Destination Texas

This section will answer many of your questions regarding the life science industry in Texas, the state's economy, tax structure and cost of living, education, transportation, climate, recreational opportunities, history and more.

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Industry Overview | Economy/Cost of Living | Education
Recreation & Entertainment | Transportation | Geography & Climate
History | Suggested Reading List

Industry Snapshot

Texas (or Tejas, which was the Spanish pronunciation of a Caddo Indian word meaning “friends” or “allies”) is a great state with a booming economy. Some people still think of Texas as a cowboy state with a Western frontier image. We are proud of that history and culture. Today, however, most of our residents live in metropolitan areas and earn their living in many different ways. The civilian labor force in Texas is the second largest in the nation. It approached 10.5 million in April 2001.

Economy/Cost of Living

The Lone Star State has an excellent business climate. Texas is a right-to-work state, and we have enacted tort reforms to bring fairness and balance to our civil justice system and major reforms to improve the state workers’ compensation system. Texas has no personal income tax, and business taxes as a percentage of total state tax revenues are the third lowest in the nation. Our strong education system includes 146 public and private institutions of higher learning.

Education

Texas leads the nation in higher education. Ninety-eight percent of the Texas population lives within 50 miles (80 km) of an institution of higher education. The state has 35 four-year institutions, including the University of Texas and Texas A&M University, two of the largest and wealthiest university systems in the nation. Texas is also home to 50 public community college districts, four technical college campuses, seven medical schools and health science centers, and a marine resources school. These facilities make up an unrivaled public higher education system. Beyond the public system, Texas is home to 37 private colleges and universities, two junior colleges, and a medical school.

Recreation & Entertainment

Texas is a state of great variety, offering visitors and residents the finest of outdoor and urban life.

Transportation

Texas supports a state-of-the-art transportation and telecommunications network facilitating the movement of people, goods, and information. The state’s geographic location offers several key advantages: Its Central Time Zone position eases communications across time zones, making both coasts readily accessible; and the predominantly warm climate minimizes wintertime interruptions of transportation. Texas’ advanced transportation and telecommunications infrastructure facilitates business activity by providing vital links with the rest of the world.

Geography & Climate

Extending from sea level at the Gulf of Mexico to over 8,000 feet (2,438 m) in the Guadalupe Mountains of far West Texas and from the semitropical Lower Rio Grande Valley to the High Plains of the Panhandle, Texas has a natural environment best described as “varied”. Texas occupies about seven percent of the total water and land area of the United States. Second in size, Texas has a land and water area of 267,277 square miles (692,247 sq km) as compared with Alaska’s 615,230 square miles (1,593,445 sq km). In fact, Texas is as large as all of New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and North Carolina combined.

History

Texas was originally inhabited by various Native American tribes, including the Caddos, Lipan and Tonkawa. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, several settlements were erected, mostly by Spain in the form of Catholic missions. The area of Texas soon proved too large for an absent, foreign power to control resulting in numerous battles, including the Alamo. After joining the union, Texas had become a relatively modern and important state by the 20th century.

Suggested Reading

A list of select guides and reference books about Texas.