Ever since Stephen F. Austin brought the first group of colonists to Texas, it has surprised and delighted newcomers to the area. In Texas, you can't separate the land from the culture. The state contains 267,300 square miles (692,307 square kilometers) of faults, folds, high and low plains, canyons, mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, and bayous. And with its awe-inspiring size comes an incomparable diversity of people, flora, fauna, arts, and traditions.

In a similar way, the state's demographic history is a convergence of emigrational lines from all points of the compass. Influences from many different cultures—Native American, European, African, and Latino—have made it impossible to identify Texas with any one group. Spanish influences on many aspects of Texas life—language, food, architecture, music, and fashion—are deeply woven into the Texas fabric. Today, the rural areas and small towns that grace the triangle created by the Houston, Austin and San Antonio metropolitan areas offer a unique experience to the discriminating traveler. Still authentic and unspoiled, the part of the Lone Star State that was once an independent nation remains an historic one-of-a-kind travel experience.

Texas Treats
There are lots of great reasons for visiting Texas: the scenery, the culture, and the people, just to name a few. If for no other reason, go to Texas for the food. Texas offers one of the best attractions all day long, all year round: Texas cuisine. Whether you’d like to sample its famous barbecue, Tex-Mex, Five Star, or all ethic varieties in between, Texas provides culinary treats for all tastes.

Surf, Sun and Sand
Take 600 miles of some of the most beautifully kept beaches in the world, add the warmth of the Gulf waters and Texas hospitality, and you’ve got a retreat worth having. Come and enjoy the sandy expanses of Galveston Island, Port Aransas, Corpus Christi, and South Padre Island to name a few, and avail yourself of all the surf in between.

Texas Wild Rides
Whether you want to ride roller coasters, white water rapids, or galloping horses, Texas has it all. Millions of visitors go to the Lone Star State to enjoy its numerous theme parks, water parks, and expansive national parks.

Texas Golf
No other state can beat the quality and diversity of the more than 800 Texas golf courses. In fact, Texas hosts more than half a dozen PGA and LPGA tour events on some of the most beautiful and challenging courses to be visited. From the world-class venues made famous by Hogan, Crenshaw, Kite, Trevino, and other great native sons, to beginner courses, Texas has it all for the golfing traveler.

Texas Nature Tourism Activities
Texas is internationally known as a destination for nature tourists. Throngs of hunters, anglers, campers, bird watchers and other outdoor enthusiasts travel to Texas every year in pursuit of their favorite outdoor activity. Texas is preeminent among all states in valuable wetlands and, as a result, is the premier bird watching destination in the U.S.. Activities available to Texas visitors include camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, walking, backpacking, canoeing, kayaking, rafting and float trips, rock climbing and mountaineering, bicycling, outdoor photography, dude ranches and ranch experiences, geological tours, living history experiences, wildlife tours, caving, sailing, boating, swimming, scuba diving, shelling, beachcombing, and scenic driving tours.

Wild West Texas Adventure
Take a tour from El Paso to Uvalde in the Hill Country Region, visiting Native American Reservations, the glorious Big Bend National Park, and the nation's third-largest man-made lake. Spend days traversing cattle country, from Point Rock in the Panhandle Plains Region, to the gateway of old Mexico, to the South of the Border flavor of Laredo. Along the way, you’ll enjoy the German heritage of New Braunfels and visit San Antonio for Spanish missions and historic battle sites of Texas Independence in the South Texas Plains Region.

Adventure from Brownsville, through the Capital City of Austin, to the classic frontier town of Abilene. Roam from Amarillo to Gainesville and see the famous roadside attraction Cadillac Ranch, the stunning Palo Duro Canyon and a hardware store that seems frozen in time since 1885. From Galveston to Granbury, wind through the Gulf Coast seaports to the aptly named Prairies and Lakes Region, with a daylong sojourn in Houston, the largest city in Texas. Go from Fort Worth to Port Arthur, with stops ranging from historical to cultural to natural, including the cosmopolitan city of Dallas, the American rose capital of Tyler, and a swamp full of Gators!

Remember the Alamo
More than 2.5 million people a year visit the complex known worldwide as "The Alamo." Most come to see the old mission where a small band of Texans held out for thirteen days against the centralist army of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Although the Alamo fell in the early morning hours of March 6, 1836, the death of the Alamo Defenders has come to symbolize courage and sacrifice for the cause of Liberty. The memories of James Bowie, David Crockett, and William B. Travis are as powerful today as when the Texan Army under Sam Houston routed Santa Anna at the battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836.

Located on Alamo Plaza in downtown San Antonio, Texas, the Alamo represents nearly 300 years of history. Three buildings—the Shrine, Long Barrack Museum, and Gift Museum—house exhibits on the Texas Revolution and Texas History. Visitors are welcome to stroll through the beautiful Alamo Gardens. Just a short walk from the River Walk, the Alamo is a must see for all who come to San Antonio.

San Jacinto
The San Jacinto Monument is dedicated "to Heroes of the Battle of San Jacinto and all others who contributed to the independence of Texas." The monument is a 570-foot limestone shaft topped by a 34-foot, 220-ton star symbolizing the Lone Star Republic. The building incorporates a number of innovative engineering features not common during the 1936-1939 period of its construction. The building is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's tallest stone column memorial.

The San Jacinto Museum of History, housed in the 570-foot San Jacinto Monument, is located on the battlefield where Texas won its independence from Mexico. The Museum is a private, non-profit, educational organization with a collection that spans more than four hundred years of early Texas history, from the Spanish conquest through Texas in the nineteenth century. Emphasis is on colonial Texas as a part of Mexico and the Republic of Texas. Visitors can also elect to ride to the Monument's observation floor 489 feet above the Battleground for views of the city and the Houston Ship Channel.

Fishing
Discover life under the water of Texas freshwater streams, ponds, and lakes! Go eye-to-eye with some of the largest, largemouth bass in the world or gaze into the eyes of an American Alligator in its natural environment. You can even fish to your heart's content at the 1.5 acre casting pond stocked with rainbow trout or channel catfish. Watch and even talk with our divers as they hand feed lunker bass in our 26,000-gallon dive tank. People come from all over Texas and the United States to fish in Texas coastal waters.

Area: 268601 sq.mi, Land 261914 sq. mi., Water 6687 sq.mi.

State Capital: Austin.

Location: 30.30588 N, 097.75052 W.

Border States: Arkansas - Louisiana - New Mexico - Oklahoma.

Agriculture: Cattle, cotton, dairy products, nursery stock, poultry, sorghum, corn, wheat.

Industry: Chemical products, petroleum and natural gas, food processing, electric equipment, machinery, mining, tourism.

Flag: The flag was adopted as the state flag when Texas became the 28th state in 1845. As with the flag of the United States, the blue stands for loyalty, the white represents strength, and the red is for bravery.

State Motto: Friendship.

Origin of state's name: Based on a word used by Caddo Indians meaning "friends".

Population: 20,044,141; 2nd, 12/99.

Shoreline: 3,359 mi., 7th.

Statehood: December 29, 1845.

Topography: Gulf Coast Plain in the south and southeast; North Central Plains slope upward with some hills; Great Plains extend over the Panhandle, are broken by low mountains; Trans-Pecos are southern extension of the Rocky Mountains.

Largest Cities: Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, El Paso, Austin.

Geographic Center: McCulloch, 15 miles northeast of Brady.

Highest Point: Guadalupe Peak; 8,749 feet, 14th.

Lowest Point: Gulf coast; sea level, 3rd.

State Bird: Mockingbird.

State Flower: Bluebonnet - Lupins texensis.

State Nickname: Lone Star State.

State Song: Texas, Our Texas.

State Tree: Pecan - Carya illinoensis.