The Magnificent Homes & Gardens of Texas

The term "six flags over Texas" refers to several nations that have ruled over the territory. Spain was the first European country to claim and control the area of Texas. France held a short-lived colony. 
Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming the Republic of Texas. In 1845, Texas joined the union as the 28th state. The state's annexation set off a chain of events that led to the Mexican–American War in 1846.
exas declared its secession from the U.S. in early 1861, and officially joined the Confederate States of America on March 2 of the same year. After the War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation.
Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, Texas contains diverse landscapes common to both the U.S. Southern and the Southwestern regions. Although Texas is popularly associated with the U.S. southwestern deserts, less than ten percent of Texas's land area is desert. 
Most of the population centers are in areas of former prairies, grasslands, forests, and the coastline. Traveling from east to west, visitors can observe terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and rugged hills and finally the desert and mountains of the Big Bend.