History Main / EverythingIsBigInTexas

* The 2005 remake of ''Film/TheLongestYard'' takes place in this setting--rather, in the fictional Allenville Penitentiary. The only civilization shown aside from the prison is a high school football field and ... a trailer. Also of note is the warden's political advisor, who dresses exactly like a Southern dandy.

* Inverted in the following: Sign in a restaurant in Anchorage: Pie - $1 per slice. Texas-sized piece - 50 cents
** A person went to Alaska once and noticed their apparent fondness for jokes about Texas being small. There was a stand selling T-shirts with the shape of Texas shown to scale within the shape of Alaska, with the caption "say hello to my little friend."
** There's also the common line "Maybe Alaska should split in two and make Texas the ''third'' biggest state in the US."
* Played straight with this one: A blind man gets on a plane headed to the heart of Texas. He is escorted to his seat, sits down, and comments that the seats are much bigger than what he's used to. The man next to him responds: "Everything is bigger in Texas". He gets off the plane, checks in to his hotel, and then heads to the bar and orders a beer. He tries to pick it up and remarks how heavy it is. A woman sitting next to him responds: "''Everything'' is bigger in Texas!" He enjoys his drink and has a bite to eat, but nature calls. He asks the bartender where the restroom is and the bartender informs him that it's the second door on the right. However, being a blind man, when he heads over to the restroom, he accidentally walks into the third door on the right, labelled "Pool". He walks in and falls face-first into the water, while exclaiming the whole time "Don't Flush! Don't Flush!"

* Real Men of Genius gives us [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apMyjOAacyA Mr. Way Too Proud Of Texas Guy.]]

* The Deimon Devil Bats of ''Manga/Eyeshield21'' fight against as Texas team, the NASA Aliens, all of whom (Except for Panther and the younger Gonzalez brother) are extremely huge. QB Homer Fitzgerald and the elder Gonzalez are both particularly advanced examples. One of the chapters involving their game with the Devil Bats is even called "the Muscles of the Americans." Not to mention their coach, Apollo, was horribly racist.
** Worth pointing out, though, the coach's being Texan has nothing to do with his being racist - it ties into his backstory [[spoiler:where his own coach passed him up in favor of a black player]]. And yes, [[CharacterDevelopment he gets better]].
---> '''Sena:''' Um…Why is there a cow on the beach?
---> '''Monta:''' …Cause it's Texas?
** As implied by their name, though, the NASA Aliens are themed around space travel, playing directly into the fact that Texas is the foremost center for study and advancement in that area. They even quote Neil Armstrong's "one giant leap" line before stepping onto the field!
** Excluding the coach, the rest of the team is portrayed as friendly, loyal, and boisterous, despite appearing very intimidating.
*** Ironically, the only character in ''Eyeshield 21'' that completely fits the Texas stereotype is Japanese, the coach for the Seibu Wild Gunmen. He's essentially a reverse weaboo, owning a variety of guns and a giant ranch in Texas.
* New Texas in ''Anime/SaberMarionetteJ''.

** A similar approach was taken with ''Anime/MagicalShoppingArcadeAbenobashi'', which is set in Osaka.

** Several Earth-C versions of Texas cities were also mentioned in the series, including "San Antoadio" (San Antonio) and "Hogston" (Houston). Taxes also was the home of historical landmark the Alamole (Alamo).
* ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}''. Jesse Custer makes a point of refusing to steal horses, as some obscure Texan point of honor. [[TruthInTelevision back in the day horse rustling was a really certain way to wind up in jail or shot.]]
* ''ComicBook/BlueBeetle''. Jaime Reyes, the third Blue Beetle, lives and works in a reasonably-accurate version of El Paso. One storyline on [[TheIllegal immigration along the Texas border]] was met with mixed reactions.
* In an incarnation of ''ComicBook/ScarletSpider,'' Kaine lives in and patrols [[UsefulNotes/{{Houston}} Greater Houston]].

* ''Film/BoysDontCry'' is a curious example that dips into RealityIsUnrealistic: despite taking place in Nebraska, the "night in the big city" montage was filmed in and features the prominent buildings of downtown [[UsefulNotes/DFWMetroplex Dallas]]. According to director Kimberly Peirce (herself a Texas native), budget reasons meant they had to shoot in Texas rather than on-location in Nebraska.
* ''Film/CloakAndDagger'' was set in then-contemporary (1980s) San Antonio, where star Henry Thomas (fresh off his success in Film/ETheExtraTerrestrial) was born and raised.

* As mentioned above, ''Film/FridayNightLights'' highlights the SeriousBusiness sports culture of Texas. ''Especially'' the fanaticism over high school football. It's not uncommon for small towns to almost completely shut down on Friday nights in the fall. However, the film can also be considered a GenreDeconstruction since it shows just how brutal and crippling this obsession with football can be on the young players involved in it.
* ''Film/DazedAndConfused'' takes place in 1976 Austin.
* It's SpiritualSuccessor ''Film/EverybodyWantsSome'' does likewise in 1980.

* ''Literature/NoCountryForOldMen'' has a very unstereotypical Texas.

* ''Film/OfficeSpace''
%%* ''Film/PeeWeesBigAdventure'': THE STARS AT NIGHT, ARE BIG AND BRIGHT...
%%** [[SchmuckBait * clap clap clap* DEEP IN]] [[BerserkButton THE HEART OF TEXAS]]....oh '''DAMMIT'''.
* ''Film/RealSteel'' features a TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture version of Texas where the oil derricks have been replaced with wind turbines[[note]]TruthInTelevision -- Texas produces more than 10 gigawatts of wind power, more than double the next largest wind-power state, Iowa, in output. Wind farms have practically become the new oil industry.[[/note]] and county fairs feature fights between bulls and giant robots.
* In ''Franchise/{{Robocop}}'', the story says it takes place in UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}}, but the buildings give the filming location away as UsefulNotes/DFWMetroplex (For ''Film/RoboCop1987'') and UsefulNotes/{{Houston}} (for ''Film/RoboCop2'').

* ''Film/SecondHandLions'' manages to show rural Texas without being stereotypical, and does it beautifully. On the DVD commentary for ''Film/SecondhandLions'', Creator/MichaelCaine describes a Texas accent as a bunch of words all leaning on each other.
* ''Film/StopLoss'' takes place in a Texas town and its protagonists are Texas locals who joined the army. The director Kimberly Peirce is Texan herself.
* Part of ''Film/TheXFilesFightTheFuture'' movie is set in Dallas. There is one scene which takes place in a desert and shows [[SpecialEffectFailure the Dallas skyline in the background]]. In reality the area surrounding Dallas is a prairie; if you want to get really techical it's [[UsefulNotes/DFWMetroplex just more cities]].
* ''Film/WhipIt'' takes place in [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield Bodeen, Texas]] and Austin. Amusingly it was mostly filmed in Michigan.
* ''Film/{{Slacker}}'' chronicles a day in the life of Austin, showcasing the city's famed weirdness.
* ''Film/ParisTexas'' was filmed on location in and around Houston, and is one of the more realistic depictions of this trope.

* The Creator/PeterBogdanovich film ''Film/TheLastPictureShow'' depicts life in small-town Panhandle Texas circa 1950 in a very authentic way, understandably given that it was co-written by and based on the semi-autobiographical novel by native Texan Larry McMurtry.

* A [[SisterTrope Sister Trope]] exists in Xinjiang, China due to it being the largest country-subdivision (near the size of Alaska) that also have a population comparable to Texas. People there joke about how they count '''''days''''' travelling within their own autonomous region when the rest of Chinese provinces (or Texans, if they know this trope) count hours. Xinjiang also have a clear cultral differnece between North and South (and sometimes East).
** Xinjiang is not only large but challenging geography and climate means you can’t just travel fast and straight like in Texas or China proper. With decades of infrastructure-improving some areas now have 160 or even 250 km/h rail meaning you can now travel reasonably far from Urumqi within 4 hours by land, but the longest travel time between any of the 14 prefectural capitals is still 35 (best case) to 60 (if you failed to secure tickest on the fastest trains) hours between Hotan, Hotan and Altay, Altay, Ili (waiting for transfer in Urumqi is a must). Even if you have a car it takes 28 hours, easily expanded to two days if you rest properly. The real distance is about 2700 kilometers, ''exactly twice'' the Texan "857 miles".
** Non-prefectural capitals can be more remote. You need to drive a full day from Ruoqiang, Bayingolin before you even see a city (the nearest being Korla, capital of Bayingolin) until the Golmud-Korla Railway is completed. And that's just considering county seats.
** Traveling within Inner Mongolia can be just as long, but due to its shape many areas of Inner Mongolia are in fact within other provincial capita's sphere of influence rather than Hohhot, resulting counting distances like between Haila'er and Bayan'hot meanlingless, so such jokes are limited to Xinjiang.
** Xinjiang lost territory the size of France due to Russian conquest, the unabridged Xinjiang in 18th century has the size of '''the entire today's Southern United States''' as defined by US Census Bureau, which is a whopping 16 states ''combined'' with ''Texas'' among them.

* OlderThanTelevision: Bram Stoker's cattle baron Quincey Morris in ''Dracula'' is a wealthy SouthernGentleman with a similar personality to the modern oil baron.[[note]]Quincey and his Texas descendants show up in other vampire-killing media surprisingly frequently. The ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' series is one particular example.[[/note]]

* Creator/DavidWeber's "The Shadow of Saganami" in the Honorverse has Montana, which deliberately styles everything after what they imagined Earth's Texas to be. They also freely acknowledge that some things are inaccurate, but they cheerfully implement everything in Montana as the way things * should* have been in Texas.
* ''For Texas and Zed''
* ''The Ayes of Texas'' and it's sequels in which Texas becomes an independent nation.

* An episode of ''{{Series/Bones}}'' was set on the Texas/Oklahoma border where a body was found. A pair of troopers from their respective states take potshots at each other while Bones takes a look at the corpse:
** Bones: "It looks like she carried a half-full canteen..."
** OK Ranger: "Definitely from Texas..."
* An episode of ''Series/{{MASH}}'' has Col. Potter quickly and accurately deduce that a patient is from Texas because said patient, though unable to speak, offered his hand up for a handshake.
* ''Series/TheGoodGuys'' was set in Dallas, and they portray it as pretty diverse culture- and accent-wise (both the good and bad guys).
* ''Series/FridayNightLights'' is set in the fictional town of Dillon, Texas. While the show focuses on high school football (and its all-important status in the small town), it also covers issues prevalent in Texas and the nation at large; race relations, extreme poverty, pregnancy, religion, alcoholism, parental abuse and other issues surface with regularity.
* General Hammond, of ''Series/StargateSG1'', is a ReasonableAuthorityFigure who fits many of the Texan stereotypes. One of the ProudWarriorRaceGuy characters even refers to him as "Hammond of Texas" on several occasions.
** Of course, that particular PWRG (the Jaffa OldMaster Bra'tac) referred to ''everyone'' as "X of Place of Origin": he called Colonel O'Neill "O'Neill of Minnesota" on at least one occasion.

* ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'' roundhouse kicks this trope into next week.
* ''{{Series/Heroes}}'' has the evil front for Primatech Paper here in Volume 1, though it becomes less significant when the Bennetts move to California in Volume 2.
* ''GCB'' is set in Texas, and is about as stereotypical as it can get.
* Meg Austin in the first season of ''Series/{{JAG}}'' fits the many Texan stereotypes.
* Averted in ''Series/{{Wishbone}}''. Oakdale, Texas (the show's setting) is portrayed as a fairly generic EverytownAmerica. This is probably because the show was actually written and filmed in Texas, specifically in a suburb of Dallas.
* The TV series {{Series/Dallas}} was a more realistic depiction of this trope, with the focus largely on the [[BigScrewedUpFamily Ewing family and its machinations]].
* ''{{Series/Jessie}}'' not only happens to have a character almost entirely dedicated to this trope (at least at first), but she also happens to be the main character.

* ''Series/TheILand'': The scenes showing the character's pasts before they arrived on the island are explicitly all set in Texas. The Warden of the prison also wears a cowboy hat.

* Music/TheAustinLoungeLizards' ''Stupid Texas Song'' is one long indulgence of this trope.
* In April 1986, Music/JeanMichelJarre played what became the biggest concert in music history in several regards (more than 1.5 million live spectators, [[Franks2000InchTV projections on skyscrapers]] etc.) in downtown Houston. Even French electronic musicians can't help but think big in Texas.
** He actually thought ''too'' big: He needed a special permit for fireworks, scaring firefighters who could have gotten into situations they weren't used to (fireworks are banned in Texas, so firefighters aren't trained to deal with their possible consequences), and after the concert, street traffic in Houston collapsed when everyone tried to drive home.

* Initially [[AvertedTrope averted]] by Shawn Michaels, but he gradually became this upon returning to WWE in 2002. He wore jeans and cowboy boots in his first match back against Triple H, which was even commented on by Jim Ross who also said his heart was the size of Texas. He'd also become a born again Christian during his time away from the company, which he'd incorporated into his gimmick. He started to wear cowboy hats when his hair started to thin, and began dressing less like a rock star in favor of hunting camo. Since retiring, he has grown out his beard and now looks like he wouldn't be out of place on Duck Dynasty.

* Booker T is an [[AvertedTrope aversion]], if not a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]] at the beginning of his career where he first gained national attention as one half of Harlem Heat with his brother Stevie Ray, when he'd explicitly claim to be from 110th Street in Harlem, New York. He dropped the "Harlem" gimmick upon becoming a singles wrestler and was then billed from his actual hometown of Houston. But there has never been anything sterotypically Texas about him.

* There wasn't much Texas about Houston-native TheUndertaker as the deadman or the American Badass. However, before he was The Undertaker he was known as... Texas Red.

* ''VideoGame/EliteBeatAgents'' has a stage where "Colonel" Bob, a goofy Texas oil tycoon, has to look for a new source of "Texas tea" before his gold-digging wife will let him come home.

* [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 The Engineer]] Comes from Bee Cave, Texas. While he has the typical southern drawl and has a lot of wild west themed unlocks, he's also probably the smartest member of the team, in exchange for also being the shortest. He does, however, have the ability to build what is by far the biggest weapon in the game, the [[MoreDakka Level 3]] SentryGun.
** It's worth noting that Bee Cave is one of the wealthier suburbs of Austin and not well known for its cowboys.

* Subverted in ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'' in the figure of Tex, the Texan. [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff600/fv00600.htm Though he speaks of their big stuff, he himself is... shall we say, height-challenged, a full head shorter than Sam's]] [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff700/fv00603.htm artificial skeleton presents him as.]]
* Although [[WebComic/SomethingPositive Davan, Peejee and Aubrey]] live in Boston they all hail from Texas and the strip makes frequent sidetrips there.
** Peejee is actually from Canada/Singapore, and Peejee and Davan now live in Texas.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBusyWorldOfRichardScarry'', featured a parody of ''Hans Brinker'' (the story by an American writer about a Dutch boy who plugged a hole in the dike with his finger). There was a fat tourist from Texas waltzing about, taking pictures of windmills and tulips, while making comments about how everything was bigger in Texas. When the hole in the dike turned out to be too big to be filled with just Hans' finger, he and his friends save the day by stuffing said tourist into the hole.
* In ''WesternAnimation/ExoSquad'', the [[GeneralRipper blustering, impetuous, and ultimately incompetent]] Captain Matthew Marcus has a Texas drawl. Oddly, he is one of only two characters to not have a generic American accent.
* In ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'', One of the Fractured Fairy Tale Shorts once did a variation of the Tom Thumb story, where after living with his giant parents for so long the titular characters went off to find his fortune, only to find out that everyone else was his size; he wasn't very small, his parents were huge because they were from Texas.

** Also subverted on several occasions with the same character. Clay uses Tai Chi as his fighting style, is of at least average intelligence (and on a number of occasions is hinted at being a GeniusBruiser knowledgeable in a number of esoteric fields), and is insulted by the idea that because he [[JustAStupidAccent speaks with a Texas accent]] it automatically marks him as dumb.

* 80's cartoon ''WesternAnimation/{{Bravestarr}}'' was this trope RecycledInSpace!
** Just to emphasize: the setting is the ''planet'' of New Texas. Doesn't get much bigger than that.

* Subverted by ''WesternAnimation/{{Motorcity}}'', which has a character named "Texas". The closest he gets to being a Texas stereotype is he's built like a football player, and a little brash.

* The new football stadium for the Dallas Cowboys is one of, if not ''the'', largest in the world, complete an absolutely ''enormous'' TV screen suspended above it. Needless to say, some people get the impression of this trope when watching a game situated here.
** And an enormous retractable roof. People balked (rightly so) at the extravagance, but when Dallas ended up hosting the 2011 Super Bowl, the state was hit with a freak snowstorm, and the roof proved quite useful (not that the ''Green Bay'' Packers[[note]]AKA That Team Whose Stadium Is Literally Called "The Frozen Tundra"[[/note]] and ''Pittsburgh'' Steelers would have noticed much).
** In the college game, Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, where the Longhorns play, is also the epitome of this trope. The stadium holds ''more than 100,000'' fans (but it's not even the biggest stadium; that one belongs to Michigan). DKR is home to the largest video screen in college football, popularly nicknamed "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzillatron Godzillatron]]."
** Texas A&M's stadium Kyle Field has now been expanded to a capacity of 102,000, and holds the record for the largest attendance in the state with 110,631.
* [[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]] brings us [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_toast Texas Toast]] bread sliced (but not pre-toasted) ''twice'' the size of regular bread. Useful for sandwiches, burgers and often served with "a side with southern-style dishes such as chicken fried steak, fried catfish,[3] or BBQ"....

* Much of the popular anime you all know...was dubbed right here in this state. That's right, ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist'', ''[[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood]]'', ''Manga/DragonBall'', ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'', ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'', slews of a bunch of others, the Creator/{{Funi|mation}}Dub of ''Manga/OnePiece''...all dubbed by Creator/{{Funimation}}. Their headquarters is right here in the Dallas suburb of Flower Mound, Texas.
** Some of the ''other'' popular anime you all know was also dubbed in Texas, by Creator/ADVFilms. (Although after ADV's financial troubles, many of their titles were transferred to [=FUNimation=].)
* Creator/SummerGlau, the TropeCodifier for [[WaifFu small, waifish girls kicking ass,]] is from San Antonio.
* ''Both'' of the actors playing the [[Series/{{Supernatural}} Winchester brothers]] are from Texas. Creator/JaredPadalecki (Sam) is from San Antonio, and Creator/JensenAckles (Dean) is from Dallas - both currently reside in Austin with wives Creator/GenevievePadalecki and Creator/DanneelAckles. At 6'1", Ackles says that he's usually the tallest actor on set, unless he's with the 6'5" Padalecki, who, in Ackles' words, "makes him look 5'8"". The leads' height has caused no end of issues on ''Supernatural'', from forcing actresses to wear heels (which have caused them to lose their balance more than once), to {{Scully Box}}es to get guest stars into frame with the two, to ForcedPerspective in every episode. Sometimes, they just give up and have Sam sit or lean against something so his height doesn't mess up shots.
* Michelle Rodriguez (Series/{{Lost}}) is also from San Antonio.
* [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluishorange/508621722/ This road sign]] alongside I-10.
** And at least a few Texans aren't going to find that sign much to comment on. I mean, it's ''only'' 857 miles.

* Until it [[WhatMightHaveBeen lost its funding]] in 1993, Waxahachie, Texas was the planned home for the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superconducting_supercollider Superconducting Super Collider]]. If they'd finished it, it would have been the biggest particle accelerator in the world, dwarfing the modern Large Hadron Collider by a wide margin.

** UsefulNotes/DwightDEisenhower was born in Texas but grew up in Kansas.
** UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson was born and raised in Texas. And he took great delight in reminding everyone that he was.
** Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz was born in Fredericksburg, just outside of San Antonio.
*** Another example of "everything is bigger". In this case, "just outside" is 63 miles away...

* Inverted with Creator/AudieMurphy, at only 5'5". Audie wasn't small, though; he was ''[[PintsizedPowerhouse condensed]]''.
* El Paso, TX is closer to the west coast of California than it is to Orange, TX. Orange is closer to the east coast of Florida than it is to El Paso.
* In two notable subversions, Texas is surpassed by California in population, and Alaska in sheer size.
* Porn Star Alexis Texas is a native of the state, and is noted for having one of the broadest backsides in the industry.
** Likewise Larkin Love, who, despite being born in Massachusetts, lived in Texas for years and got her breast augmentation there (She's an H-cup by the way).
* Four ships of the United States Navy have been named for the state of Texas. Two battleships (including a pre-dreadnought battleship that served in the UsefulNotes/SpanishAmericanWar and a Dreadnought battleship that served in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI and UsefulNotes/WorldWarII), a Guided Missile Cruiser, and a Nuclear Ballistic Missile Submarine.
** The second battleship is on display as a floating museum in Houston. The first was decomissioned and sunk in shallow water in 1911, with the exposed hulk being used as a naval gunnery target until the 1950's, when it was deemed a hazard to navigation and broken up with explosives.
** The Republic of Texas operated a Navy at two different times, the first of which being the Revolutionary Texas Navy, under the command of Commodore Charles Edward Hawkins, which spent the war harassing Mexican shipping, cutting off the easiest method of reinforcement and supply (the land-based infrastructure of Northern Mexico was lacking) and preventing a blockade of the Texas Gulf Coast. Most of the ships were sunk or captured during the war.
** A few years later, the Texas Navy of the Republic was formed, under the command of Commodore Edwin Moore. Although Texas had secured its independence with the Treaties of Velasco, President Santa Anna reneged on the agreement as soon as he was released by the Texans (he had [[AuthorityEqualsAssKicking personally lead the Mexican Army to put down the Texas rebellion]], only to be [[SubvertedTrope captured after his forces were taken by surprise at the Battle of San Jacinto]]). What followed was several years of off-and-on conflict, with the new Texan navy again harassing Mexican shipping and generally doing their best to add to Mexico's problems. Their most distinctive achievement was at the Naval Battle of Campeche, probably the only time that sailing ships were able to fight steamships in combat and come out with a draw rather than a defeat (the Texan ships were supporting a rebellion in the Yucatan Peninsula; unlike the rebellion in Texas, the Yucatan rebellion was ultimately not successful).
* Since 2014, [[UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} Texas Motor Speedway]] has been home to "Big Hoss", [[Franks2000InchTV the world's largest video board]], measuring 218 by 94.6 feet. This breaks the record previously held by corporate sibling Charlotte Motor Speedway (200 by 80 feet).
** Ironically, the track itself is an aversion - at 1.5 miles in length, it's classified as "intermediate" and, among NASCAR-sanctioned tracks, is beaten in length (among ovals) by Atlanta Motor Speedway (1.54 miles), Michigan International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway (both 2 miles), Pocono Raceway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Daytona International Speedway (all 2.5 miles), and Talladega Superspeedway (2.66 miles).
* Grand Prairie, Texas is home to two former Creator/DisneyChannel stars, Music/SelenaGomez and Music/DemiLovato (technically from New Mexico), best friends since they met on the set of ''Series/BarneyAndFriends''. They both are well known to [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] their Texas roots from time to time in RealLife.
* Even concerts can be big in Texas, no matter where the musician hails from. In 1985, the French [[ElectronicMusic electronic musician]] Music/JeanMichelJarre was invited to play a concert for the anniversaries of Texas, Houston and the NASA the following year. Despite several hardships ranging from the Challenger disaster[[note]]Ron [=McNair=], who was killed in the disaster, was a saxophonist on the side who had recorded with Jarre, and was to have performed with him[[/note]] to the statewide ban on fireworks, Jarre came and played ''Rendez-vous Houston'' on April 5, 1986 -- the biggest concert a single artist had ever played until then. Behind the stage, most of the skyscraper skyline of downtown Houston was illuminated and projected upon and carried skytrackers, and spread out in front of it, more than 1,500,000 people watched the show; in fact, Jarre beat his own audience record (and he would do so one or two more times later on).
* There are stories from the Vietnam War about how American [=POWs=] would congregate by unit, except for the Texans, who would all just congregate with each other. It was also a certainty that every American soldier knew the name of at least one military base in Texas, again, thanks to the Texans.
* Houston's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Medical_Center Texas Medical Center]], the largest medical center in the world. Contains ''54'' medicine-related institutions, including 21 hospitals, eight specialty institutions, eight academic and research institutions, three medical schools, seven nursing schools, three public health organizations, 2 pharmacy schools and a dental school. Judged as a skyline alone, it's '''''bigger than Downtown Dallas.'''''
** Seriously, [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Aerial_view_of_Texas_Medical_Center.jpg look at that picture]], and remember that that's ''only'' medical institutions. [[UpToEleven And that it represents less than a third of Houston's overall skyline]].

->''"A Texan is a man who can't decide whether Texas has the biggest midgets in the world, or the smallest."''
-->-- Old joke, predating UsefulNotes/WorldWarII at least, possibly going back much further

The [[UsefulNotes/UnitedStates American]] [[UsefulNotes/TheSeveralStates state]] of UsefulNotes/{{Texas}} is a massive state in terms of both its size and its impact on the world and nation. Physically, the state is [[http://www.k5rcd.org/TEXAS%20EUROPE%20SIZE%20COMPARISON%20MAP.jpg 268,820 sq. miles]] with a population of about 27.8 million people, roughly half the size of UsefulNotes/{{Alaska}} and several times larger than many entire countries, including being three times as large as the ''entire United Kingdom put together'' and a bit larger than UsefulNotes/{{France}}. It can easily be divided into five different regions culturally, with climates ranging from the near desert-like conditions of the panhandle to the humid coastal subtropics along the shoreline; the only thing they have in common climate-wise is that they are hot. While a lot of that territory is sparsely populated, all that space still fits a lot of people; over 30 million people call Texas home, more than any state except UsefulNotes/{{California}}. This population is highly diverse and fuels an economy that sits firmly in the top ten of all ''countries''. [[UsefulNotes/DFWMetroplex Dallas]], UsefulNotes/{{Houston}}, and [[UsefulNotes/OtherCitiesInTexas San Antonio]] count as three of the US's top ten most populous cities, with the state capital of Austin and the cities of Fort Worth and El Paso rounding off the list of cities that can be described as ''big.'' Many of these cities are politically liberal and culturally and economically diverse.

Unfortunately, some writers will still represent Texas as a backward state, a mashup of the DeepSouth and TheWildWest that emphasizes its size but not its diversity. Texans have for a century and longer had a reputation in the rest of the country, perhaps bordering on a stereotype, for being [[BoisterousBruiser cheerful, boastful and loud]]. No Texan will be able to speak for five seconds without mentioning guns, cattle, cowboys, or [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague the Dallas Cowboys]] (see the Rich Texan from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''). In almost any depiction, they'll come off as well-meaning but ignorant and/or jingoist; more recent media might portray Texas as a strong right-wing stronghold filled with [[TheFundamentalist religious fanatics]] (or UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball fanatics, same thing) who wear the stereotype with pride because [[InsultBackfire they don't consider it negative]]. Physical depictions of Texas, even in a modern work, will be limited to a rural ThirstyDesert.

It goes without saying that some of these exaggerations do, in fact, come from [[TruthInTelevision real life]]. Truth be told, Texans tend to be rather proud of their state heritage, to the point that it can be considered a form of local nationalism.[[labelnote:Examples]]General Motors advertised the Suburban as "the national car of Texas" in the 1980s and 1990s, Lone Star Beer advertises itself as "The National Beer of Texas," and Dairy Queen - even though it's headquartered in Edina, Minnesota - has become so ingrained in the culture of rural Texas that the chain maintains Texas-only menu options and calls itself "The Texas Stop Sign."[[/labelnote]] Many Texans are [[UsefulNotes/AmericanChurches devout churchgoers]], and many also [[UsefulNotes/AmericanGunPolitics own guns]]. Ask a Texan where they're from, anywhere in the world, and they'll likely say they're from ''Texas'' rather than America; people in most countries likely won't see much of a difference, since [[{{Eagleland}} the stereotypical American]] pretty much ''is'' [[AmericansAreCowboys the stereotypical Texan]]. Then there are the Texans that are happy to play up the stereotypes for a laugh -- doing so out of state is practically a sport, especially when a Texan is [[AskAStupidQuestion asked a stupid question]] about one of those stereotypes.

Much of West Texas is pretty close to the stereotypical depiction of the state, too, being in large part an arid, barren stretch of rocky cliffs and deserts with a few scattered small towns here and there until you reach El Paso. However, most of Texas is part of the Great Plains except the aforementioned West and the Gulf Coast, which is part of Bayou Country. There are many rural communities that treat high school football as the biggest non-religious social event in town, with about ninety-eight percent of the town out in the stands every game. The other two percent are on the field (''Film/FridayNightLights'' ''is'' based on a real school from Odessa, the storied Permian High School Panthers).

Compare to {{Eagleland}}, AmericansAreCowboys, and the UglyAmericanStereotype, just with specific reference to the American being from or being representative of Texas (or, in some cases, the Texan being viewed as too much by ''other Americans'').

* In ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13053111/32/Your-Father-and-Mine Your Father]]'' ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/16690072/chapters/39888180 and Mine]]'', quote Chapter 32, "The nations all pulled up in front of the large ranch house. Of course, 'large' is a fairly relative term. 'Large' in Texas has a completely different meaning than elsewhere in the world, or even elsewhere in the United States. Let it simply be put, then, that Texas's house and property were substantially greater in size than what many of the other nations were accustomed to."

It goes without saying that some of these exaggerations do, in fact, come from [[TruthInTelevision real life]]. Truth be told, Texans tend to be rather proud of their state heritage, to the point that it can be considered a form of local nationalism.[[labelnote:Examples]]General Motors advertised the Suburban as "the national car of Texas" in the 1980s and 1990s, Lone Star Beer advertises itself as "The National Beer of Texas," and Dairy Queen - even though it's headquartered in Edina, Minnesota - has become so ingrained in the culture of rural Texas that the chain maintains Texas-only menu options and calls itself "The Texas Stop Sign."[[/labelnote]] Many Texans are devout [[UsefulNotes/AmericanChurches devout churchgoers]], and many also [[UsefulNotes/AmericanGunPolitics own guns]]. Ask a Texan where they're from, anywhere in the world, and they'll likely say they're from ''Texas'' rather than America; people in most countries likely won't see much of a difference, since [[{{Eagleland}} the stereotypical American]] pretty much ''is'' [[AmericansAreCowboys the stereotypical Texan]]. Then there are the Texans that are happy to play up the stereotypes for a laugh -- doing so out of state is practically a sport, especially when a Texan is [[AskAStupidQuestion asked a stupid question]] about one of those stereotypes.

Unfortunately, some writers will still represent Texas as a backward state, a mashup of the DeepSouth and TheWildWest that emphasizes its size but not its diversity. Physical depictions of Texas, even in a modern work, will be limited to a rural ThirstyDesert. No Texan will be able to speak for five seconds without mentioning guns, cattle, cowboys, or [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague the Dallas Cowboys]] (see the Rich Texan from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''). In almost any depiction, they'll come off as well-meaning but ignorant and/or jingoist; more recent media might portray Texas as a strong right-wing stronghold filled with [[TheFundamentalist religious fanatics]] who wear the stereotype with pride because [[InsultBackfire they don't consider it negative]].

That being said, there are Texans that aren't afraid to act the stereotype intentionally to mess with non-Texans (especially when out of state), as it's practically a sport - especially when a native is [[AskAStupidQuestion asked a stupid question]] they've probably heard a thousand times before (no, not every Texan owns a gun or wears cowboy boots). Truth be told, Texans tend to be rather proud of their state heritage, to the point that it can be considered a form of local nationalism.[[labelnote:Examples]]General Motors advertised the Suburban as "the national car of Texas" in the 1980s and 1990s, Lone Star Beer advertises itself as "The National Beer of Texas," and Dairy Queen - even though it's headquartered in Edina, Minnesota - has become so ingrained in the culture of rural Texas that the chain maintains Texas-only menu options and calls itself "The Texas Stop Sign."[[/labelnote]] Ask a Texan where they're from, anywhere in the world, and they'll likely say they're from ''Texas'' rather than America.

It goes without saying that some of these exaggerations do, in fact, come from [[TruthInTelevision real life]]. Texans have for a century and longer had a reputation in the rest of the country, perhaps bordering on a stereotype, for being [[BoisterousBruiser cheerful, boastful and loud]]. There are a good number of conservative gun-owners, and there are many rural areas that treat high school football as the biggest non-religious social event in town, with about ninety-eight percent of the town out in the stands every game. The other two percent are on the field (''Film/FridayNightLights'' ''is'' based on a real school from Odessa, the storied Permian High School Panthers). In fact, Texans also happily note that unlike most other states, when they travel internationally people in most countries are aware of Texas, even if non-Americans are ''way'' more likely to believe in all the stereotypes; after all, [[{{Eagleland}} the stereotypical American]] pretty much ''is'' [[AmericansAreCowboys the stereotypical Texan]]. Much of West Texas is pretty close to the stereotypical depiction of the state too, being in large part an arid, barren stretch of rocky cliffs and deserts with a few scattered small towns here and there until you reach El Paso. However, most of Texas is part of the Great Plains except the aforementioned West and the Gulf Coast, which is part of Bayou Country.

* Texas World Speedway could count, if speeds matter. The fastest speed record ever achieved in a stock car was set at the track in January 2009, by Greg Biffle, topping out at 218 MPH in his Roush Fenway ford. This was achieved in a test session, as Roush Fenway was testing at Texas World Speedway to circumvent NASCAR's rules on testing on tracks NASCAR uses for racing.

* Texas World Speedway could count, if speeds matter. The fastest speed record ever achieved in a stock car was set at the track in January 2009, during a test session, by Greg Biffle, topping out at 218 MPH in his Roush Fenway ford.

Compare to {{Eagleland}}, AmericansAreCowboys, and the UglyAmericanStereotype, just with specific reference to the American being from or being representative of Texas (or, in some cases, the Texan being viewed as different by ''other Americans'').

Compare to {{Eagleland}}, AmericansAreCowboys, and the UglyAmericanStereotype, just with specific reference to the American being from or being representative of Texas.

Unfortunately, some writers will still represent Texas as a backward state, a mashup of the DeepSouth and TheWildWest that emphasizes its size but not its diversity. Physical depictions of Texas, even in a modern work, will be limited to a rural ThirstyDesert. No Texan will be able to speak for five seconds without mentioning guns, cattle, cowboys, or the ''Dallas'' Cowboys (see the Rich Texan from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''). In almost any depiction, they'll come off as well-meaning but ignorant and/or jingoist; more recent media might portray Texas as a strong right-wing stronghold filled with [[TheFundamentalist religious fanatics]] who wear the stereotype with pride because [[InsultBackfire they don't consider it negative]].

It goes without saying that some of these exaggerations do, in fact, come from [[TruthInTelevision real life]]. Texans have for a century and longer had a reputation in the rest of the country, perhaps bordering on a stereotype, for being [[BoisterousBruiser cheerful, boastful and loud]]. There are a good number of conservative gun-owners, and there are many rural areas that treat high school football as the biggest non-religious social event in town, with about ninety-eight percent of the town out in the stands every game. The other two percent are on the field ( ''Film/FridayNightLights'' ''is'' based on a real school from Odessa, the storied Permian High School Panthers). In fact, Texans also happily note that unlike most other states, when they travel internationally people in most countries are aware of Texas, even if non-Americans are ''way'' more likely to believe in all the stereotypes; after all, [[{{Eagleland}} the stereotypical American]] pretty much ''is'' [[AmericansAreCowboys the stereotypical Texan]]. Much of West Texas is pretty close to the stereotypical depiction of the state too, being in large part an arid, barren stretch of rocky cliffs and deserts with a few scattered small towns here and there until you reach El Paso. However, most of Texas is part of the Great Plains except the aforementioned West and the Gulf Coast, which is part of Bayou Country.

The [[UsefulNotes/UnitedStates American]] [[UsefulNotes/TheSeveralStates state]] of UsefulNotes/{{Texas}} is a massive state in terms of both its size and its impact on the world and nation. Physically, the state is [[http://www.k5rcd.org/TEXAS%20EUROPE%20SIZE%20COMPARISON%20MAP.jpg 268,820 sq. miles]] with a population of about 27.8 million people, roughly half the size of UsefulNotes/{{Alaska}} and several times larger than many entire countries, including being three times as large as the ''entire United Kingdom put together'' and a bit larger than UsefulNotes/{{France}}. It can easily be divided into five different regions culturally, with climates ranging from the near desert-like conditions of the panhandle to the humid coastal subtropics along the shoreline; the only thing they have in common climate-wise is that they are hot. While a lot of that territory is sparsely populated, all that space still fits a lot of people; over 30 million people call Texas home, more than any state except UsefulNotes/{{California}}. This population is highly diverse and fuels an economy that sits firmly in the top ten of all ''countries''. [[UsefulNotes/DFWMetroplex Dallas]], UsefulNotes/{{Houston}}, and [[UsefulNotes/OtherCitiesInTexas San Antonio]] count as three of the US's top ten most populous cities, with the state capital of Austin and the cities of Fort Worth and El Paso rounding off the list of cities that can be described as ''big.''

Unfortunately, some writers will still represent Texas as a backward state, a mashup of the DeepSouth and TheWildWest. No Texan will be able to speak for five seconds without mentioning guns, cattle, cowboys, or the ''Dallas'' Cowboys (see the Rich Texan from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''). In almost any depiction, they'll come off as well-meaning but ignorant and/or jingoist; more recent media might portray Texas as a strong right-wing stronghold filled with [[TheFundamentalist religious fanatics]] who wear the stereotype with pride because [[InsultBackfire they don't consider it negative]], but even that isn't entirely accurate. The state's largest cities all lean left politically; Austin is famously liberal, Houston had a lesbian mayor for six years and frequently tops the list of the most diverse cities in America, and Dallas has spent decades cultivating a socially-progressive, sleek urban image. However this has only resulted in the worst of both worlds: other Texans view Dallas as having an air of snobbery, while the rest of the country still sees it as Hickville.

It goes without saying that some of these exaggerations do, in fact, come from [[TruthInTelevision real life]]. Texans have for a century and longer had a reputation in the rest of the country, perhaps bordering on a stereotype, for being [[BoisterousBruiser cheerful, boastful and loud]]. There are a good number of conservative gun-owners, and there are many rural areas that treat high school football as the biggest non-religious social event in town, with about ninety-eight percent of the town out in the stands every game. The other two percent are on the field ( ''Film/FridayNightLights'' ''is'' based on a real school from Odessa, the storied Permian High School Panthers). In fact, for Texans also happily note that unlike most other states, when they travel internationally people in most countries are aware of Texas, even if non-Americans are ''way'' more likely to believe in all the stereotypes; after all, [[{{Eagleland}} the stereotypical American]] pretty much ''is'' [[AmericansAreCowboys the stereotypical Texan]]. Much of West Texas is pretty close to the stereotypical depiction of the state too, being in large part an arid, barren stretch of rocky cliffs and deserts with a few scattered small towns here and there until you reach El Paso. However, most of Texas is part of the Great Plains except the aforementioned West and the Gulf Coast, which is part of Bayou Country.

The [[UsefulNotes/UnitedStates American]] [[UsefulNotes/TheSeveralStates state]] of UsefulNotes/{{Texas}} is a massive state in terms of both its size and its impact on the world and nation. The state itself is ''huge'', being [[http://www.k5rcd.org/TEXAS%20EUROPE%20SIZE%20COMPARISON%20MAP.jpg 268,820 sq. miles]] with a population of about 27.8 million people. This makes it roughly half the size of Alaska with sixty times the population - and several times larger than many entire countries. For example, it is approximately three times as large as the ''entire United Kingdom put together''--or, more to the point, "only" a bit larger than UsefulNotes/{{France}}.[[note]]For the record, France is the largest country in Western Europe and the third-largest in Europe as a whole. The only countries larger? Ukraine, which is huge, and Russia, which is ''gigantic'' (European Russia would ''still'' be the seventh-largest country on Earth if Asiatic Russia separated, with Asiastic Russia itself still being the largest country in the world).[[/note]] It can easily be divided into five different regions culturally, with climates ranging from the near desert-like conditions of the panhandle to the humid coastal subtropics along the shoreline; the only thing they have in common climate-wise is that they are hot. [[UsefulNotes/DFWMetroplex Dallas]], UsefulNotes/{{Houston}}, and [[UsefulNotes/OtherCitiesInTexas San Antonio]] count as three of the US's top ten most populous cities, with the state capital of Austin and the cities of Fort Worth and El Paso rounding off the list of cities that can be described as ''big.''[[note]]To give an even more scientific example of how big Texas is, noted author and commentator Dr. Thomas Sowell stated back in the 1980s you could put the entire population of the world (then ~5 billion people), into single family homes in a space no larger than the State of Texas, at population per square mile rates less crowded than many American cities. The math proves him right, too. 5,000,000,000 people in 250,000 square miles is 20,000 people per square mile. Compare this to New York City, with 18,000,000 people in 450 square miles, at 40,000 people per square mile.[[/note]]

In terms of culture, Texas plays host to some of the largest Hispanic and Asian American communities in the Southern United States. For instance, Vietnamese is the state's third-widest spoken language behind English and Spanish. The state's ranks of professionals, business leaders, and politicians draw from all racial and religious groups. Many government institutions retain their form from the days of the Republic of Texas and Reconstruction Era. Politics is personality based as much as anything else from the state's history of being in the Solid South, leading to such politicians as Music/KinkyFriedman, a self-described Jewish Cowboy and entertainer whose campaign slogan was "Why the hell not?", popping up from time to time.

Economically, Texas is comparable with India and Canada. It is the home to 58 companies of the Fortune 500, more than any other state in the US. Economics is mostly regional in the state, helping to define the regional identities of many residents. East Texas has a large timber industry. North and West Texas are defined by agriculture and petroleum extraction. Dallas has defense manufacturers and the silicon prairie. Houston excels in shipping, petrochemicals, and aerospace industries (thank you UsefulNotes/{{NASA}}). San Antonio is very rich in history and is home to several major military bases, while El Paso's economy is a mix of military ''and'' oil. Last but not least, Texas's capital of Austin is known as the Live Music Capital of the World, the Hollywood of Texas, and the Silicon Hills, combining a vibrant, globally recognized arts, media, and music scene with a cutting edge research and manufacturing hub.

And oil is not a field for the stupid, just ask Red Adair. There are at last count 181 different colleges, universities and other institutions actively engaged in research and development--not only into oil but alternative, renewable energy sources as well--along with the much more numerous community colleges and trade schools. Laws have been passed in the state where any high school student graduating in the top 10% of their class gets first pick from any of the schools. Also, the Texas Medical Center in Houston is the largest medical complex in the world, consisting of 21 hospitals, eight specialty centers, eight academic and research institutions, four medical schools, seven nursing schools, three public health organizations, two pharmacy schools, and a dental school. [[DepartmentofRedundancyDepartment Houston is also home to NASA.]]

That being said, there are Texans that aren't afraid to act the stereotype intentionally to mess with non-Texans (especially when out of state), as it's practically a sport - especially when a native is [[AskAStupidQuestion asked a stupid question]] they've probably heard a thousand times before (no, not every Texan owns a gun or wears cowboy boots). Truth be told, Texans tend to be rather proud of their state heritage, to the point that it can be considered a form of local nationalism.[[labelnote:Examples]]General Motors advertised the Suburban as "the national car of Texas" in the 1980s and 1990s, Lone Star Beer advertises itself as "The National Beer of Texas," and Dairy Queen - even though it's headquartered in Edina, Minnesota - has become so ingrained in the culture of rural Texas that the chain maintains Texas-only menu options and calls itself "The Texas Stop Sign."[[/labelnote]] Ask a Texan where they're from, anywhere in the world, and they'll likely say he's from ''Texas'' rather than America.

Oh, and there's also [[DoNotTouchTheFunnelCloud tornadoes]]. [[WhamLine Don't forget the]] [[UsefulNotes/{{Tornadoes}} tornadoes]]. Or the [[SadisticChoice hurricanes]]. [[FromBadToWorse Or the floods]]. Or the hail.

It goes without saying that some of these exaggerations do, in fact, come from [[TruthInTelevision real life]]. Texans have for a century and longer had a reputation in the rest of the country, perhaps bordering on a stereotype, for being [[BoisterousBruiser cheerful, boastful and loud]]. Oil was first discovered at Spindletop in east Texas; Texas is a major player in the beef industry, and the love of high school football can be clearly seen from the storied Permian High School Panthers (a real team from Odessa), who were chronicled in ''Film/FridayNightLights''. In fact, for many rural areas, weekly high school sporting events are the biggest non-religious social event in town, with about ninety-eight percent of the town out in the stands every game. The other two percent are on the field (admittedly, this is true for most of rural America, not just Texas). Texans also happily note that unlike most other states, when they travel internationally people in most countries are aware of Texas, even if non-Americans are ''way'' more likely to believe in all the stereotypes (after all, the stereotypical American pretty much ''is'' the stereotypical Texan). Much of West Texas is pretty close to the stereotypical depiction of the state too, being in large part an arid, barren stretch of rocky cliffs and deserts with a few scattered small towns here and there until you reach El Paso. However, most of Texas is part of the Great Plains except the aforementioned West and the Gulf Coast, which is part of Bayou Country.

[[RuleOfThree Also the home to NASA's Johnson Space Center, which is a very nice place to visit.]]

!!The Vastness of Texas Contains These Works

In real life, Texas is a diverse state in terms of geography and culture. It can easily be divided into five different regions culturally, with climates ranging from the near desert like conditions of the panhandle to the humid coastal subtropics along the shoreline; the only thing they have in common climate-wise is that they are hot. [[UsefulNotes/DFWMetroplex Dallas]], UsefulNotes/{{Houston}} and San Antonio count as three of the US's top ten most populous cities, with the state capital of Austin and the cities of Fort Worth and El Paso rounding off the list of cities that can be described as ''big.'' The state itself is ''huge'', being [[http://www.k5rcd.org/TEXAS%20EUROPE%20SIZE%20COMPARISON%20MAP.jpg 268,820 sq. miles]] with a population of about 27.8 million people. This makes it roughly half the size of Alaska with sixty times the population - and several times larger than many entire countries. For example, it is approximately three times as large as the ''entire United Kingdom put together''--or, more to the point, "only" a bit larger than UsefulNotes/{{France}}.[[note]]For the record, France is the largest country in Western Europe and the third-largest in Europe as a whole. The only countries larger? Ukraine, which is huge, and Russia, which is ''gigantic'' (European Russia would ''still'' be the seventh-largest country on Earth if Asiatic Russia separated, with Asiastic Russia itself still being the largest country in the world).[[/note]]

To give an even more scientific example of how big Texas is, noted author and commentator Dr. Thomas Sowell stated back in the 1980s you could put the entire population of the world (then ~5 billion people), into single family homes in a space no larger than the State of Texas, at population per square mile rates less crowded than many American cities. The math proves him right, too. 5,000,000,000 people in 250,000 square miles is 20,000 people per square mile. Compare this to New York City, with 18,000,000 people in 450 square miles, at 40,000 people per square mile.

In terms of culture Texas plays host to some of the largest Hispanic and Asian American communities in the Southern United States. For instance, Vietnamese is the state's third-widest spoken language behind English and Spanish. The state's ranks of professionals, business leaders and politicians draw from all racial and religious groups. Many government institutions retain their form from the days of the Republic of Texas and Reconstruction Era. Politics is personality based as much as anything else from the state's history of being in the Solid South, leading to such politicians as Music/KinkyFriedman, a self described Jewish Cowboy and entertainer whose campaign slogan was "Why the hell not?", popping up from time to time.

Unfortunately some writers will still represent Texas as a backward state, a mashup of the DeepSouth and TheWildWest. No Texan will be able to speak for five seconds without mentioning guns, cattle, cowboys, or the ''Dallas'' Cowboys (see the Rich Texan from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''). In almost any depiction, they'll come off as well-meaning but ignorant and/or jingoist; more recent media might portray Texas as a strong right-wing stronghold filled with [[TheFundamentalist religious fanatics]] who wear the stereotype with pride because [[InsultBackfire they don't consider it negative]], but even that isn't entirely accurate. The state's largest cities all lean left politically; Austin is famously liberal, Houston had a lesbian mayor for six years and frequently tops the list of the most diverse cities in America, and Dallas has spent decades cultivating a socially-progressive, sleek urban image. However this has only resulted in the worst of both worlds: other Texans view Dallas as having an air of snobbery, while the rest of the country still sees it as Hickville.

* ''ComicBook/BlueBeetle''. Jaime Reyes, the third Blue Beetle, lives and works in a reasonably-accurate version of [[UsefulNotes/OtherCitiesInTexas El Paso]]. One storyline on [[TheIllegal immigration along the Texas border]] was met with mixed reactions.

* ''Film/DazedAndConfused'' takes place in 1976 [[UsefulNotes/OtherCitiesInTexas Austin]].

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' paid a visit to this version of Texas in the season five episode "[[Recap/FamilyGuyS5E15BoysDoCry Boys Do Cry]]". Everyone dresses like a cowboy and rides horses, Brian is given a free gun with his purchase of alcohol, the Griffins' neighbor is a professional "queer-chaser-and-beater", and the TV news reports on the discovery of "Superdevil" by church scientists. The gun/alcohol thing is especially funny to people in Texas, since the alcohol laws there are draconian to the point that the TABC is known in the bar industry as the Beverage Nazis. The main complaint about Texans in that episode was that they are racist and homophobic. [[SarcasmMode Because every single person in Texas shares the exact same sentiments, and those sentiments in no way exist in any of the other forty-nine states or other nations of the world.]] Keep in mind, the ''primary'' purpose of the episode was really for the writers to deliver a very scathing, personal (and hyperbolical) attack on President UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush, so this episode was really one of ''Family Guy'''s most flagrant examples of WriterOnBoard.

-->-- ''Old joke, predating WWII at least, possibly going back much further''

In real life, Texas is a diverse state in terms of geography and culture. It can easily be divided into five different regions culturally, with climates ranging from the near desert like conditions of the panhandle to the humid coastal subtropics along the shoreline; the only thing they have in common climate-wise is that they are hot. [[UsefulNotes/DFWMetroplex Dallas]], UsefulNotes/{{Houston}} and San Antonio count as three of the US's top ten most populous cities, with the state capital of Austin and the cities of Fort Worth and El Paso rounding off the list of cities that can be described as ''big.'' The state itself is ''huge'', being [[http://www.k5rcd.org/TEXAS%20EUROPE%20SIZE%20COMPARISON%20MAP.jpg 268,820 sq. miles]] with a population of about 27.8 million people. This makes it roughly half the size of Alaska with sixty times the population - and several times larger than many entire countries. For example, it is approximately three times as large as the ''entire United Kingdom put together''--or, more to the point, "only" a bit larger than UsefulNotes/{{France}}.[[note]]For the record, France is the largest country in Western Europe and the third-largest in Europe as a whole. The only countries larger? Ukraine, which is huge, and Russia, which is ''gigantic'' (European Russia would ''still'' be the seventh-largest country on Earth if Asiatic Russia separated).[[/note]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'', Fred has several relatives (most notably his wealthy Uncle Tex) from its prehistoric counterpart of "Texarock" (though the name was interchangeably used with "Texas").

It goes without saying that some of these exaggerations do, in fact, come from [[TruthInTelevision real life]]. Texans have for a century and longer had a reputation in the rest of the country, perhaps bordering on a stereotype, for being [[BoisterousBruiser cheerful, boastful and loud]]. Oil was first discovered at Spindletop in east Texas; Texas is a major player in the beef industry, and the love of high school football can be clearly seen from the storied Permian High School Panthers (a real team from Odessa), who were chronicled in ''Literature/FridayNightLights''. In fact, for many rural areas, weekly high school sporting events are the biggest non-religious social event in town, with about ninety-eight percent of the town out in the stands every game. The other two percent are on the field (admittedly, this is true for most of rural America, not just Texas). Texans also happily note that unlike most other states, when they travel internationally people in most countries are aware of Texas, even if non-Americans are ''way'' more likely to believe in all the stereotypes (after all, the stereotypical American pretty much ''is'' the stereotypical Texan). Much of West Texas is pretty close to the stereotypical depiction of the state too, being in large part an arid, barren stretch of rocky cliffs and deserts with a few scattered small towns here and there until you reach El Paso. However, most of Texas is part of the Great Plains except the aforementioned West and the Gulf Coast, which is part of Bayou Country.

* ''Both'' of the actors playing the [[Series/{{Supernatural}} Winchester brothers]] are from Texas. Creator/JaredPadalecki (Sam) is from San Antonio, and Creator/JensenAckles (Dean) is from Dallas. At 6'1", Ackles says that he's usually the tallest actor on set, unless he's with the 6'5" Padalecki, who, in Ackles' words, "makes him look 5'8"". The leads' height has caused no end of issues on ''Supernatural'', from forcing actresses to wear heels (which have caused them to lose their balance more than once), to {{Scully Box}}es to get guest stars into frame with the two, to ForcedPerspective in every episode. Sometimes, they just give up and have Sam sit or lean against something so his height doesn't mess up shots.

* ''Film/CloakAndDagger'' was set in then-contemporary (1980s) San Antonio, where star Henry Thomas (fresh off his success in Film/ETtheExtraTerrestrial) was born and raised.

In real life, Texas is a diverse state in terms of geography and culture. It can easily be divided into five different regions culturally, with climates ranging from the near desert like conditions of the panhandle to the humid coastal subtropics along the shoreline; the only thing they have in common climate-wise is that they are hot. [[UsefulNotes/DFWMetroplex Dallas]], UsefulNotes/{{Houston}} and San Antonio count as three of the US's top ten most populous cities, with the state capital of Austin and the cities of Fort Worth and El Paso rounding off the list of cities that can be described as ''big.'' The state itself is ''huge'', being [[http://www.k5rcd.org/TEXAS%20EUROPE%20SIZE%20COMPARISON%20MAP.jpg 268,820 sq. miles]] with a population of about 27.8 million people. This makes it roughly half the size of Alaska with sixty times the population - and several times larger than many entire countries. For example, it is approximately three times as large as the ''entire United Kingdom put together''--or, more to the point, "only" a bit larger than France.[[note]]For the record, France is the largest country in Western Europe and the third-largest in Europe as a whole. The only countries larger? Ukraine, which is huge, and Russia, which is ''gigantic'' (European Russia would ''still'' be the seventh-largest country on Earth if Asiatic Russia separated).[[/note]]

* The Deimon Devil Bats of ''Manga/{{Eyeshield 21}}'' fight against as Texas team, the NASA Aliens, all of whom (Except for Panther and the younger Gonzalez brother) are extremely huge. QB Homer Fitzgerald and the elder Gonzalez are both particularly advanced examples. One of the chapters involving their game with the Devil Bats is even called "the Muscles of the Americans." Not to mention their coach, Apollo, was horribly racist.

---> '''Sena''': "Um…Why is there a cow on the beach?"
---> '''Monta''': "…Cause it's Texas?"

* After Marvel's ''Comicbook/CivilWar'' storyline, each US state got its own superhero team. Texas got a previously-established team called the Rangers, a group which includes three cowboy-themed heroes, an Indian-themed hero, and Armadillo, who is a big armadillo.
* One of the enemies of ''Comicbook/CaptainCarrotAndHisAmazingZooCrew'' was "Armordillo", an armor-plated armadillo with a dangerous tail, who came from the Earth-C US state of "Taxes" (nicknamed the "Lone Stork State"). As such, Armordillo spoke like an Old West gunslinger/outlaw.

* ''Comicbook/{{Preacher}}''. Jesse Custer makes a point of refusing to steal horses, as some obscure Texan point of honor. [[TruthInTelevision back in the day horse rustling was a really certain way to wind up in jail or shot.]]
* ''Comicbook/BlueBeetle''. Jaime Reyes, the third Blue Beetle, lives and works in a reasonably-accurate version of [[UsefulNotes/OtherCitiesInTexas El Paso]]. One storyline on [[TheIllegal immigration along the Texas border]] was met with mixed reactions.

* In ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13053111/32/Your-Father-and-Mine Your Father]]'' ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/16690072/chapters/39888180 and Mine]]'', quote Chapter 32, "The nations all pulled up in front of the large ranch house. Of course, 'large' is a fairly relative term. 'Large' in Texas has a completely different meaning than elsewhere in the world, or even elsewhere in the United States. Let it simply be put, then, that Texas's house and property were substantially greater in size than what many of the other nations were accustomed to."

--> '''Pa''': Well, I figured we'd get up early and eat, then dig for oil and eat, then go to a roundup, rustle us up some doggies, [[RuleOfThree and then grab a bite to eat]].

* The Creator/PeterBogdanovich film ''Film/TheLastPictureShow'' depicts life in small-town Panhandle Texas circa 1950, understandably given that it was co-written by and based on the semi-autobiographical novel by native Texan Larry McMurtry.