Texas:

Texas

Texas is a state in the south and southwest regions of the United States. It joined the United States in 1845 as the 28th state, after nearly ten years as the Republic of Texas, an independent country. The state name derives from a word in a Caddoan language of the Hasinai, tasha (tejas, as the Spanirds spelled it) meaning "those who are friends," friends or allies. Spanish explorers mistakenly applied the word to the people and their location. (The Texas Department of Transportation pays homage to the origin of Texas' name in it's "Drive Friendly" safe driving campain.) With an area of 268,581 square miles (695,622 km squared) and a population of 22.5 million. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contigious 48 states in area. (Alaska is the largest U.S. state in area and California is the most populous.) Texas has historically had a "larger than life" reputation especially in cowboy films.

Attractions

Texas has 25 metropolitan areas defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. The two largest are ranked among the top 10 U.S. metropolitan areas. As of June 2003, there is now an additional classifacation, that of a "Metropolitan Division". Texas has two metropolitan divisions within the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington MSA. The term metropolitan division is used to refer to a county or group of counties within a metropolitan area that has a population core of at least 2.5 million. While a metropolitan division is a subdivision of a lareger metropolitan area, it often functions as a distinct social, economic, and cultural area within the larger region. The following table lists population figures for thos metropolitan areas, in rank of population. Population figures are as of the 2004 U.S. Census estimates.

Reunion Tower is a 170.7m (558.07 ft) obervation tower and one of ther most reconizable landmarks in Dallas, Texas. Located at 300 Reunion Blvd. in the Reunion district of downtown Dallas, the tower is part of the Hyatt Regency Hotel complex. The tower is the 15th tallest building in Dallas. Reunion tower was a free standing structure until the construction of an addition of the Hyatt Regency Dallas in 200. The tower was designed by the architectural firm Welton Becket & Associates. Completed in 1978 as part of an urban redevelopment project that also renovated the historic Union Station, which today services Amtrk, DART, and the Trinity Rail Express to DFW Airport and Ft. Worth. THe tower consists od three floors with circular floor plans on top of four shafts of poured in place concrete.

Long before Barton Spring Pool was built, the springs were considered sacred by the Tonkawa Native American tribe who inhabited the area, and were used for purifacation rituals. Spanish explorers first discovered the springs in the 17th century, and around 1730 erected temporary missions at the site (later moving to San Antonio). In 1837, soon after incorporation of the city of Austin, William ("Uncle Billy") Barton, the springs namesake, settled the area. Barton named the three separte springs after his three daughters: Parthenia, Eliza, and Zenobia. He, and subsequent owners of the property, recognized

its value as a tourist attraction and promoted it vigorously, this leading to the swimming hole's lasting popularity. The last private owner of the property, Andrew Jackson Zilker, deeded it to Austin in 1918. During the 1920s, the city undertook a construction project to create a larger swimming area by damming the springs and building sidewalks. The bathhouse at Deep Eddy Pool, which is currently undergoing historic renovation. The pool is surrounded by grassy slopes which are ideal for sunbathing. In the cosmopolitan spirit that typifies Austin, males and femals alike are allowed and do sunbathe topless.

Sea World, San Antonio is a seasonal park. Generally it is open weekends only from mid-march to memorial day weekend, daily memorial day to mid august, and weekends only mid August to late November. It's the largest of the sea world parks. This is in the port due to the fact that it has thrill-ride and water park sections that are separate from the animal portion of the park.

Population

Houston is the largest city in the state of Texas and the fourht-largest in the U.S. The city covers more than 600 square miles (1,600 km squared) and is the county seat of Harris County, the third-most populous in the country. As of the 2004 US Census estimate, Houston had a total population of more than 2 million. The city is at the heart of the Huston-Sugar Land-Baytown metropolitan area, the largest cultural and economic center of the Gulf Coast region and the seventh-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. with a population of 5.3 million in 10 counties.

San Antonio is the county seat of Bexar County (pronounced "bear") located in the U.S. state of Texas. The city is on the northern

edge of the South Texas region and south east of the Texas Hill Country. San Antonio was named for the Portuguese Saint Anthony of Padua, whose feast day it was when a Spanish expedition stopped in the area in 1691. Famous for its River Walk and the Alamo, Jejano culture, and being home to Sea World and Six Flags Fiesta Texas theme parks, the city is visited by 20 million tourists per year. San Antonio has the South Texas Medical Center, the largest and only medical research and care provider in the South Texas region. The city is home to the first museum of Modern Art in Texas, the Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum. San Antonio has a strong military presence: it is home to Fort Sam Houston, Lackland Air Force Base, Randolph Air Force Base, and Brooks City Base.

Dallas is the third-most-populous city in the state of Texas ans the ninth-most-populous in the U.S. The city is also large in geographic area as it covers 997 km squared and is the county seat of Dallas County. Dallas is one of 11 U.S. global cities as it is ranked "Gamma World City" by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, Dallas had a total population of 1.1 million (though a 2006 estimate placed the population at more than 1.26 million.) The city is the main cultural and economic center of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area (colloquially referred to as Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex), which is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. with a population of 5.7 million in 12 counties. The 16-county metropolitan area designated by the Norht Central Texas Council of Governments had a population of 6,242,800 in 2006.

Climates

Texas