Texas Today
The People
It's hard to define the people of Texas in terms of demographics. The state has its cowboys but also its businessmen; it has its numerous college students as well as its retirees and Winter Texans. It has its Texas Rangers and border-patrol agents, plus thousands of military personnel stationed at the bases throughout the state.
There are still pockets of Germans and Czech communities, descendants of early-day immigrants to the state, as well as large-scale neighborhoods of Mexican immigrants, both legal and not, in border towns and elsewhere in the state. The people of Texas are as diverse as what you'd find across America. They do tend to share several traits, however: taking immense pride in their state, being passionate about sports and God, and having a friendly and laid-back attitude. And, this is the South; so ladies, smile and say thank you when the gentleman holds the door open for you or tips his hat to you.
Politics
When it comes to politics, Texas leans conservative and Republican, though as Mexican immigrants continue to pour into the state, many of them becoming legalized and given citizenship to vote, that may change in coming years. Even so, that's not to say the state hasn't ever voted Democrat, particularly when it comes to state office. After serving as the state treasurer in the 1980s—the first woman in 50 years to hold a state office in Texas—the late Ann Richards, a Democrat, held down the fort in Austin in the early 1990s as the state's second woman governor.
The state has reared such notable politicians as presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and George W. Bush, senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, and the eccentric businessman briefly turned politician Ross Perot. It also has the unfortunate distinction of being the site of the most memorable presidential assassination, that of JFK, who was killed in Dallas in 1963.
Religion
Every town in Texas, big or small, has a good preacher, or two—or three dozen. Some are so good they draw attendees in the tens of thousands to their weekly services. Going to church on Sunday is part of the culture for many in this swath of the Bible Belt, and if you didn't go to church on a given Sunday, the joke is that you went to Bedside Baptist.
Texas leads the country in the number of Evangelical Protestants (5 million), and is second, behind Pennsylvania, in the number of Mainline Protestants (1.7 million). It falls third in the number of Catholics, behind California and New York. And while Christian churches lay claim to most of those attending religious services in the state, other congregations serve Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus. In fact, Texas is third in the country in number of Buddhist congregations, and fifth in the number of Muslims and Hindu assemblies. It is sixth in the number of Mormons, and tenth in the number of Jews.
Unfortunately, Texas has also seen its share of cults, as the vast terrain with remote areas can make for good hiding places. In 1993 the Branch Davidians' compound near Waco was raided by federal agents, and many lost their lives; and in spring 2008 authorities uncovered a polygamist sect in West Texas.
The Economy
Several economic engines keep Texas going: oil, natural gas, and cotton, among them, along with the U.S. military, which has bases scattered throughout the state. Timber still plays a role in East Texas, and Dallas and Austin cater to high-tech companies, while Houston courts Fortune 500 energy firms. Tourism, of course, plays a factor throughout the state, as do education (the state has dozens of colleges and universities) and scientific research, including NASA's Johnson Space Center outside Houston.
Sports
Football is the state's number-one diversion, and it doesn't matter if it's pro (the Dallas Cowboys), collegiate (UT and A&M are perennial rivals), or high school (West Texas high school football mania provided the inspiration for Friday Night Lights). There are always fans ready to cheer the home team to victory.
Texas sports heroes range from baseball greats past and present (Nolan Ryan and Alexander Rodriguez, the latter with the New York Yankees) to football legend Troy Aikman (former quarterback of the Cowboys) and Austinite Lance Armstrong, who spurred a new interest in bicycling and the Tour de France.
Recently the Lone Star State has become basketball crazy, and the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and San Antonio Spurs make perennial appearances in the NBA play-offs.
The Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco has exhibits on famous connected-to-Texas athletes, from swinging sensation Byron Nelson (golf) to Olympic sweetheart Mary Lou Retton (gymnastics).
The Arts
The arts are thriving in Texas's big cities, and in many of its smaller towns, too. Texas has its share of major cultural institutions, such as Fort Worth's acclaimed Kimball Art Museum and Houston's eclectic Menil Collection, as well as its whimsical, off-beat, and otherwise peculiar art spots like Franco Mondini-Ruiz's Botanica in San Antonio (attached to the new Alameda museum), and Cadillac Ranch, a roadside attraction of ten Cadillacs planted in the ground fins up along I-40 west of Amarillo.
The state also nurtures scores of musicians, with styles as varied as country and rock to blues and zydeco to mariachi music. George Strait, Willie Nelson, ZZ Top, and Bowling for Soup are among the performing artists with ties to Texas.
Austin's Sixth Street is known universally for its rhythmic nature, but don't forget Fort Worth's Billy Bob's, which brings in some of the top country-Western musicians for concerts throughout the year. It's a completely different vibe from Austin's nightlife scene, but that's one thing that makes Texas so special: no two parts are the same, so you have a full gamut of options and diverse experiences.
