I was born in El Paso. I have a certificate proclaiming I am a Daughter of the State of Texas. I wonder if those certificates are given to babies now. I haven't lived in Texas for many years. My dad was an Army officer and we traveled the world. I had an opportunity to go to Dallas to see the American Airlines training facility for stewardesses sponsored by Cramer Travel. It was a short trip. We were there one night and two days. Back then flight attendants were called stewardesses. There were plane cabins in multiple locations to train for fires, loss of cabin pressures and evacuations over water. I did get to see several trainees get wet jumping down a slide into a a swimming pool. I stayed at The Four Seasons in Dallas. The room was very nice. They had a four star French restaurant that served a delicious bay scallop salad that none of my friends would eat. The 4 course lunch sponsored by Cramer Travel was excellent although most of my friends wouldn't eat the foods except for dessert. They loved the crepes. Afterwards we went to Neiman Marcus. The store was very luxurious and very expensive. The cheapest thing we found was a pen for $50. Yikes! Everything is big in Texas. Several of us decided to get a cab and go to Billy Bob's. It was the world's largest honky tonk. They had a mechanical bull that some folks rode too. We met in the lobby of The Four Seasons at 5 for a taxi ride to Billy Bob's. While in the lobby, my friend Estha and I were having a cocktail and talking when a young lady brought us a second cocktail from two men sitting at the bar with business suits and those tall cowboy hats. These hats weren't the standard size that's common. These were very tall. We waved thank you and they nodded. Pretty friendly and not in our faces. The other ladies showed up and we proceeded to get in the taxi. It was crowded. We went to Billy Bob's. After arriving we all set an agreed time to meet up to get back to the hotel. It was a long drive to Billy Bob's. Estha, Ruthy, Gerri and I walked around sipping on beers. There is a side of the bar where people ride in on horseback. It was cool to see and if you don't mind the smells and ok to watch for a while. We went back to the front entrance to get a taxi back to the hotel. Several of the ladies wanted to stay so the four of us left and went back to the hotel. We had to be up and in the lobby by 6 am so staying out late with a hangover didn't seem like fun. Ruthy and Gerri went to their room. Estha and sat in the lobby. There was a room where we could hear music coming from but we didn't venture in. While sipping a cocktail, the waitress brought us two more compliments of two men at the bar. We looked and waved thank you and these two guys got up and came over to introduce themselves. They wore jeans, cowboy boots with spurs, western shirts and the common size cowboy hats. Estha and I agreed we wouldn't do anything stupid like stay up late. Haha! Those guys wanted to dance and of course we didn't know how to two step. I learned quickly and had a good time. When midnight came, we said our goodbyes and parted ways. Texas was wonderful. We had a great time. read more

I lived in Lubbock, Texas for for a few years. The best things I remember: - people were friendly and polite - store sales were fantastic! - The Goodwill Outlet/Pound Clearance- yes, Goodwill has an outlet. You gotta dig through piles though. - restaurant food portions were huge! Hubby and I could share a plate - BBQ: juicy, fall off the bone, with a pink ring from being smoked, and a little bit of char. - large, affordable housing with large yards - lots of job opportunities. Many people in the medical field were moving to Texas for jobs. The worst: - lack of snow/ice management. It was dangerous driving after a snow/ice storm I enjoyed living in Lubbock, Texas. I would love to return. read more

I guess I'm 50% Texan since my Dad was born in Houston. I saw Diana Ross perform at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo along with some talented bull riders. I had my first michelada and chile verde in Texas. I visited some beautiful vineyards while visiting my sorority sister in Georgetown, TX and enjoyed Great Van Fleet and Paul McCarney at Austin City Limits. I saw Kid Rock at least one at the outdoor venue near the Woodlands. And yes, everything is bigger in Texas! Bigger hairdos because "the bigger the hair, the closer to God!" Vehicles are bigger, think F-550 pickups everywhere! When I think of Texas I do think of the two step, guns, oil, and world class BBQ (different from Alabama). The first frozen margarita machine was invented in Dallas. Dr Pepper (note, there is no period at "Dr") was invented in the late 1800s in Waco, Texas. The State Fair of Texas boasts the largest Ferris wheel in North America. It's also the largest and longest-running state fair in the country. Established in 1886, the State Fair of Texas takes place every fall in Dallas and lasts 24 days with typically, 2 million visitors every year. In Austin between March and October, you can catch a glimpse of the South Congress Avenue Bridge bats, the largest urban colony of bats in the world. Around sunset, the city's 1.5 million bats take off into the night. Austin Texas also has more live-music venues per capita compared to any other state in the United States and the world. Clocking in at 85 mph the state of Texas also holds the record for the fastest speed limit in the US. Enforced along Texas State Highway 130 or the Pickle Parkway, it beats the highest speed limit of any other state. The word "Texas" means friendship, it came from the Caddo Indian word that means "allies" or "friends." Thanks, Texas! Thanks, Austin for always "keeping it weird!" I can't wait to visit Texas again, next bluebell season! read more

This Department of Public Safety location has been revamped and organized to efficiently move people! I used it exclusively for many years even taking my daughters to get their license there. Sometime in the ultra Uber growth of the area in the early 2000s, the place became a chaotic mess taking hours to get anything done. No more! I recently went back to this location for a renewal and was pleasantly surprised at the redesign and exponential efficiency improvement. read more

State of Texas Review is dedicated to all my Texas Yelp Friends! I'm looking forward to returning in my next life....... I've driven through Texas from West to East. It's huge! I have lots of cool Yelp Friends from Texas that keep me up to date on the attractions, food and so much more. There's so much to do and see in this state. It's such a diverse population there's plenty to enjoy. My favorite tourist destination is the Alamo. If I return to Texas I would go elsewhere. Until I can visit I'm enjoying seeing this beautiful state on Yelp. I've seen enough of it by car! Next time I'll fly. As a note: The NRA announced recently they are moving their headquarters from New York to Texas. Good luck with that Texas. read more

I have a 50+ year history with the state of Texas that started when I was a teenager when I hitchhiked across the WHOLE state. From the Louisiana border to New Mexico it was quite the first TX experience. Since those "good ol' days' I have made numerous trips to the great state of Texas with extended stays in Austin, Houston, San Antonio, El Paso and Galveston. I've done the trip across the state on northern, southern interstates as well as ambling around just for fun. I've seen a lot of it but there's just too much to experience without dedicating yourself to a Texaspalooza :-) I haven't even been to all the Bucc-ee's yet LOL I have a great affection for the people of Texas, and they always been good to me. However,when I lived in New England whenever I ran into somebody from Texas i would always say "Welcome to the United States" :-) The old axiom "everything is bigger in Texas" has a lot of validity, to be sure, just the sheer size of this great state is impressive. Texas has more counties (254) than any other state. Forty-one counties in Texas are each larger than the state of Rhode Island. The land area of Texas is larger than all of New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois combined. It extends 801 miles from north to south and 773 miles from east to west. El Paso, Texas is closer to Los Angeles on the Pacific Coast than it is to Port Arthur on Gulf Coast of Texas. Port Arthur, on the other hand, is closer to Jacksonville, Florida on the Atlantic Coast than it is to El Paso & of the nation's ten largest cities, three are in Texas (Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio). For us foodies here's a list of 10 Foods That Prove Everything is Bigger in Texas: https://alltimelists.com/10-foods-that-prove-everything-is-bigger-in-texas/ Bottom line: Texas is so big and diverse that it's practically its own country. It was, in fact, a nation of its own from 1836 to 1845. The Texas landscape ranges from desert badlands and swimmable coastlines to lush mountains and sprawling prairies. Of course, the people are great and have always made me feel right at home no matter if it was in the desert or the coast! read more

State of Texas - I got some really incredible brisket here on my last trip to Austin!! - Registration Services Near Me - Plano, Texas