Texas' climate attracts northern "snowbirds" in
the winter and retirees all year-round. The climate varies from
subtropical in the Rio Grande valley to continental temperate in the
panhandle. Mountains (elevation 7,835 ft) in the western Big Bend
country draw hikers, campers and fishermen, and the Gulf Coast hosts all
kinds of water sports.
Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, all with
over 1,000,000 residents, have fine cuisine, night life, music, museums
and professional sports on a par with any city in the United States.
The vast Texas economy is based on manufacturing, agriculture and
mining. Spanish settlers from Mexico arrived here in the 17th
century. Texas was an independent republic in 1836 and became the
28th state in 1845. It seceded and joined the Confederacy in
1861.
