Traveling Through Texas
By: Kitty Borrego
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is big on military, health care, government civil service, financial services, oil and gas and tourism sectors.
The city is home to these companies: Valero Energy Corp, Tesoro Corp, USAA, Clear Channel Communications and NuStar Energy. H-E-B, the 19th largest private company in the United States is also headquartered in San Antonio. Some of the other companies headquartered in San Antonio are: Kinetic Concepts, Frost Bank, Harte-Hanks, Eye Care Centers of America, Bill Miller Bar-B-Q Enterprises, Whataburger, Rackspace, NewTek, Carenet Healthcare Services, Nationwide Insurance, Kohl's, Allstate, Chase Bank, Philips, Wells Fargo, Toyota, Medtronic, Sysco, Caterpillar Inc., AT&T, West Corporation, Citigroup, Boeing, QVC, and Lockheed Martin.
San Antonio has lost several major company headquarters, the largest being the 2008 move of AT&T Inc. to Dallas "to better serve customers and expand business in the future," yet, San Antonio is a city that is full of many things.
We're going to drive to the Alamo first, where The Battle of the Alamo took place, from February 23 - March 6, 1836, where the Mexican troops, lead by Santa Anna, launched an assault on the Alamo Mission. The Alamo was originally supposed to be for Native Americans to learn and convert to Christianity, until the Texian army overtook it because it was surrendered to them during the Texas Revolution. When the surrender had retreated, he had left behind 19 cannon, including a 16-pounder.
The Alamo
San Antonio River Walk
Ripley's Believe It or Not Odditorium
Louis Tussaud's Waxwork
Michael Jackson's Waxwork
Ripley's Believe It or Not Odditorium
Lockhart State Park
Next we are going to Lockhart State Park, which is 263.7 acres west of Lockhart in Caldwell County. The land was deeded by private owners between 1934 and 1937. The park was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps between the years 1935 and 1938 and opened as a state park in 10 years later, in 1948.
RANDOM FACT:
In August 1840, the Battle of Plum Creek was fought a few miles north of the park.
Austin, Texas
In 1835–1836, Texans fought and won independence from Mexico. Texas then became its own independent country with its own president, congress, and monetary system. In 1839, the Texas Congress formed a commission to seek a site for a new capital to be named for Stephen F. Austin. Mirabeau B. Lamar, the second president of the new Republic of Texas, advised the commissioners to investigate the area named Waterloo, noting the area's hills, waterways, and pleasant surroundings. Waterloo was selected and the name Austin was chosen as the town's new name.
Waco, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. It's located in North Central Texas, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly 350 square miles in Tarrant, Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise counties, serving as the seat for Tarrant County. According to the 2010 census, Fort Worth had a population of 741,206. The city is the second-largest in the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area.
The city was established in 1849 as an Army outpost on a bluff overlooking the Trinity River. Today Fort Worth still embraces its Western heritage and traditional architecture, and design.
Fort Worth is home to the Kimbell Art Museum, considered to have one of the best collections in the world, and housed in what is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost works of modern architecture. Also of note are the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and the Amon Carter Museum. The city is also home to Texas Christian University and Texas Wesleyan University and many multinational corporations including Bell Helicopter, Lockheed Martin, American Airlines, Radio Shack, and others.
Arlington, Texas
Texas Rangers Ballpark
AT&T Stadium
Six Flags Over Texas
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
Dallas is the 9th largest city in the US, and the 3rd largest in Texas, with a population of 1,241,162, according to the 2012 census.
The museum we are going to is located on the sixth and seventh floors of an early 20th-century warehouse once known as the Texas School Book Depository. This exhibit features films, photographs and artifacts that chronically tell President Kennedy's life, death and legacy. Temporary exhibits can be seen on the seventh floor. The museum is open Monday 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.; Tuesday - Sunday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Free audio guides are included with exhibit admission and are available in multiple languages, like English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Japanese and a Family version, in English only.
Inside The Sixth Floor Museum
Texas School Book Depository
The Window Oswald Shot JFK From
Denton, Texas
Denton is home to several annual artistic and cultural events that cater to residents and tourists. The annual North Texas State Fair and Rodeo began in 1928 and promotes the cowboy culture of Texas. In addition to a rodeo, the event features several local country-rock performances, pageants, and food contests. Hosted by the North Texas State Fairgrounds since 1948, the fair brings in over 150,000 people during its nine-day run. The Denton Municipal Airport has hosted the annual Denton Airshow since 1998. The event includes aerial demonstrations and airplane exhibits; it attracted over 10,000 attendees in 2012. Other events in the city include an annual Redbud Festival, the Fiesta on the Square, and the Thin Line Documentary Film Fest.
The local independent music scene in Denton has emerged alongside Denton's academic music establishments, including the University of North Texas College of Music. The city's live music venues are largely supported by Denton's college town atmosphere, although show attendance is bolstered by area residents. The Dallas Observer features a column on Denton's local music scene. In 2007 and 2008, Denton's music scene received feature attention from The Guardian, Pop Matters, and The New York Times. Paste Magazine named Denton's music scene the best in the United States in 2008. The city-sponsored Denton Arts and Jazz Festival attracts over 200,000 people each year for live music, food, crafts, and recreation at Civic Center Park. Bands such as Tower of Power, Brave Combo, and Arturo Sandoval have performed at the festival, as well as jazz groups from the University of North Texas. With hopes of creating a live music event similar to South by Southwest, Denton held the first annual North by 35 Music Festival, now called 35 Denton, in March 2009.