The True History Behind These 4 Famous Texas Slogans

Texas is a unique place for several reasons. One thing that gets brought up repeatedly regarding Texas, is the way that Texans talk. We have a lot of sayings, slogans, and nicknames for our state. For outsiders, it can be a tab bit overwhelming and possibly confusing.

Here's the history behind four famous Texas slogans, for the outsiders.

Don't Mess With Texas - The True Story

This one makes me giggle; I'll be honest. Back in 1985, a couple of guys were tasked with coming up with a slogan. The one they came up with took on a life of its own.

The slogan they developed was "Don't Mess With Texas." Soon, it would be seen in TV advertisements and heard all over the radio. It was all over the place, because it was a slogan developed for an anti-littering campaign.

TxDOT hired the guys to do a job, and they did a real good one.

What's fascinating about this is that eventually people forgot that it had anything to do with littering. It was all about Texas pride. Estimates have it that 96% of Texans were familiar with the slogan, but only 61% knew it had anything to do with littering.

TxDOT called in King George (Strait) in 2009 to clear up any confusion in a new ad campaign. 82% of Texans the following year understood what it meant. All hail King George.

Lone Star State - The True Story

Many refer to Texas as the Lone Star State and probably have no idea why. Contrary to what some out-of-staters might think, it has nothing to do with the beer.

The phrase "Lone Star State" refers to the Texas state flag. If you take a peek at it, you'll see that the flag has a lone...star. Just the one.

This is all thanks to Texas becoming independent from Mexico in 1836. Fun fact, Texas had 10 whole years as an independent republic before joining the U.S.

Come And Take It - The True Story

This is one I've seen associated with Texas as long as I can remember. When I lived out of state, it was a slogan that everyone associated with the Lone Star State.

As far as Texas is concerned, the slogan dates back to 1835 during the Battle of Gonzales in the Texas Revolution.

Supposedly, it was also used by King Leonidas I as his response to the Persians. It was also supposedly used again during the American Revolution.

Everything Is Bigger In Texas - The True Story

This one has quite the interesting story, as its beginnings don't take place in Texas. Jokes about things being bigger in Texas started circulating in the early 1900s. It was in 1913, though, that the phrase would come into being.

It was penned by a writer from New York City.

It seems that women from the west, and that includes Texas, weren't too fond of the men from New York City. The writer suggested that man had to have a chest as big as a sugar barrel in order to woo a Texas woman.

This led him to write that everything must be bigger in Texas, and Texans have been wearing it as a badge of pride ever since.