Texas Local Custom Tips by keeweechic Top 5 Page for this destination

Possum on the Half Shell

This reference is made to a 'mowed down' armadillo. A common site on the country roads in Texas. Also known as a Texas Speed Bump. It seems that even if a car can go over them, they will sometimes instinctively jump up into the air at the instant a vehicle passes over them.

The Armadillo first originated in South and Central America and is related to anteaters and sloths. The Armadillos travelled to Texas through Mexico and stayed because of the moderate climate which became essential for their survival. Armadillos don’t hibernate and cannot survive long periods of cold weather. Apparently they are one of the few animals that eat fire ants without any repercussions from the bites/stings.

Texas Facts

* The State Capitol in Austin stands largest among all the states.

* The San Jacinto Monument near Houston is among the tallest columns in the world; at 570 feet, its about twenty feet higher than the Washington Monument in the District of Columbia.

* Texas has more counties (254) than any other state. Forty-one counties in Texas are each larger than the state of Rhode Island.

* Of the nation's ten largest cities, three are in Texas (Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio).

* Texas is the nation's leading producer of oil, natural gas, beef, sheep, goats, wool, cotton, rice...and, oh yes, watermelons.

* Today, approximately 18 million people live in Texas, only slightly outnumbering its 15 million cattle. Texas today is also home for about 2.5 million deer and 200,000 alligators.

* The land area of Texas is larger than all of New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois combined. It extends 801 miles from north to south and 773 miles from east to west.

* The Dallas/Ft. Worth airport is larger than New York City's Manhattan Island. DFW Airport also has the worlds largest parking lot.

* El Paso, Texas is closer to Los Angeles on the Pacific Coast than it is to Port Arthur on Gulf Coast of Texas. Port Arthur, on the other hand, is closer to Jacksonville, Florida on the Atlantic Coast than it is to El Paso.

* Texas has the largest road system of any state; whether measured by 77,000
center line miles or by 184,000 lane miles.

Texas Facts II

* The State's cattle population is estimated to be around 16 million.

* 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 claims to have the nation's largest herd of whitetail deer.

* 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.

* Edwards Plateau in west central Texas is the top sheep growing area in the country.

Notable Texans

Billy the Kid
Davy Crockett
Willie Nelson
George Strait
Audie Murphy
Howard Hughes
Janis Joplin
Tex Ritter
Buddy Holly
Joan Crawford
Walter Cronkite
Sissy Spacek
ZZ Top
Sam Rayburn
Larry Hagman
Carol Burnett
Dan Rather
George W Bush
George H Bush Snr
Mary Kay Ash
Ross Perot
Tommy Lee Jones
Renee Zellweger
Lance Armstrong

Bonnie Parker

Probably the most well known resident at Crown Hill Cemetery In Dallas is Bonnie Parker. Bonnie was the infamous partner of Clyde – the notorious crime duo. She was born in Rowena, Texas but moved to Dallas when her father died in 1914. She met Clyde in 1930. He was jailed a couple of times before they began their reign of robberies. They hit grocery stores, filling stations, and small banks. During one failed robbery attempt, Bonnie was captured and jailed in Kaufman but released when the grand jury no-billed her. From the pair reunited and continued on their deadly crime spree through Texas Oklahoma, New Mexico and Missouri. Despite massive attempts to track the two down, the law enforcement failed until finally in 1934 the two met a violent end in an ambush near Sailes, Bienville Parish in Louisiana May 23, 1934.

Bonnies remains were moved here to Crown Hill from Fishtrap Cemetery in West Dallas in 1945 along with her sister Billie’s 2 children. Bonnie’s mother Emma is also buried here. The inscription on her tombstone reads “As the flowers are all made sweeter by the sunshine and the dew, so this old world is made brighter by the lives of folks like you".

Address: Crownhill Cemetery, Lombardy Lane and Webb Chapel Road. Dallas

Legal Drinking Age

The legal drinking age in Texas is 21. Many nightclubs have all-ages or 18 and over shows, but you'll have to show ID at the bar. If you are in a dry area and at a restaurant, you will need a Unicard. Ask the waiter and he can give you a temporary one - just fill out the info. I got one without having to produce any ID, I guess I looked over 18:-)

The legal blood alcohol limit in Texas is 0.08.

The Use of Y'all

Y'all gather 'round from far and near,
Both city folk and rural,
And listen while I tell you this:
The pronoun y'all is plural.

If I should utter, "Y'all come down,
Or we-all shall be lonely,"
I mean at least a couple folks,
And not one person only.

If I should say to Hiram Jones,
"I think that y'all are lazy,"
Or "Will y'all let me use y'all's knife?"
He'd think that I was crazy.

Don't think I mean to criticize
Or that I'm full of gall,
But when we speak of one alone,
We all say "you," not "y'all."

-Anonymous poem

.

For a natives clarification... ' Y'all ' is singular and ' all Y'all ' is plural. Sounds confusing to me:-)
.

The Legend of the Bluebonnet

The Texas fields are covered
With a blanket of deep blue.
But for a little Indian girl,
This would not be true.

Texas land was buried and dry.
Rains just would not come.
Indians danced and prayed for rain,
And beat upon their drums.

The Chief made a proclamation.
He appealed to one and all.
A prized possession must be sacrificed
Before the rains would fall.

The Indian camp was silent,
While each person searched his heart.
But when it came to sacrifice,
With possessions they would not part.

Suddenly a little girl steeped forth,
Holding her blue-clad doll.
She placed it in the roaring fire
and raindrops began to fall.

The rain brought forth the grass,
Among its blades, flowers of blue.
To be a sign for all the time
Of a love so pure and true.

Author Unknown

Texas Gun Laws

Handgun ownership: unrestricted, no permit or license required.

Rifle and Shotgun ownership: unrestricted, no permit or license required .

Semi-automatic "assault weapon" ownership: unrestricted, no permit or license required.

Machine Gun Ownership: no state restrictions, compliance with federal law only.

In other words… DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS!!

Facts on Dallas

Dallas has more shopping centres per capita than any other major U.S. City.

Dallas Market Centre is the worlds largest wholesale merchandise market.

Dallas has the largest Urban Arts District in America.

Dallas/Ft Worth Intl Airport is larger than the island of Manhattan and one of the busiest in the world.

Dallas is #16 city in America for overweight people (Houston is #1).

Dallas lays claim to having invented the Frozen Margarita Cocktail and the Chicken Fajita.

The Dallas Public Library in downtown Dallas has on permanent display one of the original copies of the Declaration of Independance printed July 4,1776.