. . . . . . . . .
136
7. Beaumont
Spindletop oil field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
70
Birthplace of the Big Bopper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
119
8. College Station
Texas A&M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
134
9. Corpus Christi
First Whataburger established, 1950 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
45
10. Dallas
First official 7-Eleven established, 1945 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
44
First Neiman Marcus established, 1907 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
94
Frozen margarita machine invented, 1971 . . . . . . . . . . .
96
Texas Instruments headquarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
98
11. El Paso
Lucchese Boot Company factory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
32
12. Fort Worth
Billy Bob’s Texas nightclub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
118
National Cowgirl Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
157
13. Fredericksburg
City established by German immigrants, 1840s . . . . . . . . .
29
14. Galveston
The Ellis Island of Texas, with more than thirty miles
of sandy beaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
128
15. Goliad
Site where Christopher Parker signed an early Texas
Declaration of Independence, 1835 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
14
16. Goose
Creek Hughes Rock Bit invented, 1909 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
76
17. Houston
NASA Manned Spacecraft Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
47
Kinder Morgan headquarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
80
Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
112
18. Laredo
Laredo World Trade Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
52
19. Lubbock
Home to more churches per capita than any town in the U.S.
114
20. Marfa
The Chinati Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
124
21. San Angelo
Girls’ Rodeo Association formed, 1948 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
156
22. San Antonio
Site of Battle of the Alamo, 1836 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
21
Fritos invented, 1932 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
139
23. San Jacinto
Site of Battle of San Jacinto, 1836 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
22, 26
24. Shiner
Spoetzl Brewery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
97
25. Waco
Birthplace of William Brann’s The Iconoclast . . . . . . . . . . . .
68
Those of us who hail from Louisiana have always
been fascinated by the outsize ways of our neigh-
bors in Texas, with their wildcat economic style,
ten-gallon-hat personalities, and colorful populist
politicians of both parties. So it’s particularly excit-
ing for me to have the Texas mystique explained by
a native Louisiana guy who became a true Texan,
Sam Wyly. His coauthor—son Andrew—is also a
true Texan by choice, but one who hails from
California, which is a state that serves as a counter-
example to the Texas model.
Sam has grown six different companies to
billion-dollar valuations, so he realizes that the key
to the Texas success story is providing fertile ground
for entrepreneurs. We all know that Texas has been
an
