Capital: Austin
Largest City: Houston
Abbreviation: TX
Joined the Union: December 29, 1845
Nickname: The Lone Star State

Everything’s bigger in Texas, the saying goes. And with the largest footprint in the lower 48, the logic checks out. The state features endless bluebonnet fields, large swaths of highways, eateries with enormous steaks and fields full of longhorns. It’s the home of Buc-ees, Whataburger and H-E-B – all big chains with cult followings. Many major companies were also founded in the state, like the food brands of Frito-Lay and Dr. Pepper, national carrier Southwest Airlines and computer giant Dell Technologies. Texas has dipped its toe into a wide variety of industries, from oil to aerospace to tech, ensuring the state has remained at the forefront of American innovation. Houston, as the home of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, was the first US city to have its named uttered on the moon. San Antonio and El Paso, meanwhile, preserve the state’s Spanish past through their numerous missions, the most famous of which is most certainly the Alamo. Six flags have flown over Texas – a fact that inspired the amusement park brand of the same name – including one that proclaimed Texan independence. Even to this day, the untamed deserts, the murky bayous, the sprawling cities and the superior spirit of the Lone Star State makes it truly feel like a “whole ‘nother country.”