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itutio ns (see TEXAS, STATE UNIVERSITIES OF). Additional thousands of elemen- tary and secondary students attend private schools, and Texas has several dozen private institutions of higher education (including BAYLOR, RICE, and Southern Methodist universities).
Culture and Historical Sites Texas has several hundred public libraries--the largest being those in Dallas and Houston; the libraries of the University of Te- xas at Austin have the states largest collections. There are more than 300 museums (up from only 82 in 1964), and there are 3 major symphony orchestras--in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Among the outstanding museums are the Dallas and Fort Worth museums of fine arts, the Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum and Witte Museum in San Antonio, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston, and the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth. Well-known symphony orchestras are also in Amarillo , Fort Worth, and Austin. There are ballet companies in Austin and Houston, and the Alley Theatre in Houston has a national reputation. The Dallas Opera and the Houston Grand Opera are the state s major opera com- panies. The ALAMO in San Antonio is the most famous historical site; others are San Antonio Missions National Historic Park, San Jacinto monument east of Houston, Fort Davis National Historic Site, and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library--part of the Univer- sity of Texas in Austin.
Communications The first newspaper in Texas, the Gaceta de Texas (Texas Ga- zette), was published in Spanish in 1813 at Nacogdoches. Among the oldest English newspapers are the Galveston Daily News (1842) and the Dallas Morning News (1885). There are numerous other morni ng and evening dailies, and Texas is well supplied with radio stati- ons, both AM and FM, as well as with television stations.
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY For decades oil influenced every aspect of the economic de- velopment of Texas. This included the tax structure, since a high percentage of the states tax revenues was derived from oil and gas. This changed in the mid-1980s when oil prices collapsed devas tatingly, greatly diminishing tax revenues and adversely affecting not only oil-related industries but also many others, such as real estate and banking. Slow economic recovery began in 1987, however, helped by the industrial diversification that had alr eady begun in Texas and that was now intensified. The service industries, notably retail and wholesale trade, contribute well over half of the gross state product of Texas.
Agriculture Texas is a leading agricultural state, frequently ranking third (after California and Iowa) in gross farm income. Agricultu- ral statistics in Texas have been affected by modern technology, which increases productivity: in consequence, the number of person s living on farms has markedly decreased in recent decades. Another trend has been a decline in the total number of farms and ranches. The largest share of agricultural income is derived from beef cattle; Texas leads the nation in the number of beef cattle, which usually exceed 13 million head. Cotton is the leading crop and the states second most valuable farm product. Texas is also a leader in national production of grain sorghum, watermelons, cabbages, and spinach. Wheat, corn, and other grains are also important. There is good farmland located in most parts of the state, some of it made more productive by use of irrigation and of dry-farming techniques (used in the Panhandle, for example, for wheat production).
Forestry and Fishing Production of timber--more softwoods than hardwoods--repre- sents a small share of the gross state product of Texas, but ship- ments of lumber and wood products and of paper and allied products are worth many times that share. As for fishing, shrimp accounts for most of Texass total commercial catch. Other species caught include crabs, oysters, flounder, and red snapper.
Mining Texas is among the nations most important producers of mine- rals. It leads the nation in the production of natural gas and ura- nium and is second, after Alaska, in crude petroleum production. Texas in recent years has supplied about one-third of the U.S. pro- duction of natural gas and about 25 percent of the U.S. production of oil. A foremost state in nonfuel minerals, Texas is an important producer of magnesium, sulfur, sand and gravel, stone, talc, sodi- um, and cement. The eastern part of the state has l ignite coal mi- nes. Iron is also mined.
Manufacturing Before World War II, manufacturing in Texas centered on pro- cessing the raw materials, notably petroleum and agricultural pro- ducts, available in the state. The decades since the war have seen an emphasis on diversification in manufacturing, however, as we ll as significant industrial expansion. In recent years, state leaders have attempted to attract more high-tech industries to Texas. Manufactures include a wide range of petroleum and coal pro- ducts, machinery, chemicals, and food products. Other broad catego- ries of Texan manufactures include electrical equipment, including high-tech; fabricated metals; printed materials; and transport ati- on equipment. Specific manufactures include such diverse items as wristwatches, radios, cosmetics and drugs, leather goods, aircraft and aircraft parts, computers, soft drinks, pipes and pipe fit- tings, and synthetic rubber. A large number of the appro ximately 15 percent of the labor force employed in manufacturing in Texas work in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metropolitan areas.
Tourism Texas attracts millions of out-of-state visitors annually; its tourist-related businesses compete with those of California and Florida for the U.S. travel market. Many visitors explore Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, Fort Worth, El Paso, Austin, and other citi- es. Sites of special interest range from Nacogdoches in East Texas, one of the states oldest cities, to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center near Houston. Texass two national parks, BIG BEND and Gua- dalupe Mountains, are also popular, as are the numer ous and varied state recreation areas. Hunting and fishing are popular pastimes for visitors and Texans alike, as are professional and college sports events.
Transportation and Foreign Trade As befits its hugeness, Texas ranks first nationally in total highway and railroad mileage. It also has the most airports (about 1,600). There are 13 major ports along the Gulf of Mexico, with Ho- uston the busiest (and ranking among the most active of all U.S. ports). The year 1988 commemorated the 135th anniversary of the first railroad operation in Texas; railway mileage reached its peak in 1922 (approximately 27,500 km/17,000 mi), but the volume of rail freight increased again after World War II. Texas is a major U.S. exporter of manufactured goods, inclu- ding chemicals and allied products. Also exported are agricultural products--especially cotton and food grains. Texas is habitually the nations leading exporter of sulfur, and its exports of iro n and steel scrap rank high. Other exports include natural gas and fishery products, especially shrimp.
Energy Texas consumes more energy than any other state--much of the natural gas and oil produced in the state never leave its borders. About 85 percent of the energy consumed in Texas comes from petro- leum and natural gas.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS The present Texas constitution was adopted on Feb. 15, 1876, but has been amended many times. The chief executive is the gover- nor, who since 1975 serves for 4 years. Legislative authority is exercised by the senate, with 31 members elected for 4-year ter ms, and the house of representatives, with 150 members elected for 2-year terms. The legislature meets biennially in odd-numbered years. The highest courts of Texas include the nine-member supreme court and the nine-member court of criminal appeals. Judg es of the two courts are elected to 6- year overlapping terms. The Texas sta- te delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives gained three ad- ditional seats following the 1990 census. In 1978 the state elected its first Republican governor (Wil- liam P. Clements, Jr.) since 1870, and Republican John Tower served in the U.S. Senate from 1961 until his retirement in 1985. Despite the popularity of some individual Republicans, including Ro nald Reagan, Democrats have dominated state-level politics since Recons- truction; competition occurs chiefly between the Democratic partys liberal and conservative wings. Many Texans, such as former U.S. House Speaker Sam RAYBURN, have played influential roles in natio- nal affairs. Henry Cisneros attracted national attention after he became (1981) the first Mexican-American mayor of a major U.S. city (San Antonio). In a 1993 special election, Republican Kay Hutchison became Texass first woman senator.
HISTORY Evidence of a meeting in eastern Texas between Middle Ameri- can prehistoric cultures and temple MOUND BUILDERS from the eastern part of what is now the United States has been discovered in an In- dian mound on the Neches River, and many tribal groups-- incl uding the APACHE, CADDO, and Comanche--inhabited what is now Texas.
Conquest and Colonization Early European explorers in the area were the Spaniards Alon- so Alvarez de Pineda (1519), Alvar Nunez CABEZA DE VACA (1528), and Francisco CORONADO (1541). Other Spanish expeditions followed du- ring the next century, and in 1682, Ysleta, near El Paso, beca me th