Texas – just the very name evokes images of cattle ranches, cowboys, barbecue, and other things tough and rugged. Ask most people about the Lone Star State’s history and they’ll probably come up with the Alamo and not much else. Although all these things do make up a significant part of the Texan identity, they don’t tell the full story. There’s much more to the southern state than one would think.
- They say everything’s bigger in Texas. It’s not certain whether this statement has any merit, but the state itself is certainly large. At 268,601 square miles, Texas has more land mass than every country in Europe. It also holds the second largest population in the United States. In 2010, the reported population was more than 25 million people.
- In Texas, it’s best not to mess with someone’s cattle, disrespect the dead, or bring a camel with you on your daily beach walk. According to the state’s laws, a cattle owner can legally hang you if they catch you stealing or vandalizing one of their cows. So keep your hands off the beef. Also, you cannot legally curse in front of a corpse. And strangely enough, it is illegal let a camel freely roam the beaches of Galveston. Wait, what?
- This next one’s a short one, but nevertheless a good one. Ironically, in the city of Slaughter, Texas, there has not been one single homicide, ever. Let’s hope this place never lives up to its name.
- Ever heard of Frito pie? Take some chili, onions, and cheese, and then pour all of it into a bag of Fritos. Mix it up and have at it. Frito pie is a popular snack food in Texas along with peanuts and Dr Pepper, beef jerky, corn dogs, and jalapenos. Now that’s some good eating that’s, well, not good for you.
- Texas has a lot of space and consequently a lot of pavement. If all of the highways in Texas were connected from end to end, the resulting mega-highway would extend for more than 70,000 miles. The state uses 1.6 million gallons of white and yellow paint annually to paint the stripes.
For all your legal needs in the great state of Texas, call the Austin-based attorneys at Peek Law Group, L.L.P.