The Texanist
April 1, 2019
The Texanist: Are There Any Decent Dance Halls Left?
A Corpus Christi man pines for the days of two-stepping on those long wooden planks.
Being Texan
Border & Immigration
March 22, 2019
You Can Never Leave the Border Behind
Whether I lived in Chicago, Germany, or Dallas, I came to recognize one thing: it’s impossible to leave the borderlands behind.
Meanwhile in Texas
March 22, 2019
Meanwhile, in Texas: A 14-Year-Old Tortoise Was Stolen From the Brownsville Zoo
Plus, self-defense with a scooter.
Critters
March 22, 2019
Life, in Dog Years
My father always pampered his pets. So when he fell ill and moved in with us, it was no surprise that his corgi came to rule our home. What I didn’t expect was for Trilby to care for me after Dad was gone.
By Mimi Swartz![Mimi Swartz's Profile Photo]()
Best Thing In Texas
March 21, 2019
The Best Thing in Texas: This Fella Brought a Dang Longhorn to a Petco
It's the opposite of a bum steer.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Business
March 19, 2019
On Texas Time: Elizabeth Chambers Hammer, Founder of Bird Bakery
The Bird Bakery CEO talks Texas cravings and rates Armie Hammer as an ”Instagram husband.”
By Cat Cardenas![Cat Cardenas's Profile Photo]()
Best Thing In Texas
March 12, 2019
The Best Thing in Texas: A Missouri City Donut Shop Finds Sweet Victory, Thanks to the Internet
The power of social media. And donuts.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
The Texanist
March 10, 2019
The Texanist: What Do I Do When a Yankee Calls My Cowboy Boots “Shoes”?
A Texan who spent a quarter of a century in Massachusetts is flummoxed by his former neighbors’ footwear foolishness.
Being Texan
March 8, 2019
Check Out Our Readers’ Creative Six-Word Love Letters to Texas
When we put out a call for short-and-sweet notes about our state, you did not disappoint.
The Texanist
March 3, 2019
The Texanist: Why Are People Telling Me Not to Kill the Copperheads on My Property?
A newcomer to East Texas thinks it’s fine to dispatch venomous snakes on sight.
Being Texan
February 25, 2019
Why Do So Many People Type “Forth Worth” Instead of “Fort Worth”?
We talked to an expert to understand the Texan typo, for once and forth all.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
The Texanist
February 23, 2019
The Texanist: Is “Steak Night” a Texas Thing?
A new arrival from Colorado wants the true-blue info on the red-meat special.
Best Thing In Texas
February 21, 2019
The Best Thing in Texas: A Message in a Bottle Washed Up on Padre Island—57 Years Later
The missive was part of a 1962 study that attempted to track the flow of ocean currents.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Country Notes
February 20, 2019
The Romance of the Rail in West Texas
The railway and Marfa are forever intertwined.
Meanwhile in Texas
February 20, 2019
Meanwhile, in Texas: Runaway Emus in Galveston
Plus, twins born a week apart, and a driving dalmatian.
Being Texan
February 14, 2019
Send Us Your Six-Word Love Letters to Texas!
What does Texas mean to you? Is it ”Dairy Queen on a summer night”? ”Risking everything for a bluebonnet photo”?
Best Thing In Texas
February 14, 2019
The Best Thing in Texas: A Baker Made Valentines Out of a Canceled Order
When life handed Mary Lee of Magnolia Lee Baking dinosaurs, she made dino-valentines.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Music
February 12, 2019
Here Are the Best Songs About All the Most Texan Brands, Including Whataburger and H-E-B
What better way to show your love for Donut Taco Palace than with a song called “Donut Taco Palace”?
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
The Texanist
February 10, 2019
The Texanist: What Are the Ten Best Texas Movies?
A newcomer to the state is looking for a cinematic introduction to his adopted home.
Guides
February 8, 2019
Texas Monthly Recommends: Selena and David Byrne Recorded a Song Together and It’s So Good
Plus, rap from San Antonio, essays from Houston, and landscape photography from across the state.
Best Thing In Texas
February 7, 2019
The Best Thing in Texas: A Scottish Mountain Man Was Rescued—After His Distress Signal Was Picked Up in Houston
70-year-old Ken had been living off the grid for 25 years when he fell ill.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
The Texanist
February 3, 2019
The Texanist: Has PC Culture Tamed the Texanist’s Tongue?
A McKinney man thinks our fearless columnist isn't as sharp as he used to be.
The Texanist
February 3, 2019
The Texanist: Revisiting Some Favorites for February 2019
In our February “Love Letters to Texas” collector’s issue, the Texanist takes a walk down memory lane.
Being Texan
January 30, 2019
Love Letters to Texas
Texas Monthly has been giving Texans, both new and old, insights into this exceptional state for nearly half a century. Our February 2019 collector’s issue curates stories from our archives that celebrate the Texas icons and oddities that so many of us treasure, and reflect our love of the state’s
Being Texan
January 30, 2019
Dance Halls, Dive Bars, and More: The Good-Time Gathering Places of Texas
Appreciations by current and former staffers who know them all too well.
Being Texan
January 30, 2019
From East Texas to El Paso, Four Texans Reflect on Where They’re From
Over the years, Texas Monthly’s most celebrated voices have written about the places that shaped them, from the Panhandle to the border. We revisit some of the classics.
Best Thing In Texas
January 29, 2019
The Best Thing in Texas: Thousands Showed Up for Burial of Unaccompanied Veteran
When no next of kin could be located, Texans showed up en masse to make sure this veteran’s service was honored at his burial.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
The Texanist
January 27, 2019
The Texanist: What Five Things Should I Do When I Get Back to Texas?
A soldier stationed in Afghanistan is looking forward to coming home.
Best Thing In Texas
January 24, 2019
The Best Thing in Texas: A Cancer Patient Found Out He Won $100,000 While He Was in the Hospital
Cancer sucks, but the timing couldn’t have been more fortuitous.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
The Texanist
January 21, 2019
The Texanist: What Do I Wear to a “Western Chic” Party?
A Connecticut Yankee new to San Antonio’s social circuit is vexed by an invitation’s dress code.
Being Texan
January 16, 2019
Fifteen Portraits Revealing the Many Faces of Texas
Icons and archetypes that reveal what it means to be Texan.
The Texanist
January 12, 2019
The Texanist: Are Hot Sauce and Salsa the Same Thing?
A Fort Worth man can’t bottle up his confusion any longer.
The Texanist
January 6, 2019
The Texanist: What Exactly Is a “Hard Freeze”?
An Austin man thinks everyone knows that water turns to ice at 32 degrees.
Texas History
January 3, 2019
Marfa’s Blackwell School Has a Painful Past. That’s Why the Town Wants to Save It.
A segregated school for Mexican American children until 1965, the building now serves as a community center and celebration of Hispanic life.
The Texanist
December 23, 2018
The Texanist: Why Isn’t Chicken-Fried Steak Our Official State Dish?
A Sherman woman thinks the gravy-laden slab of breaded meat deserves its due.
The Texanist
December 15, 2018
The Texanist: What’s So Special About the Texas Chili Parlor?
A Canada man has a few questions about the Austin establishment immortalized in a Guy Clark song.
Meanwhile in Texas
December 14, 2018
Meanwhile, in Texas: You Got Cocaine in My Bananas!
Plus, moviegoing rodents and a man who thought it was a good idea to steal a police cruiser.
The Texanist
November 17, 2018
The Texanist: Why Is Mother So Unhappy About My Non-Texan Girlfriend?
A young Aggie just wants everyone to like his Wisconsin-raised sweetheart.
Country Notes
October 19, 2018
For Want of a Nail
Without a good shoeing, a horse can indeed be lost. Enter the farrier.
Meanwhile in Texas
October 19, 2018
Meanwhile, in Texas: Animal Care Officers Seized 136 Snakes and 415 Rodents From a San Antonio Home
Plus, an eleven-year-old’s pet beagle saves her from an abduction attempt.
The Texanist
October 14, 2018
The Texanist: Is It Okay For Non-Texans to Say “Howdy”?
A resident of Phoenix isn't sure her fellow Arizonans should be using that word so cavalierly.
The Texanist
October 6, 2018
The Texanist: What’s So Great About the Shape of Texas?
A Boerne woman wonders if other Americans are as smitten as we are with the outlines of their states.
The Texanist
September 29, 2018
The Texanist: Can We Bury Granddad in the Old Family Cemetery If We Don’t Own It Anymore?
A Houston man wants to know what his options are when that dreaded day finally comes.
The Texanist
September 22, 2018
The Texanist: What’s the Deal With This Willie Nelson Boycott?
A California man wonders why people are angry at everyone's favorite Texas country artist
Being Texan
September 21, 2018
Meanwhile, in Texas: Two Rowdy Alligators Mating Under a House
Plus, a very flattering mug shot and a doggy-door intrusion.
The Texanist
September 16, 2018
The Texanist: Where Have All the Longneck Beer Bottles Gone?
An Austin man is confused by all those new-fangled beer cans at his local grocery store.
The Texanist
September 9, 2018
The Texanist: How Do I Tell the World’s Worst Football Fan to Shut Up?
A San Antonio man is tired of the grouchy guy two rows behind him.
The Texanist
September 3, 2018
The Texanist: How Do I Talk Politics With My Friends in West Texas?
A Lone Star native who has lived in the Northeast for nearly four decades is nervous about socializing when she's back at home.
Being Texan
August 29, 2018
Little Known Fact: Frito Feet
Is it a pleasant smell, or is it just creepy? In this episode of "Little Known Fact," David Courtney finds a link between bacteria on a dog's paws and everyone's favorite corn chip.
The Texanist
August 26, 2018
The Texanist: Help Me Find the Delicious Honeydew Ice Cream of My Youth
A man raised in Sulphur Springs pines for a long-lost North Texas favorite.