Being Texan
March 24, 2023
Presenting the Ultimate Texas Brand Bracket Final Four
H-E-B. Whataburger. Blue Bell. Southwest Airlines. Four iconic Texas brands remain, but only one can be crowned champion of them all.
By
Dan Solomon
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Texana
Being Texan
March 23, 2023
The Ultimate Texas Brand Bracket Is Down to Its Elite Eight
Can anything stop H-E-B? Plus: a recap of the bracket's tightest matchup yet, between Schlitterbahn and Austin City Limits.
By
Dan Solomon
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Being Texan
March 20, 2023
Ford or Chevy? There Are No Two Sides in Texas’s Fiery Truck Debate
Loyalty to your chosen brand of pickup runs deep in the Lone Star State.
Being Texan
March 9, 2023
At Brownsville’s Annual Grito Contest, It’s All About Yelling Your Heart Out
Every year, residents of the Texas border city compete to see who can give the best scream.
Being Texan
February 22, 2023
Finding Weird All Over Again in Rockport
I left homogenized Austin for the Texas Gulf Coast—and felt right at home amid the Speedo-wearing bikers and chicken feet–fed alligators.
Being Texan
February 14, 2023
San Antonio Seems to Be Going Through It This Valentine’s Day
. . . Y’all okay?
By
Dan Solomon
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The Stand Up Desk
November 28, 2022
The Writer Behind an Enduring Portrait of West Texas Life
Sterry Butcher on the path that led her to move to Marfa and find God “in the details” while writing about rural Texas.
Texas History
October 12, 2022
Luckenbach Is a Hill Country Treasure. Can It Be Saved?
A bitter feud is pitting Hondo Crouch’s descendants against longtime locals as well as encroaching developers.
Being Texan
October 8, 2022
This 1981 Photo Essay Captured Why Being an Aggie Is Not at All Funny
Will Van Overbeek's images, with words by Oscar-winning screenwriter and Texas A&M alum and proud Aggie Al Reinert, were "good bull."
Texas Country Reporter
September 20, 2022
The Legend of Old Rip Was Pretty Unbelievable
I’m not sure I ever bought the story of the Texas horned lizard that survived thirty years in a courthouse cornerstone, but it’s a tale that reminds me why I love storytelling.
Texas Country Reporter
July 21, 2022
This Quirky Hog-Callin’ Champ Was 100 Percent Herself
In 1998, Texas Country Reporter did an episode about Roxanne Ward, a champion hog caller who was quirky, kind, and so unapologetically herself we’ll never forget her.
Texas Country Reporter
May 23, 2022
97-Year-Old Lucy Dean Record Is a Queen of Western Swing
The piano teacher turned touring musician from Lockney has been inducted into several halls of fame across the U.S.
Texas Country Reporter
May 20, 2022
You’ll Find Oodles of Noodles at the Wendish Fest in Serbin
The community 50 miles east of Austin celebrates its Slavic heritage each year with music, crafts, and lots of buttery, handmade noodles.
Texas Country Reporter
April 5, 2022
Forget the Trailer. Weldon Wilson Drove Cattle the Old-fashioned Way.
Across U.S. highways and country roads, Wilson was determined to move cattle in a way that honored the men that came before him.
Texas Country Reporter
March 28, 2022
Lessons Learned From the Chicken Lady
Mary Ann Fordyce is a straight-talking chicken farmer calling for a return to country roots.
Texas History
March 28, 2022
The Texas Monthly Writer Who Set Out to Find “Real” Texas—in Marfa
Over several years, Richard West spent two months in seven Texas locales. His reporting eventually won the National Magazine Award.
Texas Country Reporter
March 22, 2022
Inside the Eclectic Home of Hill Country Sculptor Jonas Perkins
In Fredericksburg, Perkins’s creative approach to life can be seen in every inch of his one-of-a-kind retreat.
Texas Country Reporter
March 21, 2022
The Hardest-Working Man in Del Rio
For years, “Chito” Martiarena has devoted himself to mowing grass along public roadways.
Texas Country Reporter
March 18, 2022
Why Does the World Need Bottle Cap Art?
Years ago, I learned an important lesson from a family in West Texas—happiness can be found in the simplest places.
Texas Country Reporter
March 16, 2022
Meet the Mr. Rogers of East Texas
I’ll never forget Herman “Train” Gates, the man who collected junk on an empty lot in Carthage, helped fix bikes for neighborhood kids, and wrote poetry.
Texas Country Reporter
March 11, 2022
In Fayetteville, Step Into the Shelby Store and Step Back in Time
Founded in 1946, the Shelby Store is a relic of what retail once was for many small Texas communities.
Books
November 9, 2021
Announcing Our New Book, ‘Being Texan’
The book for anyone who has ever felt the lure of the Lone Star State, already loves it, or simply wants to make sense of the place.
Books
October 27, 2021
The Tall Tale of the Sabine River Goat Man and the Haunted Cemetery
Things unseen moved along the river bank, slithered or crawled or pranced between the thick growths of trees that ran for miles.
Being Texan
October 14, 2021
Rejoice in the Rockin’ Bods of the Nude Texas Cavers Calendar
What better way to mark the passage of time than with some tasteful spelunking nudity?
Being Texan
September 24, 2021
Big Tex on State Fair History, His Favorite Fried Foods, and His Size 96 Boots
A conversation with the big guy himself.
Being Texan
June 14, 2021
Texas First: The Night I Went Two-stepping With the Gilleyrats
One lucky night of dancing with the masters unlocked a new appreciation of the craft.
By
Katy Vine
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State of Mind
June 7, 2021
Announcing Our New Podcast, ‘State of Mind’
Executive editor Katy Vine presents stories about life in the Lone Star State, from new voices and ones you might recognize.
Texas History
May 19, 2021
The Next Battle of the Alamo!
Is Phil Collins’s legendary Texana collection everything it’s cracked up to be? An adapted excerpt from ‘Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth.’
Texas History
February 19, 2020
The Legend of John Holmes Jenkins
He was a notorious deal maker known for bringing priceless pieces of Texas history back to the state. He was also a suspected forger and arsonist. Thirty years ago, he was found dead in the Colorado River near Austin, and to this day a question remains: Could John Holmes Jenkins
Politics & Policy
February 14, 2020
20 Other Texas Sayings According to Mike Bloomberg
The presidential candidate thinks ”as scared as a cat at a dog pound” is a thing that Texans say. So we’ve got a few more for him.
Music
February 7, 2020
Join Us at SXSW for Texas Music: The Untold Stories
On March 17, we're taking over the Moody Theater for a night of storytelling from some of your favorite Texas artists.
By
Michael Hall
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Music
October 31, 2019
How the Toadies Turned a Lovely Texas Lake Into a Ghostly Song
The Fort Worth band crafted a dark legend about Possum Kingdom Lake that many are still eager to believe 25 years later.
Music
August 21, 2019
Texas’s Greatest Honky-Tonk Hits
From Ernest Tubb to Bob Wills to Willie, Texas has produced a jukebox worth of classics. Here are the best.
Being Texan
August 20, 2019
The Best Honky-Tonks in Texas
We traveled 3,000 miles to find the state’s best little country joints. Welcome to neon nirvana.
Film & TV
July 9, 2019
The ‘Red Headed Stranger’ Rides Again: Here’s What We Learned
We watched the recently restored 1986 film with Willie Nelson and fans in Luck, where it all happened.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Texas History
June 5, 2019
Five Creative Proposals for the Battleship Texas’s Future
What should be done with the historic dreadnought once it’s relocated from its longtime home?
Being Texan
April 15, 2019
Slabs, Donks, and Swangas: An African-American Car Club Seeks a Home in a Changing Austin
Spending Texas Relays weekend with the Hands Full of Cash car club.
Being Texan
April 3, 2019
In a Texas Homecoming, What Would Our Readers Do First?
Back in January, Texas Monthly’s esteemed advice columnist the Texanist responded to a thought-provoking letter from a native Texan soldier stationed in Afghanistan. The soldier asked: “What would be your top five things to do, see, eat, and drink the moment I step foot back on
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.
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
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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”?
Business
February 13, 2019
Buc-ee’s: The Path to World Domination
Beaver Aplin built the quirky convenience chain into a Texas empire. Will his tactics translate outside the state?
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
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The National Podcast of Texas
February 4, 2019
Jay B. Sauceda: “Through a Texan’s Lens, Everything That Ain’t Texas Is a Little Gray”
On the latest National Podcast of Texas: the CEO/co-founder of Texas Humor, who’s also the photographer/aviator behind an ambitious aerial tour of Texas’ borders.
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.
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 Culture
December 22, 2018
Dickens on the Strand Is One of Texas’s Weirdest—and Best—Holiday Traditions
Charles Dickens never made it to Galveston, but that doesn’t stop local revelers from raising a glass of ale in his honor.
Talk Like a Texan
December 3, 2018
Talk Like a Texan: This One’s for All Y’All
Simply put, “y’all” is the best way in the English language to address more than one person, and we speak to a linguist who argues the same.