Photo Journalism by Patricia Feager, 11/5/2024
You don't just move to Texas it moves you
---Anonymous
What moved me the most when I moved to Texas in March 1997 was how focused native Texans were on the people, their dogs and other animals, the landscape, weather, oil, business, politics, the economy, water, and their feelings about the State of Texas. One of the first things I memorized was the Texas Pledge. Every single time I went to a Chamber meeting, a business convention, Toastmaster Club, or sports game, people said the Pledge of Allegiance, and the Texas Pledge. In a very short time, I learned there is a lot of heart and soul here in Texas.
Texas is a name based on the Caddo word tay:sha or Tejas meaning friend. It became the 28th State of the Union in 1845, more than 179 years ago. I am proud to say, I have met a lot of friendly people both native and transplants in Texas. Another thing I learned, is that you can spend the rest of your life in the State of Texas and continue to learn something new, but the thing that never changes, is the heart and soul of those who live in Texas.
The hearts and souls that established Texas were by Spanish, French, Mexicans and Germans who became a symbol of hospitality, followed by more diversity coming from Europe and the Far East. In the Fredericksburg and New Braunfels areas you can still find people who speak pure High German and keep alive their proud legacy of the Prussian princes who settled there in the mid 1800s. Sprinkled in other parts of Texas are vast concentrations of Polish descendants, French, Italians, Canary Islanders, Asian, and Czechs. There remains a presence of Czechs in and around Waco, Texas. When it comes to cooking in restaurants, there is a lot of diversity.
In Texas you will find a lot of sunshine and widespread pride. People are protective of their land and property. What surprised me over the years are how many people are content with the State of Texas and don't travel to other states or countries, unless they have to. With over three hundred thousand miles there are plenty of roadways extending from the High Plains (Amarillo, Wichita Falls, Llano, Lubbock, and Abilene). Flowing down the river out of the High Plains and the Colorado River you get to the Heart of Texas which includes Dallas and Fort Worth. There lies the Trinity River that flows to East Texas (Texarkana, Tyler, Nacogdoches, the Sabine River, Neches River, and Big Thicket National Preserves).
When you live and travel, "Don't Mess With Texas!"
To the west is West Texas home of the Big Bend National Park, El Paso, Odessa, San Angelo, Edwards, Fort Davis, Guadalupe Peak, Pecos River, and Del Rio, bordering on the Rio Grande and the Border of Mexico.
South of Dallas-Fort Worth, and the west of West Texas is Hill Country. There lies the Capitol in Austin. North in Hill Country is Burnet, and west is Fredericksburg.
Finally, below the Hill Country, Heart of Texas, and East Texas comes South Texas. In Hill Country, you'll find the expansive lands of San Antonio, Houston, Port Arthur, Sublime, Pearsall, Nueces, Plains River, Choke Canyon Lake, Port Lavaca, Galveston Island, Corpus Christi, Padre Island, Laredo, Brownsville, the Mexican Border, and the Gulf of Mexico. Are you thirsty? I recommend a big, tall Texas Margarita!
I hope you found my Photo Journalism to be fun and educational. This is an overview of Texas. If you think you want to move to Texas, ya'll call, and I'll be there to talk to you, or I'll refer you to other agents from other parts of Texas. I just love selling real estate, traveling, being educated, and taking photographs. Can you tell???
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