1. We take the second amendment seriously here. Not  everyone here has a revolver, but  everyday Texans have guns. When the University of Texas sniper attack happened in 1966 not everyone hid; some returned fire. I like to say that if the U.S. is invaded, Texas will be the last stronghold.

2.Tying into number one, Texans are warriors. If you send your son or daughter to high school here, chances are someone they know will join the Marinesl. Joining the military is considered a common and honorable career path. 

3. In some other places, it’s very important to be good looking or know the right people, but Texans want to know what you can do. The countryside here can be a little harsh and barren, you need strong minds and strong backs to get oil out of the ground or cattle to market. 

4. We believe in God Almightly. This is not true down to a man, but it’s true in general. The Baptist church and Church of Christ have a stronghold here. 

5. “Remember the Alamo” is not something you’ll hear every day but  the story is emphazied in school and people educated here are not likely to forget it. 

5. Texans are patriotic about Texas. We say the pledge of allegiance to the United States in the schools in the morning, and then we follow up with a pledge to the Texas flag every school day. 

6. The Battle of San Jacinto was when Sam Houston drove General Santa Ana and the Mexican army out of Texas for good, in 1836. This resulted in the nine years of  government by the Texas Republic. The fact that Texas was once a sovereign nation is important here, and occassionally you hear someone  say that it should be sovereign again. 

7. Texas has been under six flags and the “Six Flags” amusement park chain is named after North Texas’ own theme park, “Six Flags Over Texas.”  The flags were: Spain, France, Mexico, Texas Repbublic, the Confederacy, and the United States of America — that last one on two separate occassions, before and after the Civil War.

8. There’s a lot of pride in being a native born Texan  but if you’re not, and you can do your job, the locals will quickly accept you. 

9. Texans do love the land of this state and it’s expansiveness and it’s loneliness can become part of what you care about. Texas is a beautiful country but you have to know where to look. The joy of finding vibrant beauty in the red sunsets  or in seeing the bluebonnets of the spring becomes more intense because they’re not here all the time. 

10. Texas has the best steaks anywhere in the world. We’re also know for manufacture of cowboy boots, saddles, being the home of the Quarter Horse breed, the Dallas Cowboys, Larry McMurtry, and having the highest oil crude oil production of any state including Alaska. 

11. Our flag is called the Lone Star. That symbolizes independence and freedom, and people are expected to stand alone, in as much as they can, in Texas. Don’t be looking for handouts unless you really can’t do for yourself. When that happens, Texans are generous. But they don’t cotton to malingerers.