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The Texas Portal
Texas (/ˈtɛksəs/ ⓘTEK-səss) is the most populousstate in theSouth of theUnited States. It bordersLouisiana to the east,Arkansas to the northeast,Oklahoma to the north,New Mexico to the west, and aninternational border with theMexican states ofChihuahua,Coahuila,Nuevo León, andTamaulipas to the south and southwest, that forms a natural boundary delineated by theRio Grande River. Texas hasa coastline on theGulf of Mexico to the southeast. Covering 268,596 square miles (695,660 km2) and with over 31 million residents as of 2024, it is thesecond-largest U.S. state by area andpopulation. Texas is nicknamed the "Lone Star State" for the single star onits flag, symbolic of its former status as an independent country, theRepublic of Texas. Spain was the first European country toclaim and control Texas. Followinga brief period of French colonization, the territory became part ofMexico after its independence from Spain in 1821. Increasing tensions between settlers and the Mexican government culminated in theTexas Revolution, which included theBattle of the Alamo, and led to the establishment of the independent Republic of Texas in 1836. In 1845, Texas joined the United States as the 28th state.The state's annexation contributed to theMexican–American War in 1846. Texas remained aslave state until theAmerican Civil War, during which it seceded fromthe Union in 1861 and joined theConfederate States. After the war and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a prolonged period of economic stagnation. Theeconomy of Texas (prior toWorld War II) has been shaped by bison, cattle, cotton, oil, and timber industries. The cattle industry was a major economic driver and created the traditional image of the Texas cowboy. In the later 19th century, cotton and lumber grew to be major industries as the cattle industry became less lucrative. Ultimately, the discovery of majorpetroleum deposits (Spindletop in particular) initiatedan economic boom that became the driving force behind the economy for much of the 20th century. Texas developed a diversified economy andhigh tech industry during the mid-20th century. As of 2024[update], it has thesecond-highest number (52) ofFortune 500 companies headquartered in the United States. With a growing base of industry, the state leads in many industries, includingtourism,agriculture,petrochemicals,energy,computers andelectronics,aerospace, andbiomedical sciences. Texas has led the U.S.in state export revenue since 2002 and has thesecond-highestgross state product. Texas consistently ranks highly among national averages for business growth, job creation, and economic opportunity with low taxes and a regulatory environment that encourages innovation. (Full article...) Selected article -show another_(19877020).jpg) Surface weather analysis of the hurricane on September 8, just before landfall The1900 Galveston hurricane, also known as theGreat Galveston hurricane and theGalveston Flood, and known regionally as theGreat Storm of 1900 or the1900 Storm, was a catastrophictropical cyclone that became thedeadliestnatural disaster in thehistory of theUnited States. The strongeststorm of the1900 Atlantic hurricane season, it left between 6,000 and 12,000 fatalities in the United States; the number most cited in official reports is 8,000. Most of these deaths occurred in and nearGalveston,Texas, after thestorm surgeinundated thecoastline andthe island city with 8 to 12 ft (2.4 to 3.7 m) of water. As of 2025, it remains the fourth deadliestAtlantic hurricane on record, behindHurricane Fifi of 1974. In addition to the number killed, the storm destroyed about 7,000 buildings of all uses in Galveston, which included 3,636 demolished homes; every dwelling in the city suffered some degree of damage. The hurricane left approximately 10,000 people in the city homeless, out of a total population of fewer than 38,000. The disaster ended theGolden Era of Galveston. The hurricane alarmed potentialinvestors, who turned toHouston instead. In response to the storm, three engineers designed and oversaw plans to raise theGulf of Mexico shoreline ofGalveston Island by 17 ft (5.2 m) and erect a 10 mi (16 km)seawall. On August 27, 1900, a ship east of theWindward Islands detected a tropical cyclone, the first observed that year. The system proceeded to move steadily west-northwestward and entered the northeastern Caribbean on August 30. It madelandfall in theDominican Republic as a weak tropical storm on September 2. It weakened slightly while crossingHispaniola, before re-emerging into the Caribbean Sea later that day. On September 3, the cyclone struck modern-daySantiago de Cuba Province and then slowly drifted along the southern coast of Cuba. Upon reaching the Gulf of Mexico on September 6, the storm strengthened into a hurricane. Significant intensification followed and the system peaked as aCategory 4 hurricane withmaximum sustained winds of 145 mph (235 km/h) on September 8. Early on the next day, it made landfall to the south of Houston. The cyclone weakened quickly after moving inland and fell to tropical storm intensity late on September 9. The storm turned east-northeastward and becameextratropical overIowa on September 11. The extratropical system strengthened while accelerating across theMidwestern United States,New England, andEastern Canada before reaching theGulf of Saint Lawrence on September 13. After strikingNewfoundland later that day, the extratropical storm entered the far North Atlantic Ocean and weakened, with the remnants last observed near Iceland on September 15. (Full article...) Selected biography -show another Portrait byMathew Brady,c. 1848–1850 Samuel Houston (/ˈhjuːstən/ ⓘ,HEW-stən; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in theTexas Revolution. He served as the first and thirdpresident of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two individuals to representTexas in theUnited States Senate. He also served as the sixthgovernor of Tennessee and the seventhgovernor of Texas. Houston is the only individual to be elected governor of two different US states. Born inRockbridge County, Virginia, Houston and his family relocated toMaryville, Tennessee, while he was a teenager. Houston later ran away from home, spending about three years living with theCherokee, becoming known as "Raven". He served under GeneralAndrew Jackson in theWar of 1812; afterwards, he was appointed as a sub-agent to oversee theremoval of the Cherokee from Tennessee intoArkansas Territory in 1818. With the support of Jackson, among others, Houston won election to theUnited States House of Representatives in 1823. He strongly supported Jackson's presidential candidacies and, in 1827, Houston was elected as the governor of Tennessee. In 1829, after divorcing his first wife, Houston resigned from office, and moved to the Arkansas Territory to live with the Cherokee once more. (Full article...) Texas newsWikinews Texas portal 
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Texas topicsSelected imageCities -show another Downtown Bayfront Corpus Christi (/ˌkɔːrpəsˈkrɪsti/KOR-pəsKRIS-tee;Latin for 'Body of Christ') is acoastal city in the U.S. state ofTexas. It is thecounty seat and largest city ofNueces County inSouth Texas, with portions extending intoAransas,Kleberg, andSan Patricio counties. With a population of 317,863 at the 2020 census, Corpus Christi is theeighth-most populous city in Texas. Corpus Christi is 130 miles (210 km) southeast ofSan Antonio and 208 miles (335 km) southwest ofHouston. Its political boundaries encompassNueces Bay andCorpus Christi Bay. Its zoned boundaries include small land parcels or water inlets of three neighboring counties. TheCorpus Christi metropolitan area had an estimated population of 442,600. It is also the hub of the six-countyCorpus Christi–Kingsville–Alice combined statistical area. (Full article...) General imagesThe following are images from various Texas-related articles on Wikipedia.
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