Deep in the Heart of Texas

Texas is in the south central United States with coastline along the Gulf of Mexico and borders Mexico to the south. It is the second largest state in the United States in terms of area and population. Texas has five densely populated cities, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, and Fort Worth. Originally populated in different regions by Native American tribes, Texas was explored and settled by the Spanish in the 1500’s and 1600’s. In the 1700’s Spanish missions had converted much of the Native American population to Christianity. Texas became the subject of various disputes and wars between Mexico, Spain, and the United States. Texas ultimately achieved independence from Mexico and became a republic with the signing of the Treaties of Velasco in 1836. Texas was admitted to the United States on December 29, 1845. In 1861 Texas seceded from the Union and joined the Confederate States of America. Texas was readmitted to the United States in 1870. In the early 1900’s, oil was discovered in Texas, which transformed the state’s then predominantly agricultural economy. The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl of the 1930’s dealt a severe, one-two punch to Texas, with migrants moving out of the state for jobs and improved social conditions in California or the northeast. However, World War II had a positive effect on Texas, as major federal capital inflows came to support the building of military bases, hospitals, prisoner camps, and factories. In the 1960’s, Texas’ educational system became formalized, John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963, and Houston gained prominence for its role as home to mission command center for the United States space program.

Economy: Black Gold Moved Texas into the Black

Texas has the second largest economy in the United States. While its heritage lay in agriculture with cotton and livestock, and more recently mining, the Texas economy has transformed by the discovery of oil in the state in the early 1900’s. Since then, Texas has become an energy powerhouse. Other drivers of the Texas economy include banking, financial services, fishing, general services, government, high technology, manufacturing, trade, transportation, and public utilities.

Education, Texas Style

Educational attainment among the Texas population is slightly below that of the U.S. as a whole. As of 2000, roughly 75% of its residents aged 25 and older had completed high school and roughly 25% had completed college. There are 208 colleges and universities in Texas. The University of Texas system is a well-known state public university system with over 190,000 students across fifteen campuses. Other public systems include Texas A&M and Texas Tech. Among the elite private institutions of higher learning in Texas are: Rice University, Texas Christian University, and Texas Wesleyan University.

The Crime Scene in Texas: A Mixed Bag

Texas is experiencing lower crime rates than its historically higher levels of the mid 1990’s. However, selected major forms of crime in Texas, including violent crime, aggravated assault, burglary, forcible rape, and robbery, have increased in the past decade. In 2006, Texas ranked 15th among U.S. states for violent crimes with 516 per 100,000 population.

The Texas Population and Politics – The Former Republic Leans Republican Today

Texas has a population of roughly 24.8 million people. Its population has been growing markedly, at a rate of 2.0% per year in the past decade. Earlier in its history, Texas was mixed with regard to its political preferences. However, in the last few decades, the home state of U.S. Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush hail has leaned decidedly Republican. Among nearly 8 million votes cast in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Texas voters chose Republican candidate John McCain over Democratic candidate Barack Obama by a ratio of 55%-44%.