All About Texas is a magazine produced by Concordia University Austin that covers Texas and all of its special features. From politics and culture to the state's parks, historical landmarks, camping, fishing, hunting, exhibits, fairs, cuisine, and more, we share the stories that define the Lone Star State.
From the start of our long journey as a publication in 1936, All About Texas has been committed to providing relevant, objective journalism that respects your values and captures the spirit of what it means to be a Texan. We are proud of the legacy we have built and look forward to a bright future.
During the antebellum years, rapid development brought prosperity and conflict to the frontier state. Cattle and cotton were major industries. After the Civil War, rapid population growth and diversification of the economy helped bolster the state. In the 20th Century, the state was a major center for high technology and aerospace industries. This included NASA's Johnson Space Center. It is also home to many of the nation's top research colleges and universities, including M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Texas at Dallas.
In the nineteen seventies, according to political consultant Bill Miller, Texas began shifting rightward. "Ronald Reagan won every statewide vote in the Republican primary in 1976, beating Gerald Ford by two to one," says Miller. "That lit the conservatism fuse."
As recently as two years ago, Texas Republicans were having a rough time of it in the national arena. Rick Perry got trounced in the Presidential primaries, and Senator Ted Cruz, who was favored to be the GOP nominee, was outhustled by Donald Trump.
But in the Texas Legislature, a number of Democrats had begun to win seats they never expected. Senfronia Thomson, who represents Houston district in Harris County, is the Chair of the committee that oversees a number of important bills and has a significant influence on how legislation is passed.
The reason is that the Texas House, led by Speaker Joe Straus, is an institution that prizes a tradition of giving key positions to members of the minority party. Unlike most other states, the Texas Senate and House both follow this practice. Straus, an Austin-based businessman elected to the House of Representatives in 2006, had a career as a financial advisor and insurance agent, including work with George H. W. Bush in 1988. In his first term as speaker, he focused on creating the workforce that Texas businesses need by protecting public education and building roads, establishing more top-tier universities, and expanding job training. He is known as a strong negotiator, and a force that cannot be ignored. He has made his mark on this powerful, influential, and fractious state.