Volunteer Capital of Texas (Comal County nickname)
Comal County (northeast of San Antonio) held a VolunteerFest 1997, and in 1997 the Texas legislature declared the county the "Volunteer Capital of Texas." The nickname quickly died, but…
Sunflower Capital of Texas & Crossroads of Texas (Hearne nickname)
Hearne bills itself as the "Crossroads of Texas," in the middle of a triangle formed by Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Hearne used to be a commercial producer of sunflowers,…
Pump Jack Capital of Texas (Electra nickname)
Electra in north Texas has about 5,000 oil pumps within a ten-mile radius. In 2001, the Texas lesiglature declared Electra to be the "Pump Jack Capital of Texas." Electra has more pump…
Texas Horned Lizard Capital of the World (Kenedy nickname)
Kenedy used to be the flax capital of Texas. In 2001, however, the Texas legislature declared Kenedy to be the Texas Horned Lizard Capital of the World. The horned lizard has been protected since…
Spur Capital of Texas (Gatesville nickname)
Gatesville in central Texas was named the "Spur Capital of Texas" by the Texas Legislature in 2001. The largest spur collection in the world is found in Gatesville's Coryell Museum…
Jalapeño Jelly
Jalapeño jelly is a good use of the official state pepper of Texas, the jalapeño. Hundreds of websites state: "Jalapeno pepper jelly originated in Lake Jackson and was first marketed in…
“Please do not shoot the piano player. He is doing his best”
"Please don't shoot the piano player. He is doing his best" was a sign in western saloons and churches from the 1870s. The sign was cited in publications from February 1879 and…
“Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again” (property sign)
The usual sign is: "Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be prosecuted." The humorous take on that sign is: "Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again." The…
Gobbledygook (Maury Maverick WWII term)
World War II produced lots of bad bureaucrat-ese language in official memos. Maury Maverick (a former Texas Congressman and then chairman of the Smaller War Plants Corporation) was so frustrated…
“The cows are giving evaporated milk” (Texas heat joke)
How hot is it in Texas? It's so hot that "the cows are giving evaporated milk." This "evaporated milk" joke (and many others like it) has been on the internet since at…
“You realize that asphalt has a liquid state” (Texas heat joke)
How hot is it in Texas? So hot that "you realize that asphalt has a liquid state." That joke (among many others) has been circulating around the internet since at least 1998. Stanford…
Rat Cheer (“right here”)
"Rat cheer" is (supposedly) how people in the South say "right here." The joke pronunciation dates from at least the early 1960s. Urban Dictionarycheer Southern U.S. slang for…
Alambres (Mexican Shish Kebab)
Alambres (Spanish for "wires" or "skewers") is a dish that's sometimes called "Mexican Shish Kebab." It's served in fancier Tex-Mex restaurants. Iguana Grill…
Chili Burger; Chili Dog
Chili hot dogs (or "chili dogs" or "chilidogs") and chili hamburgers (or "chili burgers" or "chiliburgers") continue to be popular. No one knows exactly…
Chile con Queso (Chili con Queso)
Chile con queso (or chili con queso) is a simple Tex-Mex dish of chili and cheese. President Lyndon B. Johnson published a favorite recipe in 1964. Wikipedia: Chile con quesoChili con queso (also…
Texas Twist or Texas Tornado or Country Boy (three-card monte scam)
Texas Twist (also called Texas Tornado or Country Boy) is an involved three-card monte scam that's appeared in Texas and other western states. Scoundrels' GlossaryTexas Tornado. A…
Mural Capital of Texas (Breckenridge nickname)
Breckenridge was named the "Mural Capital of Texas" by the Texas legislature in 2001. Murals were painted around the town by Billy Ines, based on historic town photos. ePodunk:…
Confederate Heroes Day
Confederate Heroes Day is celebrated every January 19th (General Robert E. Lee's birthday). This may or may not be the same day as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which is celebrated on the third…
Red Grapefruit (State Fruit)
The Texas Red Grapefruit is the official state fruit of Texas, pronounced by the Texas legislature in 1993. A few years later, the Texas legislature would name the city of Weslaco the Citrus…
Strudel (State Pastry)
Germans have given much to Texas, and the strudel pastry is one such food. In 2003, the Texas legislature declared the strudel and the sopaipilla to both be official state pastries (with the law…