When people think of Texas, they usually think of a hot, flat piece of desert, fried food and BBQ, country music, and guns. However, there’s a lot more to Texas than you’d expect, and some of it might surprise you. If you’re thinking about moving to the good ol’ Lone Star State, you might want to read this over first.
- Snow!!
gary boyd/flickr Yes, that is a picture taken in Texas. And yes, it does actually snow, at least in the western and northern parts of the state.
- Waterfalls!
NikonFDSLR/flickr Texas is home to many waterfalls; in fact, you can check out some of the more well-known ones here.
- Mountains!
Johnathan D. Anderson/Flickr There’s three major mountain ranges in Texas: the Franklin, Davis, and Guadalupe Mountains. See, told you Texas wasn’t just a desert!
- Canyons!
sarowen/flickr The second largest canyon in the U.S., the Palo Duro Canyon is located just outside Amarillo in the town of Canyon. Is all this topographical diversity throwing you for a loop yet?
- Not everyone’s a cowboy/cowgirl.
nika vee/flickr Texas is full of diversity, from people’s viewpoints to the way they dress to the way they live their lives. Go to Austin, in particular, and you’ll see it’s vastly different than the rest of the state.
- Traffic
PINKE/flickr People from out of state tend to think Texas is full of a bunch of quiet, small towns. But sadly, this is what traffic looks like at rush hour in any of the major cities on any of the freeways. If you can avoid it, consider yourself very lucky.
- Sand dunes..except not at the beach!
Lindsay Attaway/flickr Here’s another example of the diverse landscape in Texas: Monahans Sandhills State Park in West Texas. You can even take a disc and slide down the sand dunes!
- Healthy food
allen sheffield/flickr Okay, let’s face it; Texas isn’t exactly known for being the healthiest state in the nation. But, we do have quite a few farmer’s markets and local grocers throughout the state to get our fruits and veggies! We really value homegrown, local food here.
- Wineries/Vineyards
jdeeringdavis/flickr Many people think Texas only knows beer and nothing else, but we actually have dozens of AMAZING wineries and vineyards here. Check out my article about them here.
- Alien sightings!!
jon hanson/flickr Just kidding, although some people believe the lights they see in the tiny town of Marfa are actually aliens. I encourage you to read up on the mystery lights of Marfa, or visit for yourself if you can. Pretty interesting stuff.
- Art, and lots of it.
mikecarrick/flickr We have a lot of creative people in Texas, and you can see their work from murals painted on buildings to exhibits in art galleries.
- Pretty beaches
vince smith/flickr Everyone who lives here knows that the beach water is brown and muddy, for the most part, but if you go down to South Padre Island, the water actually looks greenish-blue sometimes!
What would you tell someone to expect about moving to Texas? Share with us in the comments!
gary boyd/flickr
Yes, that is a picture taken in Texas. And yes, it does actually snow, at least in the western and northern parts of the state.
NikonFDSLR/flickr
Texas is home to many waterfalls; in fact, you can check out some of the more well-known ones here.
Johnathan D. Anderson/Flickr
There’s three major mountain ranges in Texas: the Franklin, Davis, and Guadalupe Mountains. See, told you Texas wasn’t just a desert!
sarowen/flickr
The second largest canyon in the U.S., the Palo Duro Canyon is located just outside Amarillo in the town of Canyon. Is all this topographical diversity throwing you for a loop yet?
nika vee/flickr
Texas is full of diversity, from people’s viewpoints to the way they dress to the way they live their lives. Go to Austin, in particular, and you’ll see it’s vastly different than the rest of the state.
PINKE/flickr
People from out of state tend to think Texas is full of a bunch of quiet, small towns. But sadly, this is what traffic looks like at rush hour in any of the major cities on any of the freeways. If you can avoid it, consider yourself very lucky.
Lindsay Attaway/flickr
Here’s another example of the diverse landscape in Texas: Monahans Sandhills State Park in West Texas. You can even take a disc and slide down the sand dunes!
allen sheffield/flickr
Okay, let’s face it; Texas isn’t exactly known for being the healthiest state in the nation. But, we do have quite a few farmer’s markets and local grocers throughout the state to get our fruits and veggies! We really value homegrown, local food here.
jdeeringdavis/flickr
Many people think Texas only knows beer and nothing else, but we actually have dozens of AMAZING wineries and vineyards here. Check out my article about them here.
jon hanson/flickr
Just kidding, although some people believe the lights they see in the tiny town of Marfa are actually aliens. I encourage you to read up on the mystery lights of Marfa, or visit for yourself if you can. Pretty interesting stuff.
mikecarrick/flickr
We have a lot of creative people in Texas, and you can see their work from murals painted on buildings to exhibits in art galleries.
vince smith/flickr
Everyone who lives here knows that the beach water is brown and muddy, for the most part, but if you go down to South Padre Island, the water actually looks greenish-blue sometimes!
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