Texas is known colloquially as the lone star state, and you may have heard more than once that everything is always bigger in Texas or not to mess with Texas. However, the big Texas fun doesn’t stop there. Texas is home to plenty of its own sayings, funny Texas memes, and Texasisms that only a true Texan would understand. For everyone else, there’s a bounty of fun facts about Texas and funny Texas town names to pique your interest and tickle your ribs. Get comfortable with a bottle of your favorite libation from a nearby Zipps Liquor store and learn more about Texas’s lighter side.
Totally True and Fun Texas Facts
Despite sounding like extra tall tales, these Texas facts are entirely accurate, and the laws are still on the books today.
- There is a dialect of German, Texasdeutsch, which is only spoken in Texas.
- Texas has its own pledge of allegiance.
- There’s only one place named “Earth” in the whole world, and it is, of course, in Texas.
- Texas uses its own power grid in the United States.
- The Texas State Fair located in Dallas has the largest Ferris wheel in North America.
- Dr. Pepper was invented in Waco, Texas, in 1885.
- The largest urban bat colony globally is in Austin, Texas, at the South Congress Avenue Bridge.
- King Ranch in Kingsville, Texas, is larger than the whole of Rhode Island.
Absolutely Hilarious and Real Laws in Texas
These laws stretch far back into the legal books in Texas’s history, but that doesn’t make them any less legally binding. Each city is responsible for municipal laws so imagine what must have happened for such peculiar laws to come into effect. Before traveling, be sure to brush up on these strange but true legalities before heading to the lone star state.
- It is illegal to shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel.
- It is legal to shoot and kill Bigfoot.
- It is illegal to milk another person’s cow.
- It is legal to sell your hair.
- It is illegal to sell your eye.
- It is a legal and binding marriage if two consenting parties publicly announce they are married more than three times.
- It is illegal to buy or sell Limburger cheese on Sundays.
- It is legal to drive without a windshield.
Funny Texas Town Names That Really Exist
When traveling to Texas, make sure you enjoy a bountiful feast of beer and authentic Tex-Mex food on your trip. As you plan your itinerary, ensure that you stop at more than one of these towns with odd but true names that are sure to delight.
Nameless
Formally established in 1880, it’s said that the post office rejected naming offers from the townspeople more than five times over. After a tense impasse, they threw up their hands in desperation, and then the town was officially given a name of no name. Over time, the city dwindled to nothing. Ironically, its nameless name was all that remained. Nameless lasted only a little while as a functioning community and is better known as a ghost town outside Leander today.
Bug Tussle
Bug Tussle, Texas, began as Truss, Texas, named after the man who settled the area. Founded in the late 1800s, the town was populated only for about 50 years before declining to under 15 residents by the 1990s. Bug Tussle is thought to have been renamed thanks to a yearly swarm of beetles and bugs that ruined the annual church picnic in the area. With little entertainment, churchgoers ate what food wasn’t spoiled by the infestation and stayed to watch the remaining bugs tussle.
Cut and Shoot
Between Houston and Conroe is the little town of Cut and Shoot, also known as Cut N Shoot. True to Texas form, this Texas town got its name after a disagreement went awry. Townsfolk were arguing over congregational matters, and, in a fit of exasperation, a young boy declared he would soon cut around and shoot through the bushes in an attempt to solve the argument. While the contention was not solved that day, what the young boy said stuck with residents, and the town adopted the name before 1920.
Frog
Just east of Elmo, Texas, Frog was founded in the early 1900s by African American settlers. Legend has it that Frog was the name of the man that founded the railroading community there, but no record exists of such a person. This omission is not surprising considering that free people and formerly enslaved people often went undocumented in the early 1900s as racially charged and punitive laws were still in place. The Pentecostal church in the area was organized at the time of settlement and continues to hold services today.
Ding Dong
The tiny town of Ding Dong is now located in Bell County. Once featured on television shows for its unusual name, this town is so small that it rarely gets mentioned. Ding Dong was named not for a disagreement, as some of the other Texas towns, but for two settlers, both with the last name Bell. A painter was commissioned to paint a sign for their store by the river, and he did so. The artist painted two ringing bells, each with a word underneath; one read “ding,” and the other read “dong” for each of the owners named Bell.
Whether you’re looking for a laugh, a destination vacation, or if you just want to make sure that your cheese selection won’t land you in the clink, these fun facts about Texas will take you far in the lone star state. Remember, there is only one place named Earth in the world, but you can also visit Mercury and Venus while you’re in Texas. Be sure to bring along your camera if someone attempts to sell you their eye, and you need to provide evidence to local authorities. As you finish packing your bags, swing into a local Zipps Liquor for a large selection of Texas-proud beers, wines, and liquors.
