Texas

Texas is a state located in the United States of America. The 28th U.S. state, Texas joined the United States in 1845. Its postal abbreviation is TX.

Miscellaneous information

• Four ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Texas in honor of the state.
• Famous for their role in the history of Texas law enforcement, the Texas Rangers continue today to provide special law enforcement services to the state.
• One state holiday, Juneteenth (from "June" + "Nineteenth," its date), commemorates the day in 1865 that the slaves in Texas learned of the Emancipation Proclamation.
• At 311 feet, Texas's capitol building in Austin is taller than the capitol building in Washington, D.C.

State designations and symbols

• state flower — the bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis)
• state motto — "Friendship"
• state nickname — The Lone Star State (after the single star on several historical flags of Texas, including the current Texas flag http://www.50states.com/bio/nickname5.htm)
• state tree — the pecan
• state bird — the mockingbird
• official state song — Texas Our Texas
• state mammals (three)
• small — armadillo
• large — Texas longhorn
• flying — Mexican free-tailed bat

Other state designations

• Air Force — Commemorative Air Force (formerly known as the Confederate Air Force), based in Midland
• state dance — Square Dance
• state dinosaur — the Brachiosaur Sauropod, Pleurocoelus
• state dish — chili con carne
• state fiber and fabric — cotton
• state fish — Guadalupe bass
• state folk dance — square dance
• state fruit — Texas red grapefruit
• state gem — Texas blue topaz
• state gemstone cut — The Lone Star Cut http://www.shgresources.com/tx/symbols/gemstonecut/
• state grass — Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula)
• state insect — monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
• musical instrument — guitar
• state peppers (two)
• native — chiltepin
• other — jalapeño
• state plant — prickly pear cactus
• state reptile — Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum), commonly called the "horny toad"
• state shell — lightning whelk (Busycon perversum pulleyi)
• state ship — the Battleship USS Texas (BB-35)
• state shrub — crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)
• state slogan "It's like a whole other country", formerly was "Don't mess with Texas"
• state sport — rodeo
• state stone — petrified palmwood
• state tartan — Texas Bluebonnet Tartan
• state vegetable — Texas sweet onion

The pledge to the Texas Flag is:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:Honor the Texas Flag

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:I pledge allegiance to thee Texas

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:one, and indivisible

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~