8 Reasons Texas is the Greatest State in the Country

4. Texas is home to the greatest country music artists.

Where do we begin? And where do we end? Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, George Strait, Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, Josh Abbott Band, Eli Young Band, Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, Pat Green, Miranda Lambert, Casey Donahue Band, Kevin Fowler. This list could go on forever!

5. Texas is big and its terrain is diverse.

Photo: AARP Travel

Texas is as large as many other states put together. Depending on which route you take, driving from Beaumont, TX to El Paso, TX will take you about 12 – 13 hours. You’re looking at 8 hours to make it from Gainesville to Corpus Christi. That’s a lot of drive time for one state! Not to mention, taking a Texas road trip will take you through various types of terrain. There’s the piney woods of East Texas, prairies and lakes of North Texas, the Hill Country in Central Texas, the southern plains of South Texas, the Gulf Coast, the dusty plains of the Panhandle, and the deserts and mountains of West Texas. Why travel the world when you can travel Texas?

6. Everything stops for a good ball game.

It doesn’t matter if it is a high school, college, or a pro game. Football is a way of life here with baseball coming in a close second. Texans enjoy their sports. Period.

7. Texans know how to eat.

Photo: Steele House Kitchen

Texans know their food. They choose restaurants based on how good their chips and queso are, whether or not their meat is cooked on a gas grill or in a smoker, and which has the best chicken-fried steak. Regardless, nothing beats home cooking here.  From smoked brisket to mesquite grilled steaks, Texans know how to BBQ, and there ain’t nothin’ better than mama’s pecan pie!