Nickname: Lone Star State
Area: 262 015 sq.mi. (678 615.7 km2)
Highest point: Guadalupe Peak 8 749 ft. (2 666.7 m)
Population: 19 975 700 Capital: Austin
Largest city: Houston

Texas is located in the Southern region of the USA. It is bordered by New Mexico from the West, Oklahoma from North, Arkansas, Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico on the East, and the Rio Grande River separates it from Mexico on the South. Its geography is quite altering. The Western territories are dominated by the chains of the Rocky Mountain, while the central region is an expanded flatland. The Edward Plateau is also to be found here. Its Eastern region features lowland, and the coastline line of the Gulf of Mexico. It’s got one of the mostly developed industries in the USA; it is an important center of oil industry and agriculture. They grow cotton, wheat and Satsuma on its fertile fields. The expanded meadows feature cattle-breeding. Texas is a legendary state of the USA. If we leave out Alaska, Texas is the largest states of the country, the home of 20 million people. The most populous cities are Amarillo, Lubbock and El Paso in the West, Fort Worth, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Laredo in the middle, and Houston and Corpus Christi in the East.

Photo: Country, Texas, USA, flickr.com, by Houstonian

The capital of the state is Austin, which is the center of education, culture, industry and administration too. The city features a colorful culture; there are a lot of musical programs throughout the year. The entertainment quarter of Austin features several night clubs and concert halls. The city is a scene of stirring college life. Austin is the home of the largest university of the state, the University of Texas. If you’re in Austin, visit the majestic building of the State Capitol, which is the largest of its kind in the USA, and also check out the Blanton Museum of Art, which features an interesting artistic collection.

photo: Austin, Texas, USA, flickr.com, by h-angele

The most famous city of Texas is Dallas, which is the center of transportation, culture, oil industry, commerce and scientific life. Its downtown is dominated by huge skyscrapers, which are full of offices. It is worth to visit the Reunion Tower, which has an elegant restaurant on its top floor offering a beautiful panorama of the city and the surroundings. It’s worth to walk along to Main Street, which is the center of commerce in Dallas, and also to visit the West End quarter, which is the entertainment and recreation center of the city, with several cinemas, theatres, bars and night clubs. We can taste delicious food in the restaurants of the Deep Ellum quarter, or we might have a rest of Thanks-giving Square, where fountains and flowers are waiting for the people. Check out the museums of the city: the Dallas Museum of Art offers a wonderful artistic collection; the Sixth Floor Museum is an exhibition of the murder of Kennedy. John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas on 22nd November, 1963. We’ll have a fantastic experience if we visit the popular parks of the city: the Mountain Creek Lake Park, where we may rest beside a wonderful lake; the Fair Oaks Park, where we might catch a concert or a theatrical performance; and we may also go to the charming Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.

Photo: Dallas, Texas, USA, flickr.com, by dherrera_96

The city of Fort Worth practically became a part of Dallas; it was constructed together in the past few years with its more famous neighbor. Fort Worth is a large city on its own, with a population of one and a half million. It’s worth to visit its downtown, which features several old buildings, and it’s also recommended to take a tour it the city’s museums. Have a walk on the Sundance Square, the main quarter of the city. It is surrounded by building from the late 19th century, and you can eat in elegant restaurants. Visit the museums of the city, which hide fantastic artistic collections; they are: the Kimbell Art Museum; the Amon Carter Museum; and the Sid Richardson Collection of Western Art. If you’re looking for entertainment and recreation, the Forth Worth Stockyards District is your place. It is the entertainment district of the city with pubs, bars and night clubs, like the famous Billy Bob’s Texas Club, which is one of the largest clubs in the world – it has nearly 50 bars inside.

Photo: Fort Worth, Texas, USA, flickr.com, by Tim Cummins

San Antonio is an important center of tourism in the Southern region of Texas. It is a true Latin city. Just walk along the pictorial Riverwalk (Paseo del Rio) in the downtown, which is flanked by elegant shops and Latin restaurants. Visit the beautiful buildings: The Alamo and La Villita. The museums of the city, which are worth to visit are: the Institute of Texas Art, if you’re interested in the culture of Texas; the Museum of Art, which offers a fantastic artistic collection; and the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum, which introduces the world of the Wild West. It’s also worth to pay a visit to the Missions National Historical Park, which has beautiful buildings that belong to four Catholic Missions.

Photo: San Antonio, Texas, USA, flickr.com, by Jonathan D. Blundell

Houston is the largest city of Texas, and is the home of nearly 2 million people. It is situated near the shore of the Gulf of Mexico. It is a center of industry, transportation, astronautics, commerce, education and culture. It has a busy harbor, which accepts several thousand ships a day. Houston is the home of the University of Houston, the Rice University, the Houston Baptist University and the University of St. Thomas. The downtown of Houston is dominated by skyscrapers, where you may find the offices of several respectable companies of Texas and the USA. If you’re looking for some entertainment, visit Montrose District, the entertainment quarter of the city, where night clubs, bars, restaurants and galleries are waiting for their guests. You may also relax in the wonderful parks of the city, like the Bayou Bend the Memorial Park, where you might get a magnificent panorama of the downtown. Do visit the museums and historical sites of the city, like the Museum of Art, where they preserve paintings even from such masters as Renoir or Manet; the Menil Collection, where you’ll find the works of Picasso or Max Ernst. The San Jacinto Battleground has also a lot of interesting things to show you. It is a tribute to the former Republic of Texas. The San Jacinto Tower stands in the middle, which is 184 meters tall. You must definitely visit the Space Center Houston, which is the headquarters of the American astronautics. They control the space shuttles and the rockets from here, and you’ll also get to see an exhibition about the history of astronautics, and there are several object and equipment on display.

Photo: Houston, Texas, USA, flickr.com, by little black spot on the sun day

If you’re lucky to spend a little more time in the state, visit its rural areas as well, including the smaller cities, that will introduce the real Texas to you.

Corpus Christi lies on the sea-shore of the Gulf of Mexico. It is a busy harbor, and the center of tourism. Its coastal line is flanked by sandy beaches and first class hotels. It’s worth to visit the Texas State Aquarium, which introduces the wildlife in water of the Gulf of Mexico.

Photo: Corpus Christi, Texas, USA, flickr.com, by imagematters1

Galveston is also known for its fantastic sandy beaches. It is situated on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, not far from Houston. It’s worth to check out its wonderful arboretum, the Moody Gardens.

Photo: Galveston, Texas, USA, flickr.com, by wools

The two larger cities in the North-Western region of Texas are Amarillo and Lubbock.

It is worth to visit the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, where they cook real Texan food, and the Cadillac Ranch, where you’ll find ten classical Cadillac with their hoods buried into the sand.

Photo: Amarillo, Texas, USA, flickr.com, by kafkan

Lubbock is a University City and the center of culture. The career of such famous artists as Roy Orbison, Tanya Tucker, or Buddy Holly started here. The musical center is a tribute to them, and is named after Buddy Holly, who dies young.

It’s also worth to visit the two largest border cities of Texas: El Paso on the West, and the city of Laredo in the East. We can get a taste of the Latin culture and cuisine.

Photo: El Paso, Texas, USA, flickr.com, by sunchild_dd


Photo: Laredo, Texas, USA, flickr.com, by Broken Piggy Bank

The romantic countryside of the state and the magnificent national parks and historical monuments, Texas will give an unforgettable experience to the tourists. The national parks and memorial places of Texas are:

· Big Bend Ranch National Park

Photo: Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA, flickr.com, by Jeremy Chen

· Rio Grande Valley

· Big Ticket National Preserve

· Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

· Padre Island National Seashore

Photo: Padre Island National Seashore, Texas, USA, flickr.com, by AmyEmilia

· Guadalupe National Park

Photo: Guadalupe National Park, Texas, USA, flickr.com, by zrim

· Palo Duro Canyon State Park

· Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge