The Lone Star State, Texas is the second largest US state and is home to an incredible range of both landscapes and people. The former include the desert for which the state is renowned, as well as a mixture of prairies, mountains and swamps, as well as the coastline which looks onto the Sea of Mexico. The people of Texas reflect the diversity of its history; the state has been ruled over by the French, the Spanish, and by Mexicans, it also was at one time an independent republic, all of which influenced the distinct culture that exists there today.

The literature of the state reflects the diversity of its cultural heritage and the traditions of this once wild frontier land. Annie Proulx has written with great success about the society of Texas and how the people of the state engage with traditional rural lifestyle. Her most celebrated Texas work is The Old Ace in the Hole. Cormac McCarthy is also a highly acclaimed Texas writer, many of whose bleak and disturbing works have been adapted into films such as No Country for Old Men and All the Pretty Horses.

Texas is also renowned for its Western Films such as Rio Bravo and The Searchers, both featuring the definitive Western star, John Wayne. They purport to show the state when it was still largely lawless and the setting for various battles between lawmen, criminals and Native Americans. More recent Texas films, which show the state as it is in contemporary times, include Office Space and Reality Bites.

The state is also famous for the strength of its county music scene with Willie Nelson, The Dixie Chicks and ZZ Top all hailing from The Lone Star State.