Texas Houses for Sale

The state of Texas is the second largest state in the nation in population and also in size, with 268,601 square miles. It is nicknamed the "Lone Star" state, in reference to its former status as an independent republic, and the struggle for independence from Mexico. The state's name comes from the word Tejas, which means "friends" in the Caddo language, a Native American language. Texas shares borders with Arkansas in the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, Louisiana to the east, New Mexico to the west, Mexico in the southwest, and the Gulf of Mexico in the southeast. The city of Houston is the most populous city in Texas, and other large cities are San Antonio, Dallas-Fort Worth, El Paso, and Austin, the state capital.

Due to its large size, Texas has a very diverse landscape, which resembles both the southern and the southwestern areas of the United States. Less than 10 percent of Texas' geography is desert, with much of the state covered in prairies, grasslands, forests, and the coastline. There is also terrain that ranges from coastal swamps to piney woods, rolling plains and hills, and the mountains of the Big Bend. Its borders are defined by rivers: the Rio Grande, which forms a natural border with Mexico, the Red River to the north, forming a natural border with Arkansas and Oklahoma, and the Sabine River to the east, forming a border with Louisiana. There are around 3,700 named streams and 15 major rivers in total, in addition to many natural lakes and artificial reservoirs. Texas intersects multiple climate zones causing some variable weather. The Panhandle area and the mountainous areas of West Texas have colder winters with some snowfall, the north's winters are slightly more mild, and the Gulf Coast area has very mild winters.

Texas has a large and varied economy, due to its size and population. The petroleum industry has thrived since oil was discovered, which contributes much to the economy. The largest oil refinery in the country is located in the Houston area and Texas also produces one-fourth of the country's supply of natural gas. Texas has more farms and the highest acreage of farmland in the country. Livestock and livestock products dominate the agricultural economy and beef cattle production is the largest area of Texas agriculture. Texas produces cattle, horses, sheep, goats, wool, mohair, and hay, as well as cereal crops and produce. Commercial fishing is a large industry, and with abundant mineral resources, the state is a leading producer of cement, crushed stone, lime, salt, sand, and gravel. Texas has several large university systems and has a growing economy in high tech industries. The aeronautics industry also contributes to the state's economy with a NASA space center near Houston and Lockheed Martin's Aeronautics division in Fort Worth. Additionally, Texas has a strong economy in retail, wholesale, banking, insurance, and construction industries. Mexico is the state's largest trading partner, importing a third of Texas' exports.