It is often said that everything is big in Texas, usually by Texans, but it is the second largest state in land area, to Alaska and in population, to California. Cotton farming was taken over by oil as the state’s primary economical commodity and is also bolstered by a huge pharmaceutical industry to pass New York for being the second state for per capita income, behind only California.

In 1836, not happy with several demands of the Mexican Constitution including the disarmament of all residents, Texas declared itself an independent nation and won that freedom during the Battle of San Jacinto. Texas was admitted as a state despite opposition of the northern state against annexation of another slave state. In 1861 Texas joined the Confederacy and served as a supply state through most of the Civil War. Once the Union Army shut down operations of the Mississippi River, large movements of supplies and troops hindered the re-supply efforts.

The Port of Houston is one of the top international shipping ports in the world and the Dallas-Fort Worth airport is one of the largest of the world’s air cargo centers making Texas one of the largest import and export centers in the United States. While oil has surpassed agriculture as its major industry, technology continues to grow in Texas.

A suburb of Austin, Round Rock is the home to Dell Computer and the surrounding are is known as Silicon Hills. As a renowned cosmopolitan area, Dallas is considered the birthplace of the integrated circuit, while Houston is a global leader in energy technology.

Visitors to Texas often visit the NASA Space Center in Houston, which is a bustling place during the flight of orbiting spacecraft made famous by the Apollo 13 movie and its famous phrase, “Houston. We have a problem.”

Visitors also head to the southern shores of Texas for the Gulf of Mexico as well as the Rio Grande River and its white water rafting. At the end of February each year and lasting into March the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the focus of cowboys everywhere. A trail ride begins in various parts of the state and ends in Reliant Park with a huge barbeque. The rodeo includes typical rodeo events along with some of the top names in country and western music and a carnival atmosphere.

It is preceded by the Fort Worth Livestock Show and rodeo that runs for three weeks at the end of January every year. Austin also boasts more music venues than any other city and boasts the nickname the Live Music Capital of the World as the city’s slogan. Austin City Limits, a long-running televised music program is filmed at the Austin campus of the University of Texas.