Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area (after Alaska) and population (after California). Texas has three of the top 10 most populous cities in the U.S., Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio. The vastness and diversity of Texas are evident in nearly all aspects of its physical features, economy, history, and cultural life. Texas is known for its great agricultural wealth, major oil and natural gas production, industry and finance, huge urban centres that foster a cosmopolitan cultural life, and seemingly unending stretches of high prairie and ranges devoted to cattle and cotton.
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Six countries have rules over Texas. They are Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the United States, and the Confederate States of America. The six flags can be found on the reverse of the Seal of Texas. Texas is nicknamed the "Lone Star State" for its former status as an independent republic, and as a reminder of the state's struggle for independence from Mexico. The "Lone Star" can be found on the Texas state flag and on the Texas state seal.
Texas's affluence stimulates a strong commercial sector consisting of retail, wholesale, banking and insurance, and construction industries. Fortune 500 companies like AT&T, Kimberly-Clark, J. C. Penney, Whole Foods Market are all headquartered here.
Football is king in Texas. From High School, to College and to the Pro Ranks no other sport is followed by more people in Texas then football. Traditional college football powers such as the University of Texas, Texas Christian University, Texas A&M University to the National Football League’s Houston Texans and the Dallas Cowboys whose long stretches of dominance won them the sobriquet “America’s Team” and their world famous Dallas Cheerleaders.
