Texas Facts for Kids

Our Texas Facts for Kids provide interesting and fun facts about the second most largest state of the United States of America, its people, attractions and geographical superlatives and all other important facts about Texas you really should know.

Top 30 Texas Facts for Kids | USA

1. Texas is the second most populous state of the USA after California and the country's second largest state - after Alaska. The state in the central region of the United States is about a third of the size of the country's largest state Alaska. Texas is roughly double size of Germany, Japan or the UK or slightly larger than France.

2. Texas is located in the southern central United States and borders neighbouring country Mexico to the southwest.

3. Texas’s capital is called Austin. The state capital is located about 257 km/ 160 miles to the east of Houston, the commercial center of the state. Austin is home to about 966,000 inhabitants.

Texas state map

4. The Gulf of Mexico borders the state of Texas to the south east.

5. Texas borders the US states of Oklahoma to the north, Arkansas to the north east, Louisiana to the east and New Mexico to the west. The border to neighbouring country Mexico is in the south and west.

6. Texas has a population of about 30 million people. The majority of the people in Texas live in the eastern parts of the state and two thirds of all people live in the cities and metropolitan areas of the state.

7. Houston is Texas' largest and most populous city with about 2.5 million people and a total of about 7 million inhabitants living in the metropolitan area.

8. Texas houses some of the most populous US cities after New York City and Los Angeles/ California: Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth.

Texas Facts for Kids
Texas Geography

9. Texas has a varied topography with three of the state borders formed by rivers. In Texas there are coastal plains along the Gulf, hilly and forested lowlands in the interior with vast pine forests and the country's largest farmlands. Prairie and steppe exists in the Great Plains and the deserts and grasslands of the Far West Texas are home to unique plants and animals.

10. The highest mountain of Texas is located in the Chisos mountains and is called Emory Peak with a hight of 2,385 m/ 7,825 ft.

The volcanic Chisos mountains in Big Bend National Park are the southernmost mountain range of the USA.

Chisos mountains in Big Bend National Park

Texas is not affected by earthquakes as there are no tectonic boundaries close by. However, Texas is part of the US American hurricane belt.

The most important geographical features of Texas are the Gulf Coastal Plains, the interior lowlands and the Great Plains, the Basin and Range Province with the highest mountains and the panhandle.

11. Texas has a desert, the Chihuahuan Desert in western Texas. This desert reaches into Mexico where more than 90% of its land area are located. The eastern parts of the desert in Texas, however, houses some of the oldest desert plants in North America. Almost one quarter of all cactus species grow in this desert.

12. Texas facts for Kids : Texas lies in the so-called 'Hurricane Belt' of the USA. 'Tornado Alley' covers large parts of northern Texas. The dangerous tropical storms hit the region during the months of June to September. Texas cities and towns have preparedness and disaster plans and awareness campaigns are shared among the residents in these areas.

Texas Facts for Kids
Texas Geography Superlatives

13. There are more than 15 major rivers in Texas and over 18,000 smaller streams within Texas.

14. The longest river is the Rio Grande with 1,900 miles while the longest river in Texas flowing only in the USA is the Red River with a length of 1,360 km/ 2,190 miles.

The Rio Grande river forms the international boundary between the state of Texas and Mexico and runs into the Gulf of Mexico. The steep Santa Elena canyon wall along the Rio Grande is up to 457 m/ 1,500 ft high.

Santa Elena Canyon

The Red River as well as the Sabine River are forming natural borders to neighbouring states Oklahoma and Arkansas as well as Louisiana.

15. The largest lake that is entirely situated in the state of Texas is Toledo Bend Reservoir. This is one of the largest man-made lakes in the USA!

16. The largest naturally formed lake in Texas is Caddo Lake, however, Green Lake is the largest natural lake that is entirely located in Texas.

Texas Facts | Name and State Symbols

17. The state has an old nickname: "The Lone Star State" referring to the flag and a newer nickname: "The Friendly State." The motto of the state is: "Friendship".

Texas state capitol

18. The name Texas is derived from the Caddo language of the indigenous people of the region. Texas means "friends". Sadly there are only two speakers of the indigenous language left.

19. Texas is the 26th state of the USA and gained statehood in 1845 under President James Know Polk.

20. The Texas state colours are red, white and blue.

The bluebonnet is the state flower. The spring flower blooms from late March to early April.

Bluebonnet flowers in field

The Pecan tree is the national tree. Texas is the largest producer of pecan nuts in the United States of America.

Texas Facts | Animals

21. Common animals in Texas are amongst others the longhorn cattle, the white-tailed deer, the nine-banded armadillo, the badger, the American green tree frog, Texas toad, squirrels, bobcats, racoons, porcupines and black bears.

The Texas longhorn cattle is famous for its long horns that can measure a span of up to 2.4 m/ 8 ft. These cattle were once brought into the country by the Spanish settlers but are now more heat tolerant than the European breeds.

Longhorn cattle

Texas is the state with the most varied birdlife. Over 590 native bird species are registered in Texas.

The Mockingbird is the most common bird species. They can be seen year round in the state. This bird is known for its ability to imitate other bird sounds and even can imitate a dog's barking!

The beautiful orange coloured Monarch butterflies are the state insects while the horned lizard is considered the state reptile.

Texas Facts for Kids | People

22. Native American people have moved about and settled in the region of today's state of Texas for almost 16,000 years. The most prominent native groups are the Apache, Comanche, Lipan, Jumano and Caddo people as well as other groups. There are over 30 unrecognised American Indian organisations as Texas does not officially recognise Native American tribes even though there are about 120,000 Native Americans at home in this state.

23. Among the most famous people from Texas are the former presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower as well as Lyndon B. Johnson, singers Kelly Clarkson, Selena Gomez and Beyonce, actor Matthew McConaughey, sports stars Patrick Mahomes II. and Jimmy Butler and philanthropist Melinda Gates

24. Oil was first discovered in Texas already in the 16th century, however, in 1894 significant oil fields were found and the large oil field in eastern Texas experienced major explorations from the 1930s.

25. About 75% of the Texans say they are Christians, 28% of these are Catholics and 47% are Protestants. But Texas is home to people of all different ethnic groups and different religions.

Battle of the Flowers Parade in San Antonio - image by Roberto Galan

26. The battle of the Alamo in 1836 is one of the famous events in Texan history. The formerly Spanish mission in San Antonio was one of the sites of the Texas Revolution. The mission station was built in 1718 by Catholic missionaries.

The Alamo - image by Sean Pavone

Facts about Texas | Economy

27. Texas's economy is very strong and in general larger than that of Canada or Russia! The most important industry sector of Texas is the oil & gas industry. Many tech companies have their headquarters in the state.

The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Centre is one of the world's leading centres for aeronautics and space exploration. Here is the control centre for the space shuttle missions and the astronaut training centre.

Crude oil, natural gas, lime, salt and cement are the leading mineral resources in Texas.

Cotton field with oil pump jack in the background

Texas has the most farms and ranches in the United States of America and leads the country in regards to cattle, sheep, horses, cotton, hay and wool production. Texas produces roughly 40% of all cotton of the USA.

28. Texas is the USA's largest emitter of greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide. However, also renewable energy sources are explored in Texas. Roscoe Wind Farm is one of the largest wind farms in the world and Texas offers some of the best places for solar energy production in the USA.

More Facts about Texas for kids

29. Texas Facts | Time Zones: Almost all regions of the large state apply one time zone: Central Time. The Central Time Zone (UTC-6:00) is shared also with many US states and most of bordering country Mexico. Only three counties (El Paso and Hudspeth as well as northwestern Culbertson) adhere to Mountain Time (UTC-7:00).

Texas also adheres to daylight saving time during the warmer summer months from second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November.

30. Texas Facts | Famous Landmarks: Among the most visited tourist sites and landmarks in Texas are:

Reunion Tower in Dallas - Texas's most iconic skyline attraction with its fabulous Geo Deck. "The Ball" with the 259 LED lights can be seen from far.

Skyline of Dallas

Big Bend National Park - Santa Elena cliffs are amongst the tallest canyon walls. The name originates from the bend of the Rio Grande
The Alamo - living history and heritage monument, battlefield tour in San Antonio
Palo Euro Canyon State Park - explore canyon lands and walk the Lighthouse trail south of Amarillo
Six Flags Fiesta Texas - fantastic shows, numerous thrilling rides, water fun park - great for families
Space Centre in Houston - learn about Space exploration and NASA history

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Useful Resources for Texas Facts for Kids:

This page was created on 15 June 2023.

National Parks Service. "Big Bend: Santa Elena Canyon". NPS.gov. Last accessed 15 June 2023
Texas Almanac. "Major Rivers." TexasAlmanac. Last accessed 15 June 2023
Texas Parks & Wildlife. "Teacher Resources: Keep Texas Wild." TpwdMagazine. Volume 2. Issue 12. August 2010. Last accessed 15 June 2023
Texas State Library. "State Symbols." Texas State Library and Archives. Last modified 29 June 2021. Last accessed 15 June 2023
Bullock Museum. "American Indians." The Story of Texas. Last accessed 15 June 2023