GMA On the Road in Texas

April 29 -- Author Pete Hamill once wrote, "There is a growing feeling that perhaps Texas really is another country, a place where the skies, the disasters, the diamonds, the politicians, the women, the fortunes, and the football players are all bigger than anywhere else."

Take a ride through the state, which has the second-largest population in the United States, and you will see what Hamill means. ABCNEWS' Don Dahler went on the road in Texas to find out some of the reasons the 21 million people who live there think their state is the "Lone Star" of the Lower 48.

First off, you'll notice that Texas seems to stand on its own. Author John Steinbeck said that Texas — all 262,000 square miles of it — is a nation in almost every sense of the word. The only state to have once been a republic unto itself, Texas is defined by a fierce independence.

Among the residents, there's a strong pride here that borders on arrogance. From the oil fields in the Texas Panhandle, to the ultimate symbol of courage — the Alamo — Texans believe their state is simply the best.

Explaining the Texas Swagger

When you look at some of the state's distinctions, it is easier to appreciate that Texans might have more reason to swagger than the rest of us. Texas has the tallest state capitol building in the country. The Dallas Cowboys have won five Super Bowls. The state is home to a whopping 97 colleges and universities and boasts 26 military bases. Among music fans, Austin is touted as the "Live Music Capital of the World."

All that pride takes up a lot of space, and that is something that Texas has got plenty of. Simply put, it's huge — bigger than all of Germany, Great Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands combined.

Three of the 10 largest cities in the nation are in Texas (Houston, Dallas and San Antonio). The population of Texas is 71 percent white, 11.5 percent African-American, 2.7 percent Asian, and 32 percent Latino. The population has increased nearly 23 percent over the past 10 years.