my state. I love visiting other states, but I always enjoy coming back home. If you don't know why then get on the bus 'cause I'm about to take you to school (we have the most US highway miles than any other state, so there's plenty of driving)!

Let's start with population. Texas is the 2nd largest US state in terms of population (20 million people) and in terms of US land mass (only Alaska is bigger). Of 10 largest US cities, 3 are here in Texas:

#4 Houston (~2.009 million people)
#8 San Antonio (1.214 million people)
#9 Dallas (1.209 million people)

Even the universities are huge (UT Austin is the largest by population, and TAMU is the largest by land area).

Contrary to common Hollywood myths, not everyone in Texas has a southern accent and wears a cowboy hat. In fact, we have some of the largest concentrations of ethnic cultures in the US. Although there's a prevailing influence of Mexican culture, there are lots of Asians, Africans, and Europeans in Texas.

About the only thing Hollywood gets right is "Southern Hospitality"--we are friendly people.

Since the the US population is gradually shifting and growing westward, Texas is becoming a hotbed for businesses and American corporations. Companies from a myriad of industries are based in Texas. From JP Morgan, Chase, Geico, and most of the American oil companies either have their headquarters in Texas or have a large regional office in Texas.

Thanks to the oil business, Texas has been a boom for technological companies. All the big tech players are here: Cisco, Microsoft, TI (ahem, Texas Instruments), Sun, IBM, Dell, AMD, HP, Samsung, Motorola, and many, many others.

For better or for worse, Texas is big on politics. In particular, political lobbying is big in Texas. Heck, the current president did his major political work in...Texas (technically, George W. Bush isn't *from* Texas...he was born in Connecticut...details, details).

Texas is known for Barbeque, Chili, and Tex-Mex. In regards to Tex-Mex, some things should be noted:

1) It's not the same as Mexican food, but similar
2) It's heavy
3) It's not the same outside the state!

If you've had Tex-Mex outside the state, then you haven't had real Tex-Mex. I've tried Tex-Mex in a couple of states outside of Texas, and the farther North you go, the worse it gets. Well, some of it's good, some of it's bad, but none of it's the same. Actually, the same can be said for BBQ.

That being said, thanks to some of the other cultures, we also have some of the best German, Vietnamese, Thai, and Latin, and Greek food you can find.

Believe it or not, Texas is not entirely a desert. We actually have mountains, plenty of water (we border the Gulf of Mexico and have lots of rivers), and it even snows in North Texas and the Panhandle. In fact, the number one natural disaster in Texas is flooding, and that happens across large portions of the state.

We have beautiful oak trees and bluebonnets (when in season).

Alright, that's enough of a lesson. Y'all come back now, ya hear!