What Is Texas Known For? 26 Things Texas Is Famous For

What is Texas known for? How many things can you name? Well, we all know there are many things Texas is known for: cowboys, the world’s best bbq, and wildflowers. 

Aside from its size, cooking, and southern lifestyle, there is still a lot to know about Texas, one of the most beautiful states in the US.

Are you planning to visit Lone Star State or just curious about the things Texas is famous for?

Continue reading this article as we go through all the things Texas is famous for, including the sports teams, the beautiful Gulf Coast, and country music.

What Is Texas Known For? 26 Things Texas Is Famous For!

Here are 26 things Texas is known for. What else would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments!

1. The Size

Texas is the second-largest state and has the second-largest population in the US. In case you were wondering, Alaska is the first-largest in size, and California has the highest population. 

Texas is huge, bigger than most European countries, and larger than Japan and Thailand. 

It is 268,596 square miles with over 30 million residents, and some of its largest cities by area include Houston (the most populous city), San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, El Paso, and Galveston. 

Texas also features different landscapes, including mountains, rivers, forests, and deserts, and it’s a great place to explore as a tourist.

2. Warm Temperatures

Texas is one of the warmest states in America, with about 17 of its cities listed as the 50 hottest cities in the country. 

The state has different terrains like deserts, mountains, and forests, and the temperature usually depends on the region. 

However, Texas has a pretty hot summer and mild winter, one of the many reasons tourists love to visit the state. 

Houston, the state capital, is one of the hottest cities, with a maximum summer temperature of 94.5^oF. 

The great news is that there are many fun ways to deal with Texas heat, like heading to beach towns and eating cold delicious ice cream.

Read next: 71 Texas Sayings for Proud Texas

3. The Gulf Coast

The Gulf Coast is a popular destination for beachgoers in Texas, and it draws a lot of locals and visitors, especially in summer. 

This Texan attraction site features a lot of beautiful beaches, including Galveston Island, South Padre Island, and Corpus Christi, which are some of the best places to visit in Texas.

Visitors often engage in fun outdoor activities here, including fishing, kayaking, hiking, and birdwatching. 

Texas Gulf Coast is renowned for its wildlife and for being the home to America’s space program. 

The best time to be here is when the hurricane hits, and although it’s nothing like that of Hawaii, it’s totally worth a view.

4. Bluebonnets

If you’re going on a Texas road trip, chances are you will come across beautiful bluebonnets in the state. 

These beautiful florae are symbols of Texas and are planted across the roads of the state. 

The flowers are known for their distinctive blue color, with some parts showing deep purple and others gray. 

Bluebonnets have petals shaped like a bonnet hence its name. 

During the spring, thousands of people come to see bluebonnets in Texas, and it’s one of the most popular attractions in the state. 

Mind you, picking a bluebonnet in Texas is illegal, but you can go to the field for picnics and photographs when they are in bloom. 

The flowers are only in bloom for a few weeks before they wilt and turn brown, so when you come across them, bask in the opportunity and take pictures before they disappear.

5. Big Bend National Park

The Big Bend National Park lies on a huge bend in the Rio Grande River, and it’s one of the most popular tourist sites in West Texas. 

This national park in Texas is one of the most beautiful places in the US, let alone in the world.

It really is beautiful and distinct, with its dramatic mountains, canyons, and a beautiful river separating the United States from Mexico. 

Most people that travel to Texas enjoy coming to Big Bend National Park to tour the roads and engage in outdoor activities like hiking, picnicking, stargazing, paddling, and lodging in one of the campgrounds. 

Another popular activity here is birdwatching, as the park features more than 400 species of birds. 

Even if you aren’t here to watch birds, we assure you you will find some of them while hiking or walking the roads.

6. The Hill Country

Texas has distinct regions, with one of the most popular being the Texas Hill Country. 

If you’re seeking beautiful scenery in Central Texas, we recommend the Hill Country, where you will find charming small towns and ranches you can explore. 

German and Czech immigrants initially settled in this area and built their painted churches, and today you will find traces of their culture in their festivals like the Oktoberfest and Wurstfest. 

The Texas Hill Country is quite stunning and offers opportunities for many activities, including taking a sip in the swimming hole, hiking the granite dome, kayaking the Medina River, gazing at the beautiful sunflowers, or eating BBQ till your belly is full.

Some of the most enjoyable towns in the region are Canyon Lake, Wimberley, and Fredericksburg (a lovely small town in America with wonderful wineries).

7. BBQ

One of the major things Texas is known for is its tasty barbecue. Texan BBQ is one of the best and most popular Texan cuisines, and trust us when we say you need to try it to fully understand why it is famous. 

A quick fun fact about Texas: the German and Czech settlers were the first to bring BBQ to Texas before the meat-smoking tradition spread through the state in the 1860s. 

Currently, Texas has four different styles of BBQ: Central Texas, West Texas, East Texas, and South Texas.

Texas BBQ is the perfect food for every occasion, including birthdays, block parties, and marriages. In fact, a Texan gathering is only complete with BBQ.

8. Tex-Mex

Texas is known for its unique blend of Mexican and Texan flavors, otherwise known as Tex-Mex. 

There is a variety of Tex Mex throughout the state, including fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, and cheesy stuffed avocado. 

Texans take pride in their food, and it’s obvious in the Tex-Mex cuisine characterized by the use of cheese, meat, chili peppers, beans, and flour tortillas. 

If you are here in Texas, we highly recommend trying out the Tex-Mex menu at one of the many restaurants across the state.

9. NASA

East Texas houses the Johnson Space Center, where astronauts place a call when they have a problem. 

When you visit Texas, you can explore the Johnson Space Center museum, where you will find displays of spacesuits, learn more about NASA’s mission, and see the control room for the first moon landing. 

You can also bring little kids here, especially if they are fascinated by space or dream of being astronauts. 

They can try on a spacesuit, explore the area, eat astronaut food, and even meet a real astronaut. 

Johnson Space Center also features multiple exhibits, artifacts, displays, and films documenting the operations of the space programs and developments at NASA.

10. San Antonio Spurs

Basketball is a common sport in Texas, with the people’s favorite team being the Spurs. 

San Antonio Spurs are five times winners of the NBA championships, with the team owing its success to Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and the head coach, Gregg Popovich. 

San Antonio Spurs started as the Dallas Chaparral and were moderately successful but were sold to some San Antonio investors who renamed it ‘Spurs.’ 

The Spurs’ fans show their fandom by greeting each other with ‘Go Spurs Go!’ instead of the usual ‘hello.’

11. Dallas Cowboys

Texans love football, and Dallas Cowboys is one of the professional football teams the state is known for. 

The Dallas Cowboys, nicknamed “America’s Team,” is a favorite football team in Texas. 

The Cowboys have their stadium, the Cowboy Stadium, located in Irving, Texas, where you can watch a great show by the team. 

Forbes reported in 2020 that Dallas Cowboys were among the most popular NFL and one of the richest, as the franchise is worth $5.7 billion. 

The Cowboys are five-time winners of the Super Bowl Champions, and they play their home games at AT&T Stadium. 

Although the team hadn’t had a successful playoff in 25 years, they still have a very huge following, and it can only mean one thing, Texans love their football!

12. Houston Texans

One of the things Texas is known for is football, with the most popular sports team being Houston Texans. 

According to Tom Landry, a popular Cowboy’s Coach, “Football is to Texas what religion is to a Priest.” We couldn’t agree less. 

The Houston Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL), and you can catch their home games at the NRG stadium, one of the ten biggest stadiums in the NFL. 

Houston Texans are the youngest franchise in the NFL, as they only joined in 2002. Despite this, the team has a large fan base and popular players, and you will enjoy cheering them on at the stadium. 

The team, also known as “The Texans,” was founded in 1999 by Bob McNair until he died in 2018. Currently, the primary owner of the team belongs to his wife, Janice.

13. Cowboys & Cowgirls

When you think of Texas, you probably think of cowboys. 

One of the things Texas is famous for are real cowboys and cowgirls, and you may even find them riding their horses on the highway. 

You will easily recognize them with the boots, the cool hats, and how they carry themselves. 

The history of cowboys and cowgirls can be traced back to the years after the Civil War when many locals became involved in cattle farming. 

This work called for the need for cowboy boots and hats that could offer support while horse backing from Texas to markets in other states. 

In 2007, Cowboy boots were identified as the official footwear of Texas, and you will probably find people in this footwear everywhere. 

Aside from the boots and hats, the state celebrates cowboy culture through rodeos and country music.

14. Texas State Fair

One of the things Texas is known for in America is its large state fair. 

The Texas State Fair is one of the largest in America, and it is held in the Texas State Fair Park, where you will find a mechanical cowboy statue that greets visitors by saying, “Howdy Folks!”. 

The Texas State Fair is held annually and attracts visitors from all around the country. 

One of the major things that happen at the state fair is the Fried Foods Contest featuring some of the most delicious fried foods you will ever taste. 

Be careful, though; you want to eat only a few of those mouth-watering fried foods for your health. The fair also features attractions like live music, midway rides, and food vendors.

15. Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets were back-to-back winners of the NBA championships from 1994 to 1995. 

The team was introduced to the NBA as San Diego Rockets in 1967 and got their name for the local space program in the city. 

Houston Rockets currently competes at the Toyota Center in downtown Houston and is one of the most entertaining teams in the NBA.

16. Dallas Stars

Calling all hockey fans! Dallas Stars is the by far the most prominent Hockey Team in Texas and are in the Central Division of the National Hockey League. 

This hockey team was founded in 1967 and is one of the oldest in Texas. The Dallas Stars won the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals and currently hold their home games at the American Airlines Center. 

You’d see the Dallas Stars colors, green and black, worn by hockey fans across the state.

17. US Presidents

Texas is famous for making US presidents…or sort of!

Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lyndon B. Johnson, who first served as the Vice President of JFK before he served as president during the Vietnam war, were the only presidents actually born in Texas.

Still, more US presidents were raised in the Lone Star State (our favorite Texas nickname). Other famous people from Texas include George H.W. Bush, who served as Vice President under Ronald Reagan and held office from 1988-1992. 

His son, George W. Bush, was also a native Texan and was president during the terrorist attacks of 9/11. 

Each president has their presidential library in the state, for example, the George H.W. Bush Library at Texas A&M University, and you can visit them if you travel to Texas. 

The presidential libraries feature artifacts from each president’s tenure and can be quite a fascinating place for history buffs.

18. The Alamo

The battle of the Alamo is one of America’s most heroic defeats and of the main things Texas is known for. 

Alamo is a symbol of the Texas revolution against Mexico and is nestled in San Antonio. 

During the Texas Independence war in 1835, a group of 187 soldiers was stationed at Alamo, where the 3000-strong Mexican forces eventually attacked them. But it wasn’t without a fight. 

Even though the soldiers were outnumbered, the leaders, William Travis and James Bowie held the fort for thirteen days before the Mexican army defeated them. 

Today, Alamo is a 4.2-acre historical site documenting the story of the area and receives over 2.5 million visitors annually. 

You will find a cenotaph honoring the fallen defenders and a museum with artifacts related to the event.

19. San Jacinto Monument

Another one of the popular things Texas is known for is the San Jacinto Monument, located on the site where the last battle for Texas independence took place. 

The Texas army defeated Santa Anna’s forces, thus opening the opportunity for the state to become an independent country before it joined the United States. 

Although not a national monument, this place is near the Houston Ship Channel, and it is worth a visit if you are around the area.

20. Country Music

Country music is very popular in Texas, with household names like Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and George Jones. 

This genre of music originated from the southern US and often contained lyrics about the lives and struggles of working-class people. 

There are also many country songs that honor the Lone Star State, including “Take Me to Texas,” “Blame it on Texas,” and “Yellow Rose of Texas.” 

When you turn on the radio in Texas or go to a weekend bar, you are most likely going to hear excellent country music.

21. JFK Assassination

One of the horrific things Texas is known for is the JFK assassination which happened in November 1963 at Dealey Plaza, Dallas, North Texas.

The 35th president of the United States was traveling through downtown Dallas when he was shot from the Texas School Book Depository. 

The president was traveling with his wife, Texas Governor John Connally, and the latter’s wife. 

JFK was pronounced dead in Parkland Memorial Hospital, while Governor Connally of Texas was seriously injured. John F. Kennedy’s assassination filled all airways and sparked nationwide panic.

There is a JFK museum today in Dallas documenting the events of the assassination as well as the different conspiracy theories it sparked to date.

22. Crude Oil

Crude oil changed the culture of Texas, and it has been the largest producer of oil in the US. 

The Texas oil boom took place in the early twentieth century, and since then, it has given many international oil companies opportunities to set up. 

Today, Texas is home to many oil and gas fields and is one of the top centers for oil rigging in the United States. 

The state accounts for 40-50% of the oil and gas production in the United States, and it’s projected to grow in the coming years. 

If you travel here, there’s a high chance you will come across the oil refineries and skyscrapers, as many oil companies like ExxonMobil and Chevron have headquarters in the state. 

The oil resources in this state have really boosted the economy and provided jobs for many people.

23. Texas Longhorns

One common thing you will encounter while driving along the Texas backcountry is the Texas Longhorns. 

These breeds of cattle are native to Texas and have long, unique horns which can extend up to 7 feet. 

Longhorns are also prized for their lean beef, which is lower in fats and calories compared to other meat. 

Currently, Longhorn serves as the official Texas State Large Mammal and the mascot for the University of Texas.

24. Friendship State

The word ‘Texas’ originally comes from the Caddo-Indian word, which means friends or allies. 

The people who lived in the area before the Spanish conquest gave the name, and today, one of the things associated with Texas is friendship and hospitality. 

In 1930, Texas adopted this as its state motto to reflect the connotation that the state is full of warm and friendly people. 

Texans are famous for their wide smile, slaps on the back, good humor, and firm handshakes.

25. Houston Astros

Many cities in Texas are home to professional sports teams, including the Houston Astros, who compete in Major League Baseball (MLB). 

Their name, “Astros,” represents Houston’s role as the Johnson Space Center’s host, a vital site for NASA operations. 

If you are visiting during baseball season, you can enjoy a game at Minute Maid Park and cheer them on. 

Or, take a tour of Globe Live Park, where you can shop and eat. If you are there during the off-season, tour the state-of-the-art facilities, including the historic Union Station, the broadcasting booth, and the dugout. 

Worthy of note is that the Houston Astros became the first MLB team in Texas to win a World Series title after the team defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in a seven-game series.

26. Texas Rangers Baseball

The Texas Rangers are one of the most famous baseball teams in the country, and they play in the American League (AL). 

The Rangers have won AL pennants two times (2010 and 2011) and the National League West division seven times. 

Texas Rangers were named to honor the state’s military-cum-police force and play their home games at Globe Life Field.

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