So, you're thinking about attending a college or university in Texas?

Texas, a state located in both the southern and southwestern regions of the United States, is the second largest state in the nation, in terms of land area. The state of Texas covers a total of 268,581 square miles. It is bordered by the states of New Mexico to the west, Oklahoma to the north, and Arkansas and Louisiana to the west. To its south, it shares a border with Mexico as well as a coastline along the Gulf of Mexico.

The state of Texas is most likely best known for its oil production and classic "western" landscape. While this perception has some truth to it throughout the state, there are also mountain ranges, lush coastlines, and forests to be found here. Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in the state, is 8,749 feet above sea level. The mean elevation of the state is 1,700 feet. Precipitation ranges from a low of 7.8 inches per year in the city of El Paso to 59 inches in the town of Orange. The northern part of Texas even experiences moderate snowfall frequently during the winter months.

Still, the climate of Texas is generally hot. In the summer, temperatures only reach a maximum of the 80s in some areas while in others the temperature can climb upwards of 100°F. The nights can cause the temperature to plummet all the way down to the upper 50s even during the summer.

Weather in Texas can, at times, be hazardous. Thunderstorms are fairly common, especially in the eastern and northern parts of the state, as are high winds that can cause dust storms in some places. Texas averages around 139 tornadoes a year, which is more than any other state. And, although it is somewhat rare, hurricanes can affect the state, especially along the Gulf Coast.

The population of Texas was estimated to be 23,507,783 in 2005. This gives Texas the second-largest population in the U.S. Only California has a higher number of residents. In 2004, it was determined that approximately 3.5 million, or 15.6%, of the citizens of Texas were foreign-born. This includes an estimated 1.2 million illegal immigrants. If this number was accurate, it means that more than one-third of the foreign-born residents in Texas and 5.4% of the state's total population are illegal immigrants.

The Republican Party currently dominates the politics of Texas. The Republicans hold strong majorities in both the state Senate and House of Representatives. Every executive branch official elected statewide as well as every member of Texas's two courts of last resort are part of the Republican Party. Even the majority of the state's U.S. House of Representatives delegates along with its two U.S. Senators are Republican. In fact, since 1994, no Democratic Party candidate has won a statewide election.

The state of Texas is one of only eight U.S. states that has no state income tax. On top of this, Texas doesn't allow cities to levy income taxes above and beyond the federal and state income taxes. This means that Texas residents only pay income taxes to the national government.

Being such a large state means that Texas has many colleges and universities to decide between if you are looking for a school here. Some of the options available to you include:

• Texas State University

• Texas Tech University

• The University of Texas at Austin

• Rice University

To find more information about universities and colleges in this area, visit the Online College Degrees page on this website.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Texas".

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