20 Undeniable Reasons Why Texas Is The Best State

I haven’t met too many people who don’t absolutely fall in love with Texas. I mean, seriously, what’s not to love?! The diverse landscapes, the friendly people, the quaint small towns, world-renowned BBQ, and the list goes on..literally. Here are 20 reasons why everyone raves about Texas:

BBQ. Need I say more?

Wally Gobetz/Flickr

Texas sweet tea: every Southern state claims to have the best sweet tea, but you ain’t seen nothin’ until you’ve tried our sweet tea.

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High school football is a serious sport here. You’ll never witness a more passionate group of people than the fans at a Friday night football game.

Ken Lund/Flickr

Plus, we’re home to the #1 waterpark in the country, Schlitterbahn! I recommend the one in New Braunfels: it has the most rides, including the #1 ride in the country, the Master Blaster(get on this one first; the lines get crazy long in the summer).

Galveston.com/Flickr

Austin, Texas: home to the world’s best BBQ while also being declared by PETA as the best place in the country to be vegan. Plus, it’s the music capital of the country, best place to get tattooed, and hippies are mainstream here. Can’t get much better than Austin.

Jeremy Keith/Flickr

Some of the most famous country singers of all time came out of Texas: Willie Nelson, George Strait, George Jones, Miranda Lambert, Pat Green, Mark Chesnutt, and Clint Black, to name a few. Country music runs deep in Texas’ roots, that’s for sure.

John P./Flickr

You haven’t really experienced Texas until you’ve been to Buc-ee’s and used the bathrooms. They even have billboards 100 miles away from the nearest store: they’re proud of their bathrooms and they want everyone to know it.

Judy Baxter/Flickr

There’s nothing quite like seeing beautiful patches of bluebonnets growing on the sides of the highways.

Jim Nix/Flickr

Big Bend National Park, home to four waterfalls, soaring mountains, hot springs, canyons, and magnificent wildlife.

Mark Stevens/Flickr

Nothing beats a summer drive under endless blue Texas skies.

P. Gordon/Flickr

Or watching a summer thunderstorm roll in from a chair in your garage (or out in the middle of nowhere in West Texas. Take your pick).

Tom Haymes/Flickr

Chips, queso, and salsa. Tex-Mex is a pretty big deal here, especially on 99 cent margarita nights.

Jumbledpile/Flickr

The debate never ends between the Cowboys and Texans fans, but at least both teams are from Texas. That’s what really counts.

AJ Guel/Flickr

This delicious ice cream originated in a little central Texas town called Brenham, and it’s only sold directly in 23 states. Hopefully you live in one of them, otherwise, just go ahead and move to Texas. That’s the easiest, best solution, anyway.

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Only Texans understand the sheer bliss of pulling out their inner tube when summer finally comes, and floating lazily down the Comal for three hours.

Jeff Gunn/Flickr

Seriously badass music festivals like SXSW in Austin. If it’s great music you want, come to Austin.

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Reasonable cost of living, plus NO STATE INCOME TAX! It doesn’t get much better than Texas, folks.

Steven Martin/Flickr

Starry night skies as far as the eye can see.

Chris Wilson/Flickr

Renaissance Festival in Plantersville, Texas. Besides the awesome jousting shows, medieval costumes, and authentic food, the words on the building behind the crowd sum up the rest of the festival pretty well.

Brandon I./Flickr

The Texas State Fair. I mean, where else can you get that much fried food?

Erik Rios/Flickr

After reading this list, would you want to live anywhere besides Texas? We have a lot of pride here in the Lone Star State, and we’re not afraid to show it. If I made a list of everything to love about Texas, it would be a mile long, so please add some more reasons why it’s the best state in the country below!