Capital: Austin
Population: 20,851,820
Governor: Rick Perry (R, to January 2011)
Entered the Union: Dec. 29, 1845 as the 28th state
Motto: Friendship
Nickname: Lone Star state
Flower: Bluebonnet
Bird: Mockingbird
Song: Texas, Our Texas
Sports Teams: Houston Astros, Texas Rangers (Baseball); Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, (Basketball); Houston Comets (Women's Basketball); Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans (Football); Dallas Stars (Hockey); FC Dallas (Soccer)
Origin of Name: From a Native American word meaning friends
Top 3 Industries Trade, Real Estate, Oil and Gas
Historical Sites: The Alamo in San Antonio
Points of Interest: Gulf Coast resort area, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, State capital in Austin, and the Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks
Bordering States: Texas borders New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.
Source: State of Texas
Population, 2006 estimate: 23,507,783
Population, percent change, April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006: 12.7%
Population, 2000: 20,851,820
Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2006: 8.2%
Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2006: 27.6%
Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2006: 9.9%
Female persons, percent, 2006: 50.2%
White persons, percent, 2006 (a): 82.7%
Black persons, percent, 2006 (a): 11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2006 (a): 0.7
Asian persons, percent, 2006 (a): 3.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2006 (a): 0.1%
Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2006: 1.2%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2006 (b): 35.7%
White persons not Hispanic, percent, 2006: 48.3%
Living in same house in 1995 and 2000, pct 5 yrs old & over: 49.6%
Foreign born persons, percent, 2000: 13.9%
Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000: 31.2%
High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000: 75.7%
Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000: 23.2%
Persons with a disability, age 5+, 2000: 3,605,542
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2000: 25.4
Housing units, 2006: 9,224,361
Homeownership rate, 2000: 63.8%
Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2000: 24.2%
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000: $82,500
Households, 2000: 7,393,354
Persons per household, 2000: 2.74
Median household income, 2004: $41,645
Per capita money income, 1999: $19,617
Persons below poverty, percent, 2004: 16.2%
Source: U.S.Census Bureau
(a) Includes persons reporting only one race.
(b) Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories.
Total Gross Domestic Product by State: 989,333
Private industries: 882,277
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting: 8,472
Crop and animal production (Farms): 6,899
Forestry, fishing, and related activities: 1,573
Mining: 97,710
Oil and gas extraction: 80,201
Mining, except oil and gas: 978
Support activities for mining: 16,531
Utilities: 31,147
Construction: 51,586
Manufacturing: 127,435
Durable goods: 64,152
Wood product manufacturing: 1,885
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing: 5,327
Primary metal manufacturing: 3,108
Fabricated metal product manufacturing: 9,873
Machinery manufacturing: 10,836
Computer and electronic product manufacturing: 18,164
Electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing: 1,932
Motor vehicle, body, trailer, and parts manufacturing: 3,436
Other transportation equipment manufacturing: 4,974
Furniture and related product manufacturing: 1,704
Miscellaneous manufacturing: 2,913
Nondurable goods: 63,284
Food product manufacturing: 10,540
Textile and textile product mills: 547
Apparel manufacturing: 696
Paper manufacturing: 2,243
Printing and related support activities: 2,478
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing: 12,126
Chemical manufacturing: 30,324
Plastics and rubber products manufacturing: 4,329
Wholesale trade: 65,648
Retail trade: 63,344
Transportation and warehousing, excluding Postal Service: 32,363
Air transportation: 5,390
Rail transportation: 2,631
Water transportation: 693
Truck transportation: 8,975
Transit and ground passenger transportation: 756
Pipeline transportation: 2,786
Other transportation and support activities: 8,816
Warehousing and storage: 2,317
Information: 40,274
Publishing including software: 8,599
Motion picture and sound recording industries: 1,158
Broadcasting and telecommunications: 25,620
Information and data processing services: 4,898
Finance and insurance: 53,849
Federal Reserve banks, credit intermediation and related services: 26,261
Securities, commodity contracts, investments: 6,789
Insurance carriers and related activities: 18,329
Funds, trusts, and other financial vehicles: 2,471
Real estate and rental and leasing: 91,433
Real estate: 79,428
Rental and leasing services and lessors of intangible assets: 12,005
Professional and technical services: 61,892
Legal services: 13,854
Computer systems design and related services: 9,660
Other professional, scientific and technical services: 38,378
Management of companies and enterprises: 14,768
Administrative and waste services: 29,170
Administrative and support services: 26,822
Waste management and remediation services: 2,348
Educational services: 5,330
Health care and social assistance: 57,843
Ambulatory health care services: 33,321
Hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities: 20,915
Social assistance: 3,607
Arts, entertainment, and recreation: 5,581
Performing arts, museums, and related activities: 2,691
Amusement, gambling, and recreation: 2,891
Accommodation and food services: 23,735
Accommodation: 5,639
Food services and drinking places: 18,097
Other services, except government: 20,695
Government: 107,056
Federal civilian: 16,491
Federal military: 12,455
State and local: 78,110
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Longitude: 93° 31' W to 106° 38' W
Latitude: 25° 50' N to 36° 30' N
Length / Width: Texas is 790 miles long and 660 miles wide at its most distant points.
Geographic Center: The geographic center of Texas is located in McCulloch County, 15 miles NE of Brady.
Borders Texas: is bordered by New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arkansas to the north. On the west Texas is bordered by New Mexico and shares an international border with Mexico. To the south, Texas borders Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico. The irregular shape of Texas means that it shares its eastern borders with Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.
Total Area: Texas covers 268,601 square miles, making it the 2nd largest of the 50 states, right behind Alaska.
Land Area: 261,914 square miles of Texas are land areas.
Water Area: 6,687 square miles of Texas are covered by water making Texas the 9th wettest state.
Highest Point: The highest point in Texas is Guadalupe Peak at 8,749 feet above sea level.
Lowest Point: The lowest point in Texas is sea level where Texas meets the Gulf of Mexico.
Mean Elevation: The Mean Elevation of the state of Texas is only 1,700 feet above sea level.
Major Rivers: The Rio Grande, which marks the border between Texas and Mexico, The Red River, The Brazos River
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
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