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The culture of Texas is diverse, shaped by significant migration from the American North and West, differing from its eastern neighbours in the Deep South. It encompasses regional and cultural influences from German Texan, Tejanos, Cajuns, Irish, African American, and White Anglo-Southern communities established before the republic era and statehood.
Texas is commonly divided into five major regions: East Texas, Central Texas, North Texas, South Texas, and West Texas. These regions are defined by urban centers and varying cultural characteristics. The Texas Triangle, formed by Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and San Antonio, is an interstate corridor between the three major Texan cities closest to the geographic center, each representing distinct cultural areas.
Texas is bordered by the western prairies, the Deep South, and Mexico, Incorporating Hispanic, African, and Anglo traditions. Texas includes communities with origins in Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Mexico, Southern African American and White Southern populations, as well as Native Americans. Texas is placed in the Southern United States by the United States Census Bureau.[1]
Agriculture
editAgriculture
editTexas has the most farms [2]and the highest acreage in the United States.[3] The state is ranked No. 1 for revenue generated from total livestock and livestock products. It is ranked No. 2 for total agricultural revenue, behind California.[4] At $7.4 billion or 56.7 percent of Texas's annual agricultural cash receipts, beef cattle production represents the largest single segment of Texas agriculture. This is followed by cotton at $1.9 billion (14.6 percent), greenhouse/nursery at $1.5 billion (11.4 percent), broiler chickens at $1.3 billion (10 percent), and dairy products at $947 million (7.3 percent).[5]
Texas leads the nation in the production of cattle, horses, sheep, goats, wool, mohair and hay.[5] The state also leads the nation in production of cotton which is the number one crop grown in the state in terms of value.[4][6][7] The state grows significant amounts of cereal crops and produce.[4]
Ranch and cowboy culture
editTexas has a strong ranching tradition which has had significant influence on American cowboy culture, particularly in rodeo. Texas has made a strong mark on national and international pop culture. The entire state is strongly associated with the image of the cowboy shown in westerns and in country western music. The state's numerous oil tycoons are also a popular pop culture topic as seen in the hit TV series Dallas.[8][9]
Rodeo
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In 1997, House Concurrent Resolution No. 21 was adopted by the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas, declaring rodeo as the official sport of Texas.[10] The annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the world's largest known rodeo. It is held over 20 days, from late February through early March. The event begins with trail rides that originate from several points throughout the state, all of which convene at NRG Park for a barbecue cook-off. The rodeo includes typical rodeo events, as well as, concert performances from major artists, and carnival rides. The Fort Worth Livestock Show and Rodeo last three weeks in late January and early February. It has many traditional rodeos, but also a cowboy rodeo, and a Mexican rodeo in recent years, that both have large fan bases.[citation needed]
State Fair
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The big State Fair of Texas, one of the largest state fairs in the United States by attendance, is held in Dallas each year between late September through mid- to late October at Fair Park. Two noteworthy college football games, the Red River Rivalry between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the University of Texas Longhorns, and the State Fair Classic between the Grambling State University Tigers and the Prairie View A&M University Panthers are played at the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park during the State Fair. The State Fair is known for its fried food, particularly the corn dogs. The State Fair is also home to the Texas Star, the tallest Ferris wheel in the Western Hemisphere, and Big Tex, a 55-foot-tall (17 m) cowboy statue.
Other state fairs held in Texas include the North Texas State Fair in Denton, the South Texas State Fair in Beaumont, and the East Texas State Fair in Tyler.
History
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The history of Texas, particularly of the old independent Republic of Texas, is intimately bound up with its present culture. Frontier Texas! is a museum of the American Old West in Abilene. Texas is also home to many historical societies, such as:
- The Texas Historical Commission, an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the state of Texas.
- The Texas State Historical Association publishes an encyclopedia on Texas history, geography, and culture called the Handbook of Texas.[11]
In Norway, "Texas" is used as slang for something chaotic and uncontrolled, as influenced from popular Norwegian depictions of cowboy culture and Western literature associated with Texas. "Der var helt texas! (That was totally texas!)" has mostly pejorative connotations, but can also refer to a party out of control or a runaway success.[12]
Folklore of Texas
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Texas has a considerable independent body of folklore, primarily in connection with its historical ranching and cowboy cultures, the American Old West, and the Texas War of Independence. The Texas Folklore Society is the second-oldest folklore organization continually functioning in the United States. Many well-known figures and stories in American folklore are associated with Texas:
- Pecos Bill, the fictional American cowboy
- Davy Crockett, 19th-century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician who served in the Texas Revolution and died at the Battle of the Alamo.
- Ottine Swamp Thing, the urban legend of a bigfoot-like swamp monster in Ottine, Texas.[13]
State holidays
editTexas has several recognized state holidays, including:
Art
editArchitecture
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Monuments & Statues
edit- Dealey Plaza National Historic Landmark District
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial Plaza
- San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site
- Eiffel Tower (Paris, Texas)
- Mustangs of Las Colinas
Music
editThe Lone Star State has helped popularize this musical style throughout the world and made the Texas cowboy an international icon that would forever be identified with country music. Although many people may think of country music when they think of the Lone Star State, Texas actually encompasses a wide variety of ethnic musical genres and regional styles.[14]
Texas has a vibrant live music scene in Austin boasting more music venues per capita than any other U.S. city, befitting the city's official slogan as The Live Music Capital of the World. Austin's music revolves around the many nightclubs on 6th Street and an annual film, music, and multimedia festival known as South by Southwest. The longest-running concert music program on American television, Austin City Limits, was videotaped at the University of Texas at Austin campus. Austin City Limits and Waterloo Records run the Austin City Limits Music Festival, an annual music and art festival held at Zilker Park in Austin.
In Houston, the annual Free Press Summer Fest is a major draw as well as the entertainment lineups at the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Notable music venues for Houston are Fitzgerald's, Warehouse Live, and Walter's among others. Many renowned musicians' origins are in Houston including Lyle Lovett, Beyoncé, Clint Black, The Crusaders, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Kenny Rogers as well as groups including D.R.I., Helstar, La Mafia, the Geto Boys, and ZZ Top. The Houston Symphony and Houston Grand Opera are both attractions of the Houston Theater District.
Literature
editTexas literature is literature about the history and culture of Texas. It ranges broadly in literary genres and dates from the time of the first European contact. Representative authors include Mary Austin Holley and Katherine Anne Porter.
Japanese anime
editTexas' two major cities, Dallas and Houston, currently houses two major Japanese anime licensing and production companies: Crunchyroll and Sentai Filmworks, which dubs the popular series in the English language voiced by several major voice actors throughout Texas such as John Swasey, Chris Sabat, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Brittney Karbowski, Monica Rial, Molly Searcy, David Matranga and many others.[15] Many annual anime conventions are also held in the state.[16]
Sports
editAmerican football is a popular sport in Texas. In the NCAA, Texas has 12 top-level or "FBS" schools are more than any other state. In the NFL, Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texan are the two Texan teams.
Baseball is also popular in Texas. The Texas Rangers and Houston Astros are the two Texan teams in the Major League Baseball. At minor league baseball, Texas has three teams in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League and five in the Double-A Texas League.
Another popular sport in Texas is golf, played year-round because of the South's humid climate.
Basketball is another popular sport in Texas. The state has three NBA teams, the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, and Dallas Mavericks, which have all won league titles. Fishing, marching bands and auto racing are also found in Texas. The Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth is a large motorsport track, hosting both domestic and international events.
Lacrosse, originated from indigenous tribes is also played in Texas. Soccer is a popular participatory sport—especially among children—but as a spectator sport, it does not yet have a large following despite three Texas teams in Major League Soccer (FC Dallas, Austin FC, and Houston Dynamo FC).
Ice hockey has been a growing participatory sport in the Dallas/Fort Worth area since the Minnesota North Stars became the Dallas Stars in 1993. Minor league professional hockey has since grown. Texas is home to the San Antonio Rampage and Texas Stars of the American Hockey League and the Allen Americans of the ECHL. Texas was also home to many Central Hockey League and Western Professional Hockey League teams prior to the leagues' dissolution. Some of the organizations involved with the former leagues launched junior ice hockey teams in the North American Hockey League and the league headquarters were moved to Frisco.[17]
Rodeo is the official sport of Texas; see § Rodeo for more information.
Media
editMedia devoted to Texas culture include Texas Monthly, a monthly magazine headquartered in Austin that takes as its premise the idea that Texas began as a distinctive place and remains so. It publishes articles on all things culturally Texan, with past pieces on such topics as Texas politicians, the Texas Rangers, Texas cuisine, and true crime incidents in Texas. In 2013, the magazine established a food writing position entirely devoted to barbecue.
The popular animated sitcom King of the Hill depicts Texan culture to varying degrees of accuracy.
Cuisine
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Important aspects of Texas cuisine include Texas barbecue and the local fusion of Southern, Mexican, American, and Southwestern cuisines called Tex-Mex cuisine.
Other
editThe Texas Folklife Festival is an annual event sponsored by the University of Texas at San Antonio's Institute of Texan Cultures celebrating the many ethnicities represented in the population of the state of Texas. Thousands attend the three-day event each year, which features food, crafts, music, and dances from ethnic groups that immigrated to Texas.
A 2015 report by non-profit organization Mission: Readiness found that 73% of military-aged youth in Texas were physically ineligible for military service due to issues with obesity and ill-health, a rate much higher than the national average.[18]
See also
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References
edit- ^ "Census Regions and Divisions of the United States" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ "Texas Ag Stats". texasagriculture.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
- ^ "Silo: Top U.S. States With The Most Farmland". usesilo.com. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
- ^ a b c "The Texas Economy". netstate.com. June 5, 2007. Retrieved April 29, 2008.
- ^ a b Electronic Municipal Market Access (2013). "Appendix A" (PDF). The State of Texas. Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB). Retrieved October 23, 2016.
- ^ Carmack, Liz (June 21, 2013). "The Legacy of 'King Cotton'". County. Texas Association of Counties. Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
- ^ "Crop Production: 2014 Summary" (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture. pp. 48–49. Retrieved July 23, 2015.48-49&rft.pub=United States Department of Agriculture&rft_id=http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/CropProdSu//2010s/2015/CropProdSu-01-12-2015.pdf&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Culture of Texas" class="Z3988">
- ^ Dallas (Drama, Romance), Larry Hagman, Ken Kercheval, Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, Lorimar Productions, Lorimar Telepictures, Lorimar Television, April 2, 1978, retrieved December 28, 2020
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Arnold, Richard (August 2, 2018). "40 years on from the TV series, Dallas is much more than oil barons and big hats". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
- ^ "Rodeo – not football – is the official sport of Texas. Here's how that happened". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
- ^ Association, Texas State Historical. "Handbook of Texas". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
- ^ Barford, Vanessa (October 23, 2015). "Why do Norwegians use 'texas' to mean 'crazy'?". BBC News.
- ^ "Swamp Thing of Ottine: Your Friendly Neighborhood Bigfoot". Texas Hill Country. 2018-01-26. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
- ^ Hartman, Gary. The History of Texas Music. N.p.: Texas A&M University Press, 2008. Print.
- ^ "Japanese cartoons, Texas voices: The story behind the rise of the anime dubbing industry". 14 January 2019.
- ^ "Anime, Texas: How The Lone Star State Became The Center Of America's Anime Craze". abc13.com. May 29, 2021.
- ^ "NAHL contacts". North American Hockey League. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
- ^ Alvarado, Beatriz, "Too fat, too frail to serve, report states", Corpus Christi Caller-Times/Stars and Stripes, October 10, 2015