Welcome to the Lone Star State! Texas has more official state symbols than any other state. That isn’t terribly surprising considering that Texas is the second biggest state and is also very diverse. Still, we’re talking about nearly 80 symbols, including 14 plant symbols and 14 animal symbols. Yikes! (Continued below)
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| Nicknames & Slogans | |||
| Nicknames | The Lone Star State | 2015 | |
| Symbols of State | |||
| Motto | Friendship | 1930 | > |
| Song | Texas, Our Texas | 1929 | > |
| EcoSymbols | |||
| Flower | bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) | 1971 | > |
| Waterlily | Texas Dawn (Nymphaea) | 2011 | > |
| Tree | pecan (Carya illinoinensis) | 1919 | > |
| Health Nut | Pecan Home Fruit Production, Pecans (Carya illinoinensis) | 2001 | > |
| Grass | sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) | 1971 | > |
| Fruit | Texas red grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) | 1993 | > |
| Pepper | jalapeño pepper (Capsicum annuum) | 1995 | > |
| Native Pepper | chiltepin (Capsicum annuum) | 1997 | > |
| Vegetable | sweet onion (Allium cepa) | 1997 | > |
| Squash | pumpkin (Cucurbita) | 2013 | > |
| Plant | prickly pear cactus (Opuntia) | 1995 | > |
| Shrub | crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) | 1997 | > |
| Native Shrub | Texas purple sage (Leucophyllum frutescens) | 2005 | > |
| Fiber and Fabric | cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) | 1997 | > |
| Bird | mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) | 1927 | > |
| Large Mammal | longhorn (Bos taurus) | 1995 | > |
| Small Mammal | nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) | 1995 | > |
| Flying Mammal | Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) | 1995 | > |
| Dog | Blue Lacy (Canis lupus familiaris) | 2005 | > |
| Horse | American quarter horse (Equus caballus) | 2009 | > |
| Reptile | Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) | 1993 | > |
| Sea Turtle | Kemp’s ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) | 2013 | > |
| Amphibian | Texas toad (Bufo speciosus) | 2009 | > |
| Fish | Guadalupe bass (Micropterus treculii) | 1989 | > |
| Saltwater Fish | red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) | 2011 | > |
| Saltwater Fish (former) | tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) | 2009 | |
| Insect | monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) | 1995 | > |
| Pollinator | western honey bee (Apis mellifera) | 2015 | > |
| Crustacean | Texas Gulf shrimp (Penaeus spp.) | 2015 | > |
| Shell | lightning whelk (Busycon perversum) | 1987 | > |
| Mushroom | star mushroom (Chorioactis geaster) | 2021 | > |
| Gem | Texas blue topaz | 1969 | > |
| Precious Metal | silver | 2007 | > |
| Dinosaur † | Paluxysaurus jonesi | 1997 | > |
| Stone | petrified palmwood | 1969 | > |
| Soil | Houston Black (unofficial)  |
> | |
| Cultural Symbols | |||
| Dish | chili | 1977 | > |
| Bread | pan de campo (cowboy bread) | 2005 | > |
| Traditional Pastries (former) | sopaipilla and strudel | 2003 | > |
| Pie | pecan pie | 2013 | > |
| Cobbler | peach cobbler | 2013 | > |
| Snack | tortilla chips and salsa | 2003 | > |
| Cooking Implement | Dutch oven | 2005 | > |
| Hat | cowboy hat | 2015 | > |
| Footwear | cowboy boot | 2007 | > |
| Tie | bolo tie | 2007 | > |
| Tartan | Texas Bluebonnet | 1989 | > |
| Sport | rodeo | 1997 | > |
| Rodeo Drill Team | Ghostriders | 2007 | > |
10K Race  |
Texas Round-Up 10k | 2005 | > |
| Hero | Carl Lewis | 1985 | > |
| Domino Game | 42 | 2011 | > |
| Vehicle | chuckwagon | 2005 | > |
| Railroad | Texas State Railroad | 2003 | > |
| Tall Ship | Elissa | 2005 | > |
| Maritime Museum | Texas Maritime Museum | 1987 | > |
| Aquarium | Texas State Aquarium (Corpus Christi) | 1985 | > |
| Cotton Gin Museum | Burton Cotton Gin & Museum, Burton | 2009 | > |
| Hashtag of the State of Texas | #Texas | 2015 | > |
| Hashtag of the Texas Legislature | #texleg | 2015 | > |
| Hashtag of Texas Tourism | #TexasToDo | 2015 | > |
| Bison Herd | Texas bison herd at Caprock State Park | 2011 | > |
| Longhorn Herd | Foundation herd of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department | 1969 | > |
Butterfly Capital  |
Jasper | 2015 | > |
| Bluebonnet City | Ennis | 1997 | > |
| Bluebonnet Festival | The Chappell Hill Bluebonnet Festival | 1997 | > |
| Bluebonnet Trail | Ennis (Festival) | 1991 | > |
| Gemstone Cut | Lonestar Cut | 1977 | > |
| Flower Song | Bluebonnets | 1933 | > |
| Music | western swing | 2011 | > |
| Musical Instrument | guitar | 1997 | > |
| Musician | 2003 | > | |
| Tejano Music Hall of Fame | Tejano Music Hall of Fame Museum, Alice | 2001 | > |
| Folk Dance | square dance  |
1991 | > |
| Plays | The Lone Star, Texas, Beyond Sundown and Fandangle | 1979 | > |
| Epic Poem | The Legend of Old Stone Ranch | 1969 | > |
| Caricature Artist | Kid Cardona | 1997 | > |
| Artist (Two-Dimensional) | 2003 | > | |
| Artist (Three-Dimensional) | 2003 | > | |
| Ship | U.S.S. Texas | 1995 | > |
| Air Force | Confederate Air Force | 1989 | > |
| Flag Pledge | 1933 | > | |
| Handgun | Colt Walker | 2021 | > |
| (Texas Capitals) ˆ |
||
|---|---|---|
| Designation | Place | Year |
| Plants | ||
| Wildflower Capital of Texas | Temple | 1989 |
| Wildflower Capital of Texas | DeWitt County | 1999 |
| Bluebonnet Co-capital of Texas | Burnet County | 1981 |
| Bluebonnet Co-capital of Texas | Llano County | 1981 |
| Sunflower Capital of Texas | Hearne | 1997 |
| Daffodil Capital of Texas | Round Rock | 2003 |
| Red Poppy Capital of Texas | Georgetown | 1990 |
| Redbud Capital of Texas | Denton | 1993 |
| Peach Capital of Texas | Parker County | 1991 |
| Citrus Capital of Texas | Weslaco | 1997 |
| Grape Capital of Texas | Terry County | 2015 |
| Strawberry Capital of Texas | Poteet | 2015 |
| Seedless Watermelon Capital of Texas | Knox City | 1997 |
| Pumpkin Capital of Texas | Floydada | 2013 |
| Crape Myrtle Capital of Texas | Waxahachie | 1997 |
| Crape Myrtle City | Paris | 1997 |
| Crape Myrtle County Capital | Lamar County | 1997 |
| Cactus Capital of Texas | Sanderson | 1999 |
| Garden Capital of Texas | Nacogdoches | 2013 |
| Fungi | ||
| Mushroom Capital of Texas | Madisonville | 2005 |
| Animals | ||
| Birding Capital of East Texas | Mineola | 2003 |
| Purple Martin Capital of Texas | Longview | 1991 |
| Purple Martin Conservation Capital of Texas | Grand Prairie | 2013 |
| Bluebird Capital of Texas | Wills Point | 1995 |
| Eagle Capital of Texas | Rains County | 1995 |
| Ostrich Capital of Texas | Midland | 1991 |
| Bison Capital of Texas | Quitaque | 2015 |
| Jackrabbit-Roping Capital of Texas | Odessa | 2001 |
| Hippo Capital of Texas | Hutto | 2003 |
| Alligator Capital of Texas | Anahuac | 1989 |
| Texas Horned Lizard Capital of the World | Kenedy | 2001 |
| Horned Lizard Capital of Texas | Kenedy | 2001 |
| Catfish Capital of Texas | West Tawakoni | 2001 |
| Butterfly Capital of Texas | Jasper | 2015 |
| Crawfish Capital of Texas | Mauriceville | 1983 |
| Dinosaur Capital of Texas | Glen Rose | 1997 |
| Sports and Games | ||
| Hot Air Balloon Capital of Texas | Plano | 1999 |
| Balloon Race Capital of Texas | Gregg County | 2013 |
| Bicycling Capital of the Rio Grande Valley | Brownsville | 2015 |
| Walking Capital of Texas | Canton | 2013 |
| Rodeo Capital of Texas | Mesquite | 1993 |
| Chess Capital of Texas | Brownsville | 2003 |
| Food | ||
| Barbecue Capital of Texas | Lockhart | 1999 |
| Cheeseburger Capital of Texas | Friona | 2007 |
| Kolache Capital of Texas | Caldwell | 1989 |
| Home of the Official Kolache of the Texas Legislature | West | 1997 |
| Pancake Capital of Texas | Hawkins | 1995 |
| Pickle Capital of Texas | Mansfield | 2013 |
| Sausage Capital of Texas | Elgin | 1995 |
| Bed and Breakfast Capital of Texas | Jefferson | 1997 |
| Ethnic Capitals | ||
| Irish Capital of Texas | Dublin | 2005 |
| Czech Heritage Capital of Texas | West | 1997 |
| Danish Capital of Texas | Danevang | 1990 |
| Norwegian Capital of Texas | Clifton | 1997 |
| Cowboys | ||
| Vaquero Capital of Texas | Jim Hogg County | 2015 |
| Cowboy Hat Capital of Texas | Garland | 2013 |
| Spur Capital of Texas | Gatesville | 2001 |
| Stagecoach Capital of Texas | Bridgeport | 2009 |
| The Arts | ||
| Mural Capital of Texas | Breckenridge | 2001 |
| Sculpture Capital of Texas | Jewett | 2013 |
| Blues Capital of Texas | Navasota | 2005 |
| Polka Capital of Texas | Fredericksburg | 1993 |
| Storybook Capital of Texas | Abilene | 2015 |
| Storyfest Capital of Texas | George West | 1995 |
| Miscellaneous | ||
| Antique Capital of Texas | Baird | 1993 |
| Bois d’Arc Capital of Texas | Commerce | 1999 |
| Classic Car Capital of Texas | Nocona | 2015 |
| Depot Capital of Texas | Giddings | 2011 |
| Getaway Capital of Texas | Lake Whitney area | 2005* |
| International Business Capital of North Texas | Richardson | 2011 |
| Outdoor Capital of Texas | Buda | 2005 |
| Pump Jack Capital of Texas | Electra | 2001 |
| Stars, Texas City of | Kilgore | 2003 |
| Volunteer Capital of Texas | Comal County | 1997 |
| Wedding Capital of Texas | Dripping Springs | 2015 |
| Wind Energy Capital of Texas | McCamey | 2001 |
| Wine Root Stock Capital of the World | Denison | 1989 |
| * Designated in 2005 and redesignated in 2011 | ||
Amazingly, Texans did a surprisingly good job of choosing their symbols, many of which are unique to Texas. Despite Texas’ reputation as a haven for bombastic right-wingers, Texans didn’t follow Tennessee into the gutter. Although Texans recently adopted an official handgun, they snubbed efforts to adopt an official Bowie knife and cannon.
Some of Texas’ most iconic state symbols include the bluebonnet, longhorn, nine-banded armadillo, Texas horned lizard, and chili. We might also include a number of symbols associated with cowboys, from the cowboy hat to rodeo.
However, the king of Texas symbols is that legendary Lone Star flag, which proudly broadcasts the message “Don’t mess with Texas.”
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If you think state flags and flowers are nothing more than trivia, guess again. A thorough exploration of the more than 1,500 items adopted as state symbols embraces geography, history, and psychology.
You have found the best state symbols website, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. The introduction above is adapted from Geobop’s State Symbols and My State Symbols Book, by far the biggest and most detailed state symbols references ever. You can learn still more about the symbols of the 50 states in the books Flag Quest and Grading the States. (Learn more about them here.)
After you spend some time exploring your favorite state’s symbols, you can come back here and tell us what you think about them.
Dress to impress! Check out the State Symbols Pro > Texas Symbols Store.
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