GMA On the Road in Texas

April 29, 2002 -- 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.

Driving across the state, one can see signs of that growth, from the cities to the countryside.

Texas has the largest road system of any state, stretching a total of 184,000 miles. If Texas was still an independent nation, it would be the world's fifth-largest oil-producing country. The world's largest parking lot is at Dallas/Forth Worth International Airport.

Cattle Still King

High-tech industry, such as Dell Computers (headquartered in Austin), and the space industry and tourism have added millions to the state's income.

But make no mistake — in the Lone Star State, cattle is still king. Texas is the country's largest producer of cattle, with 14.8 million head.

"I hate to admit it, but we also have the most sheep in the nation," said Steve Murrin, a third-generation Texas cowboy who showed Dahler around. "There's 1.7 million of those little wooly buggers. That's embarrassin'."

Murrin is the real thing, a modern-day cowboy, who has managed to merge new ways with the old and make it work. The kind of person Steinbeck must have been thinking of when he said "Texas … is a state of mind."

Here are some basic facts about Texas.

Population:

Texas has the second-largest population in the United States, 20.8 million, a 23 percent increase from 1990 to 2000.

Major Industries:

The discovery in 1901 of the Spindletop oil field near Beaumont changed everything for the state. Eventually oil was discovered in nearly every part of Texas.

Oil in turn sparked the chemical industry, and the state consequently suffered less than others during the Depression.

Since the 1960s, Texas has developed its tech industries, and has drawn airlines, retail chains, telecom and chemical corporations to make their headquarters in the state.

Facts on Houston:

Its 617 square miles includes 293 parks. The greater Houston area, at 8,778 square miles, is eight times the size of Rhode Island. Population within city limits is 1.9 million, and within the metro area is 4.4 million. Three million people reside in Harris County, the third largest county in the United States.

State History:

Sporadic exploration in the early 1500s by the Spanish. First Spanish settlement in 1682 on site of current El Paso. Resistance from Native Americans limited growth.

First Spanish mission was founded in 1690 and was named Francisco de los Tejas after the so-called tejas, meaning friends or Native Americans.

Americans moved in in the early 1800s. In 1821, Stephen Austin, with a colonization grant acquired from the Spanish by his father, established the first American settlement in Texas.

By 1830 Mexicans were outnumbered 3-1; Mexico, worried, sent in troops. Austin was imprisoned in 1832 as he sought statehood from Mexico, leading to the Texas Revolution in 1835, and the famous defense of the Alamo the next year. They lost the battle but won the war, as Sam Houston led an army that defeated Mexican general Santa Anna at San Jacinto on April 21, 1836.

Texas remained an independent republic for almost 10 years while seeking annexation by the United States, but the annexation was delayed by the slavery debate (Texas allowed slavery). Annexation in 1845 was the immediate cause of the Mexican War.

After the Civil War, the livestock industry came into its own.

In the last 40 years, three presidents have called Texas home.

For more on Texas, go to www.traveltex.com.