Interesting Facts about Texas

Here is some lighter information about our great state, for use at cocktail parties (sorry, barbeques and tailgaters) and in case they do a special Texas Week on Jeopardy!

• The King Ranch in south Texas is bigger than the state of Rhode Island.
• Edwards Plateau in west central Texas is the top sheep growing area in the country.
• Texas boasts the nation's largest herd of whitetail deer.
• A coastal live oak located near Fulton is the oldest tree in the state. The tree has an estimated age of more than 1,500 years.
• During the period of July 24-26, 1979, Tropical Storm Claudette brought 45 inches of rain to an area near Alvin, Texas, contributing to more than $600 million in damages. Claudette produced the United States 24-hour rainfall record of 43 inches.
• More wool comes from the state of Texas than any other state in the United States.
• Corn was a staple crop of Native Americans in Texas long before the arrival of white settlers, as it has been grown in Texas for more than 2,000 years.
• Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in the state.
• The Hertzberg Circus Museum in San Antonio contains one of the largest assortments of circus memorabilia in the world.
• There were survivors of the 1836 battle for the Alamo: 20 women and children, all who were allowed to return to their homes.
• Sam Houston, arguably the most famous Texan, was actually born in Virginia. Houston served as governor of Tennessee before coming to Texas.
• Davy Crockett's famous quote, "You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas," was spoken during his campaign in Tennessee for reelection to Congress in 1834, in case he didn't win. He didn't, and he did (move to Texas) after the election.
• The first word spoken from the moon on July 20, 1969 was "Houston."
• El Paso is closer to Needles, California than it is to Dallas.
• More species of bats live in Texas than in any other part of the United States.
• The world's first rodeo was held in Pecos, Texas on July 4, 1883.
• The Flagship Hotel on Seawall Boulevard in Galveston is the only hotel in North America built entirely over the water.
• Jalapeno pepper jelly originated in Lake Jackson and was first marketed in 1978.
• Texas has the first domed stadium in the country, the Astrodome, which opened in Houston in April 1965.
• The Houston Comets are the only team in the country to win four back-to-back WNBA championships, from 1997-2000

For more fun facts, go to the Texas Historical Commission Texas Fun Facts page.