Texas is big--266,805 square miles including inland water area--and it has
something to offer nearly everyone all year long. From the Red River boundary
on the north, to the Rio Grande border on the south, Texas cradles lakes and
rivers that total more than 4,790 square miles of watery playgrounds. Texas'
23 million acres of woodlands include four national forests and 125 state parks.
The Piney Woods of eastern Texas connect the state to the westernmost edge
of the great pine forests of the South. In fact, the eastern third of the state
is covered with woods--a shock to those who expect nothing but prickly pear
cactus and cowboys. Present-day Texas is both agricultural and urban, criss-crossed
by 76,952 miles of modern highways. Three of the nation's largest cities, Dallas,
Houston, and San Antonio, anchor the north, east, and center of the state respectively,
and provide fine lodgings and amusements. From sea-shell collecting on sandy
beaches to duding it up on horseback at a western ranch, from the big sky of
the panhandle to the big oil cities, it can all be found in the Lone Star State.