Originally posted by: Brainonska511
Originally posted by: Mavtek3100
Originally posted by: Drift3r
Originally posted by: Mavtek3100
drift
Texan 1st no doubt.
I kind of figured.
Sorry, I'm no where near alone in that thought either. As I've stated before and I'll state it again. If it weren't for Texas the United States would be a 3rd world country.
You're so full of shit.
Ok so read what I've bolded for you, and explain to me how you think the US would be prosperous without the state of Texas. The way I see it, the US is riding on the back of Texas. Texas certainly doesn't need the United States.
Economy
Texas's large population, its abundance of natural resources, and diverse population and geography has led the state to have a large and highly diverse economy. Since the discovery of oil, the state's economy reflected the state of the petroleum industry. In recent times, urban centers of the state have diversified employing two-thirds of the population in 2005. Growth in the state's economy has led to problems associated with urban sprawl.[96]
In the fourth quarter of 2006, Texas had a gross state product of $1.09 trillion, the second highest in the U.S.[97][98] Gross state product per capita as of 2005 was $42,975. The state is home to the most Fortune 500 company headquarters in the United States.[99][100]
In 2004, the Site Selection magazine ranked Texas as the most business friendly state in the nation. A big reason for this ranking is the state's three billion dollar, Texas Enterprise Fund.[101] Texas is one of seven states without a state income tax.[102]
Agriculture and mining
Texas is a productive agricultural state with the most farms both in number and acreage in the United States.[103]
Texas leads the nation livestock production.[103] Cattle the state's most valuable agricultural product, but the state also leads nationally in production of sheep and goat products. Texas is king of cotton leading the nation in cotton production, its leading crop and second-most-valuable farm product.[103] The state also is a large producer of cereal crops and produce.[103] Texas also has a large commercial fishing industry. With mineral resources, Texas leads in creating cement, crushed stone, lime, salt, sand and gravel.[103]
Energy
According to the Energy Information Administration, Texans consume the most energy in the nation both in per capita and as a whole.[104] Since 2002, Texas deregulated its electric service.
The Railroad Commission of Texas, contrary to its name, regulates the state's oil and gas industry, gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the liquefied petroleum gas industry, and surface coal and uranium mining. Until the 1970s, the commission had enormous control the price of petroleum because of its ability to regulate Texas's oil reserves. The founders of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) used the Texas agency as one of their models for petroleum price control.[105]
The state has known petroleum deposits of about 5 billion barrels (790,000,000 m3), which makes up approximately one-fourth of the known U.S. reserves.[104] Texas refineries can process 4.6 million barrels (730,000 m3) of oil a day.[104] As wells are depleted in the eastern portions of the state, drilling in state has moved westward.[103]
Several petroleum companies are based in Texas such as: Conoco-Phillips, Exxon-Mobil, Halliburton, Valero, and Marathon Oil.
Texas is a leader in natural gas production producing one-fourth of the nation's supply.[104]
The state is also a leader in renewable energy sources producing the most wind power nationwide.[104][106]
Technology
With large universities systems coupled with initiatives like TEF and the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, a wide array of different high tech industries have developed in Texas. The Austin area is nicknamed the "Silicon Hills" and the north Dallas area the "Silicon Prairie". High tech companies such as Dell, Inc., Texas Instruments, Perot Systems, AT&T, and Electronic Data Systems (EDS) are headquartered in Texas.
As for emerging technologies, in 2008, FierceBiotech ranked Texas as one of the top five biotechnology states.[107]
The crown jewel of Texas's aeronautics industry is the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, the center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), located in Southeast Houston. Both Lockheed Martin's Aeronautics division and Bell Helicopter Textron are located in Fort Worth, Texas.[108][109] The F-16 Fighting Falcon, the largest Western fighter program is produced in Fort Worth, and its successor, the F-35 Lightning II will also be produced in Fort Worth.[110]
Commerce
Texas's affluence has led to a strong commercial sector consisting of retail, wholesale, banking and insurance, and construction industries. Examples of Fortune 500 companies that are not based on Texas traditional industries are: AT&T, Men's Warehouse, Landry's Restaurants, Kimberly-Clark, Blockbuster, Whole Foods Market, and Tenet Healthcare.[111] Nationally, the Dallas?Fort Worth area, home to the second shopping center in the United States, Highland Park Village, has the most shopping centers per capita than any metropolitan area.[112]
A large contributor to this trend is the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The state's largest trading partner is Mexico, which accounts for a third the state's exports. NAFTA has led to the formation of controversial maquiladoras on the Texas/Mexico border.[113]
Texas's central location within the North American continent has made it an important transportation hub. From the Dallas/Fort Worth area, 93 percent of the nation's population can be reached by truck within 48 hours, and 37 percent within 24.[114] The state is also in the center of the continent's four major economic centers: New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Toronto.[114] Texas has the most foreign trade zones (FTZ), in the nation, 33.[115]
In 2004 a combined total of $298 billion of goods passed though Texas FTZ's.[115]
Transportation
Transportation in Texas has been difficult historically because of the state's large size and rough terrain. Texas has compensated by building both the America's largest highway and railway systems in terms of mileage as well as the largest number of airports in the nation.[116] The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is the state's regulatory authority, whose stated mission is to "work cooperatively to provide safe, effective and efficient movement of people and goods."[117] Though the public face of the agency is generally associated with maintenance of the state's immense highway system, the agency is also responsible for aviation in the state,[118] as well as overseeing public transportation systems.[119]
Highways
Texas freeways have been heavily traveled since the 1948 opening of the Gulf Freeway in Houston.[120] As of 2005, there were 79,535 miles (127,999 km) of public highway in Texas (up from 71,000 miles (114,263 km) in 1984).[121] Tollways are common in Texas primarily due to lack of funds from traditional revenue sources. There are approximately 17 current toll roads in the state with additional roads proposed.[122] In the western part of the state, both I-10 and I-20 have a speed limit of 80 miles per hour (130 km/h), the highest in the nation.[123]
The Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC), also known has the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) freeway, is a transportation network in the planning and early construction stages. The network, as planned, would be composed of a 4,000-mile (6,000 km) network of supercorridors up to 1,200 feet (370 m) wide to carry parallel lines of tollways, rails, and utility lines.[124]
Airports
Texas has the most airports of any state in the nation.[116] Largest of these is Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), the second largest in the United States, and fourth largest in the world.[125] In traffic, DFW is the busiest in the state, fourth busiest in the United States,[126] and sixth busiest in the world.[127] The airport serves 135 domestic destinations and 40 international. DFW is the largest and main hub of the AMR Corporations American / American Eagle, the world's largest airline in total passengers-miles transported[128] and passenger fleet size.[129]
Texas's second-largest air facility is Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). Houston is the headquarters of Continental Airlines and is the airline's largest hub. IAH offers service to the most Mexican destinations of any U.S. airport.[130][131] IAH ranks third among U.S. airports with scheduled non-stop domestic and international service.[130]
Southwest Airlines, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, began its operations at Dallas Love Field.[132] It is the largest airline in the United States by number of passengers carried domestically per year and the largest airline in the world by number of passengers carried.[133] The airline's growth from its original hub is limited by the Wright Amendment of 1979.[134]
Ports
Over 1,000 seaports dot Texas's coast with over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of channels.[135] Ports employ nearly one-million people and handle an average of 317 million metric tons.[136] Texas ports are connected with the rest of the US Atlantic seaboard in the Gulf section of the Intracoastal Waterway.[135] Until the deadliest hurricane in US history of 1900, the state's primary port was Galveston.
With the completion of the Houston Ship Channel in 1919, the Port of Houston replaced Galveston and
today is the busiest port in the United States in foreign tonnage, second in overall tonnage, and tenth worldwide in tonnage.[137] The Houston Ship Channel is currently 530 feet (160 m) wide by 45 feet (14 m) deep by 50 miles (80 km) long.[138]
Railroads
Part of the state's cowboy legends are based on cattle drives where livestock was herded from Texas to railroads in Kansas. The first railroad in Texas completed in 1872, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, diminished the need for these drives. The desire for the benefits of railroads was so strong that Dallasites paid $5,000 for the Houston and Central Texas Railroad to shift its route through its location, rather than Corsicana as planned.[139] Since 1911, Texas has led the nation in railroad length. Construction of railroads created a radial system of major cities, unlike states in which river transportation most influenced the cities. Texas railway mileage peaked in 1932 at 17,078 miles (27,484 km), but declned to 14,006 miles (22,540 km) by 2000.[116] The state's oldest regulatory agency, the Railroad Commission of Texas, originally regulated the railroads, but in 2005, the state transferred to these duties to TxDOT.[140]
Light rail systems have been implemented in both Dallas and Houston. Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) operates the first light rail system in the Southwest United States.[141] The commuter rail service, the Trinity Railway Express (TRE), links Fort Worth and Dallas, provided by the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (the T) and DART.[142] The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) operates lines in the Houston area.
Intercity passenger rail service in Texas is limited in terms of both network and frequency. Just three scheduled Amtrak routes serve the state: the daily Texas Eagle (Chicago?San Antonio); the tri-weekly Sunset Limited (New Orleans?Los Angeles), with stops in Texas; and the daily Heartland Flyer (Fort Worth?Oklahoma City).
Culture
Texas historically has had a culture that has been a blend of Southwestern (Mexican), Southern (Dixie), and Western (frontier) influences. A popular food item drawing from all three is the breakfast taco, made with a soft flour tortilla wrapped around bacon and scrambled eggs or other hot, cooked fillings. Adding to Texas's traditional culture, established in the 18th and 19th centuries, later immigration has made Texas a melting pot of cultures from around the world.
Arts
Houston is one of only five American cities with permanent professional resident companies in all of the major performing arts disciplines: the Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Ballet, and The Alley Theatre.[143] Known for the vibrancy of its visual and performing arts, the Houston Theatre District?a 17-block area in the heart of Downtown Houston?is ranked second in the country in the number of theatre seats in a concentrated downtown area, with 12,948 seats for live performances and 1,480 movie seats.[143]
Fort Worth is an epicenter of the North Texas region's art scene. Founded in 1892, The Modern is the oldest art museum in Texas. The city is also home to the Kimbell Art Museum, the Amon Carter Museum, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, the Will Rogers Memorial Center, and the Bass Performance Hall downtown.
The Arts District of Downtown Dallas has arts venues such as the Dallas Museum of Art, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, the Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, and the Nasher Sculpture Center.[144]
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Houston
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Houston
The Deep Ellum district within Dallas became popular during the 1920s and 1930s as the prime jazz and blues hotspot in the Southern United States. The name Deep Ellum is derived from local people pronouncing "Deep Elm" as "Deep Ellum".[145] Artists such as Blind Lemon Jefferson, Robert Johnson, Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter, and Bessie Smith played in early Deep Ellum clubs.[146]
Austin, the The Live Music Capital of the World, boasts the most venues per capita citywise.[147] The city's music revolves around the nightclubs on 6th Street and an annual film, music, and multimedia festival known as South by Southwest.[148] The longest-running concert music program on American television, Austin City Limits and its similarly named music festival are located at the University of Texas at Zilker Park.
Over the past couple of decades, San Antonio has evolved into the "Nashville of Tejano music." The Tejano Music Awards have provided a forum to create greater awareness and appreciation for Tejano music and culture.[149]
Sports
While American football has long been considered ?king? in the state, Texans today enjoy a wide variety of sports.[150] Texans have a plethora of professional sports teams to cheer for. Texas is home to two NFL teams, the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Texans; two Major League Baseball teams, the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros; three NBA teams: the Houston Rockets, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Dallas Mavericks; two WNBA teams: the Houston Comets and the San Antonio Silver Stars; one National Hockey League team, the Dallas Stars. Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area is one of only thirteen American cities that have sports teams from the "Big Four" professional leagues. Other professional teams include the Arena Football League, and Major League Soccer, and the Mexican 1st Division.
Collegiate athletics have deep significance in Texas culture. The state has the most Division I-FBS schools in America, ten. The four largest programs are part of the Big 12 Conference: the Baylor Bears, Texas A&M Aggies, Texas Longhorns, and Texas Tech Red Raiders. According to a survey of Division I-A coaches, the rivalry between the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas, the Red River Shootout, is ranked the third best collegiate rivalry in the nation.[151] The rivalry between the two largest universities in the state, Texas A&M University and the University of Texas, is called the Lone Star Showdown.
2006 Lone Star Showdown football game at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
2006 Lone Star Showdown football game at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
Texas is an American Football recruiting hotbed for college teams nationwide. In 2006, 170 players in the NFL were from Texas high schools.[152] The University Interscholastic League (UIL) organizes most primary and secondary school competitions. Events organized by UIL include athletics as well as the arts and academic subjects such as mathematics.[153]
Texans also enjoy going to the rodeo. The annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the largest rodeo in the world. The event begins with trail rides that originate from several points throughout the state, of which convene at Reliant Park. The World?s first rodeo was held in Pecos, Texas on July 4, 1883.[154] The Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show in Fort Worth, Texas has a cowboy, a Mexican and many traditional rodeos. The State Fair of Texas is held in Dallas, Texas each year at Fair Park.[155]
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