Sunday, July 30, 2006

When most people think of Texas, they think of cowboys and ranches.



It seems like people in almost every country of the world have heard of Texas. Most people outside of Texas think of Texas as a state filled with cowboys and ranches. Yes, Texas does have its share of cowboys and ranches, but Texas has a lot more, too.

We all know that Texas is a large state, but most people outside of Texas are surprised to hear about the diversity in Texas. The state is 900 miles at the widest point and varies a quite a bit geographically across that distance.

Eastern Texas is very wet and is actually swampy in places. It has a lot of trees and vegetation because of the excessive amount of rainfall they receive.

West Texas is arid and almost a desert with very little rainfall. From central to north Texas is where you will find more cowboys and ranches. South Texas has a lot of farms that grow produce.

Central Texas has the beautiful Texas Hill Country and the popular Highland Lakes chain of lakes. The Texas Hill Country is covered with live oak trees that stay green the year around and has winding roads up and down the hills and among the lakes. It is a popular place to vacation and to retire.

The Gulf of Mexico provides Texas with a large coastal area with beaches, boating and fishing. It is often referred to as the Third Coast. Galveston and Corpus Christi are popular destinations for tourists along the Gulf Coast.

Another thing that often surprises people about Texas is the number of lakes in Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife has 165 lakes listed. A lot of the lakes are tourist lakes with lake rental houses, cabin rentals, boating, fishing, jet skiing, waterskiing and sailing. The lakes are scattered throughout Texas and are popular vacation spots for Texans.

All of the lakes in Texas were man-made by erecting dams except for one. Caddo Lake in east Texas on the Louisiana border is the only natural lake in Texas.

For more information on Texas Lakes, go to this web page: Texas Lakes

Because of the large varity of different areas of Texas to experience, you may want to come to Texas several times, visiting a different area each time.

Texas is also a popular state for moving to for retirement. Some areas of Texas have so many people who have moved there from out of state that they almost outnumber the native Texans in the area. The Highland Lakes Area is an area with a lot of people from other states.

Thousands of people come to Texas from up north to get out of the cold winters each year and enjoy the mild winter climate in Texas. Texans refer to these people as "Winter Texans." The Winter Texans are welcomed by the friendly people of Texas. Winter Texans also like the lower prices in Texas than they find in other states, like Florida.

To see more about Texas and what it has to offer, go to these web pages:
Touring Texas
Highland Lakes
Texas Hill Country
Winter Texans
Galveston
Corpus Christi
San Antonio
Houston
Dallas / Ft. Worth
Texas Cabins
Lake Rental Houses
Texas B&Bs