20 Fun Facts About Texas You Didn’t Know Before

Texas is a very interesting state to say the least. After visiting, I learned so many new fun facts about Texas that I didn’t know before!

So, I’m sure there’s still a lot that you don’t know about the lone star state, either.

For example, did you even know it was called the lone star state… and has been for centuries!

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

Top 10 Fun Facts About Texas

One of the best ways to learn fun facts about Texas is on a walking tour, and we did in each city we visited in Texas.

1. Texas Has Been Ruled By Six Different Countries

Texas has a very long and unique history that’s worth learning about (if you’re going to Austin, you’ll want to check out the Bullock State Museum).

But, the main takeaway, and most interesting fun facts about Texas is that six sovereign countries have controlled the land throughout history.

This is where they get their slogan “Six flags over Texas“, and the name of the theme park… but more on that in a bit!

It starts with Spain from 1519 to 1685, until France took control and ruled over Texas for just 5 years.

France didn’t last long, so in 1690 Spain was once again in charge until 1821.

Mexico then took over from 1821 until 1836, when the Republic of Texas was formed (yup! Texas was an independent country for a bit!). This lasted for 9 years, until 1845.

Finally, after many discussions, Texas joined the United States of America from 1845 to 1861… bet you also didn’t know that they left!

With the other Southern States, Texas left the Union to form the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. But since 1865, Texas has been a part of the United States… for now anyway!

So, to sum that up, the six flags over Texas are: Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, United States, and the Confederate States.

2. As Of Now, Texas Was A Part Of Spain Longer Than The U.S….

In case you didn’t do the math, I did it for you!

You might already know this Texas trivia, that the Lone Star State has only been a part of the United States for 174 years.

So let’s go back in time. Texas was ruled by Spain from 1519 to 1685, which is 166 years! You would think well, the U.S. still wins that battle!

But! You’re forgetting that Spain ruled again after a brief 5 year interruption from France. Spain controlled Texas 1690 until 1821 – that’s another 130 years!

So, if you add everything up, Spain controlled Texas for a whopping 297 YEARS!

The United States has just a bit of catching up to do. I’ve done the math for you again, and Texas needs to be a part of the United States for another 123 years!

And who knows if Texas can even last long before becoming their own micro state again.

3. Mexico Brought In The Anglophones That Ultimately Lost Them The Land

Back in 1823 when Mexico ruled Texas, they wanted to entice settlers to come work the land, so they offered it for free to American settlers. In exchange, Americans only had to ‘become’ Mexican citizens and learn Spanish.

With this deal, Mexico grew the population from 2,500 to 40,000 people. This meant there were more than three times the amount of Anglos than Mexicans living in Texas at the time… which caused a bit of an issue if we take a look down the timeline.

This ultimately led to the Texas-Mexico War and the Texas Revolution for independence when Mexico tried to ban slavery.

4. Six Flags Is From Texas – Named After The Six Flags That Ruled Them

Six Flags is one of the world’s largest theme park corporations. But did you know that the first one opened in 1961 in Arlington, Texas?

Of course, the park name refers to the six flags that rule over Texas. But it was so much more than that.

The theme park in Arlington depicted this part of history too. The park was divided into 6 parts – each one representing the culture of one of the flags that ruled Texas.

For more about the history of Six Flags Theme Parks, and Texas trivia, click here.

5. Cows Are Not Native To Texas – Texas Trivia

These next few interesting facts about Texas might come as a shock to you – cows are not native to Texas (and neither are horses!).

Despite cattle being such a big part of Texas history, it was the Spanish settlers who brought the ancestors of the Longhorns across to Texas in the 1600s.

They adapted to their new environment so well that they populated the land in the South. They created economic success and a huge industry for Texas with the cattle drive (bringing cattle from the South to the North).

6. Longhorns Are Just Glorified Cows Today & Almost Went Extinct

Longhorn cattle in Texas were superstars back in the day. They were built to sustain travel cross country for their meat – some even gaining weight on the journey. They put Texas on the map!

But eventually, other cattle made their way to America and replaced longhorn meat. It turns out, longhorns produce leaner meat, and less of it, which made them a less desirable cattle to breed.

So by 1927 there were almost extinct, with only 23 longhorns left in the state!

After realizing this, effort was put in to preserve this historical cattle breed in Texas. Today, longhorn cattle have recuperated their numbers in Texas and have sort of become celebrities in the State.

Although they’re not used for meat anymore, they’re still good cattle to have on a ranch for breeding as they have many desirable traits. And P.S. no two longhorns are the same!

Read more facts about Texas longhorns and their history here.

7. The Texas State Capitol Is Taller Than The U.S. Capitol

We all know the saying, everything is bigger in Texas? Well in this case it’s everything is taller in Texas.

The Texas State Capitol is 14.64 feet taller than the U.S. State Capitol. Part of the height is thanks to the Goddess of Liberty on top of the Capitol.

Another fun facts about Texas, is that usually you hear ‘goddess’ and you think beautiful woman… well, not in this case!

Let’s just say, you should head to the Bullock State Museum to see the original Goddess up close. You’ll be able to see all her “beautiful” features for yourself!

8. The First Rodeo & Bull Riding Event Ever Was In Texas

The first ever rodeo in the world took place in Pecos, Texas in 1883 as a simple roping competition between two men – or what they thought would be simple!

As word got around about the competition, more people wanted to join and others came to watch. And just like that, the first rodeo was born!

But it doesn’t end there for rodeo firsts in Texas trivia.

The Fort Worth Stock Show was also the first to introduce bull riding in a rodeo in 1920.

9. Dr. Pepper Was Invented In Waco, Texas For Medicinal Purposes

Before visiting Texas, and once I was in Waco, I had no idea I was in the birthplace of Dr. Pepper.

Today, you can visit the old Dr. Pepper factory, which is now a museum, and the Dr. Pepper Mansion (which you can actually rent on Airbnb).

But, the most interesting Texas trivia of all is that Dr. Pepper was actually invented for health purposes.

Back in the day, carbonated water was seen as healthy to drink, because of the natural gases. Pharmacists then began adding medicines and flavours to create their own elixirs.

And this is literally how Dr. Pepper was created in 1885 by Charles Alderton. Imagine actually being prescribed a soft drink as medicine!

You can learn more at the Dr. Pepper museum in Waco Texas.

10. Home To World’s Largest Cowboy Boots (In San Antonio)

I guess this comes as no surprise really that Texas is home to the worlds largest cowboy boots in the world! They’re 35 feet tall and 33 feet long!

I think the biggest shock about this Texas trivia is that they weren’t originally in Texas at all! In fact, the artist was hired to make them in Washington, D.C. to bring some Texas vibes to the state.

They only lasted in D.C. for 4 months before they were bought by the North Star Mall in San Antonio, Texas. The fun then came in trucking these large boots to Texas!

You can still find them at the entrance of the mall today – just watch out for cars!

11. Texas Has The Largest Ranch In The U.S. And It’s Not Owned By A Texan

The Waggoner Ranch is 510,572 acres making it the largest ranch under one fence in the United States.

But that’s not even the start of the impressive part yet! Up until 2016 it was owned by the same family since 1849 (p.s. Texas was only a state in 1845).

They had also employed the most authentic cowboys in 2016 – most of whom still didn’t own computers!

Unfortunately, The Waggoner Ranch was officially sold to Stan Kroenke in 2016. Apparently, he already owned 848,631 acres of working ranches in the US. when he bought it! And the sad part for Texas – he’s not even Texan, he’s from Missouri.

So – the largest ranch in Texas isn’t even owned by a Texan anymore, which must really sting a bit…

12. Fort Worth Is Nicknamed The “Panther City” – Facts About Texas

If you visit Fort Worth (which I recommend), you might notice a theme throughout the city – panthers. This is an ode to the city’s nickname – Panther City. But how did they get this nickname, you might ask!?

There was a newspaper story from the 19th century that said Fort Worth was such a dull and sleepy city that a panther was seen sleeping on the steps of the courthouse. Since then, locals have embraced the panther as the symbol of the city – even appearing on police badges!

P.S. Planning on visiting Fort Worth? Read my downtown city guide here.

13. “Flush Twice—Houston Needs The Water” A Popular Dallas Saying

It was an ongoing joke in Dallas until it actually became a reality. The trinity river flow downstream from Dallas/ Fort Worth all the way to into Lake Livingston, where the city of Houston gets its water.

Houston actually turns wastewater into usable water in 12 hours! But during the drought in 2011, it became less of a joke and more of an actual strategy apparently. People living in Houston then started to respond, “Yes, please do!”.

Top Fun Facts About Austin Texas

There are a lot of more specific fun facts about Austin Texas that you probably didn’t know either.

P.S. You might also be interested in reading about the top things to do in Austin Texas – click here to read more!

14. These Are The Largest Streets You’ll Ever See In Any Downtown Area

After walking along the downtown streets in Austin, you might notice that it doesn’t feel like a regular downtown area – and that’s because it’s not! The streets are so wide in downtown Austin because this used to be a part of the cattle route.

The cattle route brought cattle from the South to the North of Texas (to Fort Worth) to sell. Ranchers could get almost 10 times the money for their cattle if they did.

15. A Woman Saved Austin As The Capital of Texas

One of the most interesting facts about Texas is for all the women in history who never made it to history books!

Austin has always been the capital of Texas, but it might not have been. Sam Houston wanted to move the capital to (you guessed it), Houston.

Houston sent some military men to steal Austin’s government archives. A woman, Angelina Eberly heard some noise in the middle of the night and saw the men loading up their wagon. She ran back, found a six pound cannon, and fired at the men. She missed, but the noise woke up the entire city.

Thanks to Eberly, citizens of Austin were able to catch the rangers and take back the archives to keep the capital in Austin!

16. Possibly Had One Of The Original Serial Killers In The World

A little known bit of Austin history is that they had a serial killer on the loose from 1884 to 1885. This was before the first infamous modern serial killer of the world – Jack the Ripper!

He was given a few names, including the Servant Girl Annihilator, the Austin Axe Murderer and the Midnight Assassin. He killed seven women and one man. And, he was never caught!

But, this is where this fun facts about Austin Texas gets interesting! One theory about the identity of the Servant Girl Annihilator, is that of a man shot and killed by police just after the final murder. The big clue was that he was missing his big toe – matching foot prints that they found near the scene of the crime.

Another theory for why the murders stopped in 1885 is because the murderer left Austin altogether… And, let’s just say that soon after the murders stopped in Austin, they began in none other than White Chapel, London… in 1888!

So, can the Servant Girl Annihilator also be Jack the Ripper!??? No one will ever know!

Both of their victims had a focus on female prostitutes. More ‘coincidences’ have been found linking the two, read about them here.

17. Lady Bird Lake Is Not Actually A Lake

Now, this is one is kind of easy to see for yourself. Lady Bird Lake is just what it’s been called since the 60s when it was dammed up from the Colorado River.

And even though it’s been dammed up, it’s technically a reservoir now – not even a lake!

18. Lady Bird Lake Is Also The Home To The Largest Urban Bat Colony

The largest urban bat colony lives in Austin underneath Congress Bridge on Lady Bird Lake from March until October every year.

This happens to also be a huge attraction for Austin. It’s popular to set up on Congress Bridge to watch the bats wake up and go forage for food at sunset.

19. Austin Is The Live Music Capital Of The World

Austin is a lively city that’s for sure. And you definitely can’t come to Austin (or even Texas) and not hear some live country music.

But, as it turns out, Austin is actually dubbed the live music capital of the world!

This is thanks to the annual South By SouthWest festival, and ACL Live (Austin City Limits!). Austin City Limits is a monthly recording of a live performance to help promote new artists.

20. Tito’s Was The First Vodka To Be Legally Distilled In Texas

After prohibition, it took another 60 years for alcohol to be legally distilled in Texas – and Tito’s in Austin was the one that made that happen!

In 1995, Bert “Tito” Beveridge obtained the first legal permit to distill in Austin! No one thought this was possible, and he had to invest his own money to make it happen.

P.S. Tito’s is also one of the only vodkas to be made with only corn instead of potatoes!

Planning A Trip To Texas? Read More Related Posts

• Top 25 Unique Things To Do In Austin Texas Your First Time
• Top 20 Fun Things To Do In Fort Worth Texas Your First Time
• Best Things To Do In Dallas: How To Spend One Day Downtown

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Last update on 2024-05-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API