The long, turbulent history of Texas as we know it, goes back to 27 years after Columbus arrived in America. In 1519, Alonzo Alvarez de Piñeda explored and charted the Texas coast. Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, shipwrecked near Galveston, wandered across Texas beginning in 1528. Inspired by the tales of de Vaca, Coronado entered the state from New Mexico, bringing with him Fray Juan de Padilla, the first missionary, who was later killed by the Native Americans he tried to convert.

In 1821, Mexico won its independence from Spain, and Texas became a part of the new Mexican republic. At about this time, Moses Austin and his son, Stephen F. Austin, received permission to settle 300 American families on the Brazos. This was the beginning of Anglo-American Texas. Dissatisfaction with Mexican rule led to the Texas Revolution and the taking of San Antonio, later temporarily lost when the Alamo fell. The Revolution came to an end on the plain of San Jacinto when General Sam Houston's outnumbered troops successfully charged the Mexican Army on April 21, 1836, and Texas became an independent republic. It remained so until December 29, 1845, when Texas became the 28th state of the Union.

The character of Texas changes markedly from region to region. While the face of western Texas is largely that of the open range, eastern Texas is home to plantations where rice, sugar cane, and cotton are grown. Northern Texas is the land of the Llanos Estacado (staked plains), but to the southwest stand mountain ranges with 59 peaks at an altitude of more than 6,000 feet. South Texas is dotted with citrus groves that thrive in its semitropical climate, as do the beach lovers that populate hundreds of miles of sand along the Gulf Coast and on the barrier islands. Central areas have an abundance of man-made lakes, making fishing and boating popular pastimes.

Industry exceeds agriculture in the Houston-Beaumont area, including a space industry that contributes millions of dollars to the state's economy. Much of the nation's oil is produced in Texas, and it also ranks at the top of the cotton and livestock industries.