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Size
Texas is 801 miles long from north to south and 773 from east to west,
covering a total area of roughly 267,000 square miles. Elevations range
from sea level along the coastal plains to over 8,000 feet in the Guadalupe
Mountains east of El Paso. For precise mileage between major cities, give
us a call.
Terrain
Because of its size and various geological formations, Texas has a dramatic
variety of terrain, from the beaches along the Gulf of Mexico to the tail
end of the Rocky Mountains in west Texas. There are two major canyon systems
in the state: the Rio Grande River Area in Big Bend and the Palo Duro
Canyon south of Amarillo. The vast majority of Texas land is privately
owned; there is no Bureau of Land Management property in the state. Our
photo library has more than 30,000 images of Texas so we can quickly find
a match for the location you need.
Climate
The summers in Texas provide long stretches of clear skies and warm temperatures.
Our rainy season is mainly in the spring (March-May) and sometimes the
early fall (September-October) as seasons begin to change. Generally,
though, showers are short and intense and rainy periods don't usually
last more than one or two days. The winters here are fairly mild, but
once again our size is a factor. The temperature variance from the northernmost
and southernmost points in Texas is an average 20 degrees, with the southern
tip (known as the Rio Grande Valley) usually in the sixties and seventies
in the winter. Snow is uncommon in most of the state; freezing rain and
sleet is more likely when precipitation occurs, usually at the head of
a cold front. In any case, ice is a short-lived occurrence in most parts
of the state below the Panhandle. For more information, click to view
our weather charts.
Farms & Agriculture
Texas leads all other states in number of farms and ranches. The primary
crops of Texas are cotton, corn, feed grains (sorghum, milo, etc.), rice
and wheat, but practically every other form of crop you can imagine is
grown here, from peanuts to sunflowers to sugarcane. An enormous variety
of vegetable fields can be found in the Rio Grande Valley at almost all
times of the year. From December to March, there are virtually no tall
crops in the state. Wheat is at its peak in June-July, while corn and
cotton are harvested slightly later (July-October). There are occasional
exceptions to every rule, however, and we're happy to try to find any
kind of crop, any time of year. And don't forget that there are hundreds
of fruit and pecan orchards here, as well as a number of beautiful vineyards.
For more information, contact the Texas
Department of Agriculture or click here to view our main crop
charts.
Ranches & Livestock
Texas ranches come in all sizes and kinds, from the wide open grassy plains
of the Panhandle and west Texas to the deep woods of the east. Most ranches
are devoted to raising cattle, ranging from dairy cows to the famed Texas
longhorns. But you'll also find sheep, goats, hogs, chickens, emus, ostrich
and bison. Of course, Texas also has some of the finest horses in the
country (if not the world) and a number of national horse associations
are headquartered in our state.
Flora & Fauna
Entire books have been written on Texas plants and animals, most of which
is probably too specific to be mentioned here. But there are a few notable
features that might be of interest to filmmakers. Texas has roughly 22
million acres of woodlands; about 11 million acres of that is forest,
mostly in east Texas. There are more than 130 state parks and natural
areas, from the swampy Big Thicket to the mini-desert Monahans Sandhills.
Besides the standard animal life you would expect to find here (a wide
variety of woodland and prairie creatures), Texas also has numerous exotic
game ranches and preserves that have everything from alligators to zebras
and we've doubled for Africa quite convincingly (ACE VENTURA: WHEN NATURE
CALLS). In short, we're not just cows and prairie - you might be surprised
what you'll find here.
Other Points of Interest
There are many other specialty locations in Texas that should be mentioned.
Along the coast, for example, there are a number of historical ships:
the WWII submarine USS Cavalla,
the destroyer escort USS Stewart
and the 1877 Elissa, a working 400-ton square-rigged sailing vessel, are
all located in Galveston. Nearby at Houston's San
Jacinto Monument is the USS Battleship Texas, the only surviving pre-World
War I dreadnought in the world. Further south in Corpus Christi, you'll
find authentic seaworthy replicas of the Niña, Pinta and Santa
María, as well as the USS
Lexington, a WWII aircraft carrier with a remarkably unobstructed
ocean view from the flight deck. There is a wide variety of vintage aircraft
and automobile collections around the state, as well as major historical
collections like the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum, the East
Texas Oil Museum, Spindletop/Gladys City Boomtown, the Ranching Heritage
Center and many others too numerous to mention. Several well-preserved
historical sites have been used for filming, such as Fort Davis in west
Texas and the Spanish missions of San Antonio and Goliad. On the other
extreme, Texas' high-tech locations range from McDonald
Observatory to the main headquarters of NASA
to 16 major military installations throughout the state.
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