Texas: More than Cowboys and Oil Wells

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"Bang! Bang! Cowboy?" I often heard these words while traveling in Europe years ago when I said that I was from Texas. The next words were usually, "Do you have an oil well?" Although my home state is known around the world for its cowboys and oil wells, Texas has other interesting, though lesser known, features, which are its varied geography, its cultural heritage, and its strong pride.

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The first interesting feature of Texas is its varied geography. Texas is located at the intersection of several geographical regions. It has mountain, hills, plains, beaches, deserts, and forests. In one long day of driving, a person can start the morning beside rice fields in the humid southeastern part of the state and, in the evening, stop beside wild cactus plants in the dry western part. On a winter day, a person in the northern tip of Texas can be playing in the snow while another person in the southern tip is picking oranges near palm trees.

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The second interesting feature of Texas is its cultural heritage. The Institute of Texas Cultures, a museum in San Antonio, explains the cultural history of Texas and contains permanent exhibits of twenty-six cultural groups that helped build Texas. These groups range from Native Americans and Mexicans to Japanese and Chinese. Today visistors to Texas can still see elements of ranching and cowboy culture, the culture of the rural Old South, and the cultures of German and Czech immigrants, mixed with the generic culture of modern American. However, the past and the future of Texas are most closely associated with Mexico. For examble, the 2000 census shows that about 28 percent of Texans speak Spanish in their homes, and this number is likely to grow.

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In addition to its geography and cultural heritage, the third interesting feature of Texas is the regional pride of its people. Supermarkets sell Texas-shaped pasta and people wear Texas-shaped earrings. Bumper stickers say, "Native-born Texan" and "I wasn't born in Texas but I got here as fast as I could." Many people think of themselves as Texans first and as U.S. citizens second. This strong Texas identity is rooted in the history and the size of Texas. From 1836 to 1845, Texas was an independent country. Then, after it became a state, it was the biggestin area for over 100 years, and Texans loved to say that everything was biggest in Texas. When Alaska became the forty-ninth and largest state in 1959, proud Texans joked that, because Alaska was mainly ice, it could melt. According to them, Texas was still the biggest state..
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In conclusion, Texas is an interesting place because of its varied geography, its cultural heritage, and the strong pride of its people. When I travel outside Texas or meet international visitors in Texas, I know the stereotypic images of Texas that they probably have. Therefore, I make sure to tell them that Texas is very diverse and has much more to see than cowboys and oil wells.

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