Do You Know Texas Outside of the Big Cities?

By: Elisabeth Henderson
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Do You Know Texas Outside of the Big Cities?
Image: Carol M. Highsmith - Library of Congress via WikiCommons

About This Quiz

Some folks may imagine that Texas means live music in Austin, city-dwelling in Dallas, urban life in Houston or even mariachi in El Paso. But most of the great state of Texas is composed not of skyscrapers and sprawl, but of down-home, small-town living. The rural towns that dot the Texan landscape together form the heart of Texas that country singers have sung about for many years. 

If you have lived in Texas for your whole life, but haven’t spent ample time getting to know the culture and people of its small towns, then you haven’t really experienced true Texas. It’s the small-town life — the hardworking, close-knit community, historically connected, farm- and ranch-centric life that Texans hearken back to when they talk about Texas pride and purchase Texas-shaped salsa bowls. 

Don’t know what we’re talking about? Then drive your truck on down to Fredericksburg and sample the local peaches and stop in a Biergarten to purchase wiener schnitzel from a German-Texan local. Stroll through Shiner and sip the beer that built the town. Amble through the streets of Marfa and witness the commingling of ranching and art culture. How well do you know the streets of small-town Texas? Try your luck on this quiz to find out! 

Admiral Nimitz State Historic Site, Fredericksburg, Texas, USA
Ernest Mettendorf via WikiCommons
What dialect is spoken by some locals in Fredericksburg, Texas?
Spanglish
Texas German
Germanic
Peachy-Texan
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

German settlers founded Fredericksburg, Texas in 1846, and the town retains its distinct German flavor to this day. The original settlers refused to learn English and continued speaking German to each other. Eventually, a mixed language of English and German began to form in the region, Texas German.

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Czech baked goods in Texas
Marceline Depot via YouTube
What heritage is distinctly palpable in West, Texas?
German
Mexican
Native American
Czech
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

West, Texas, between Austin and Dallas, is a bulwark of a Czech community off I-35. In this small town, the Czech Stop famously serves up kolaches, a Czech-Texan standby for breakfast, often featuring some version of a sausage in a semi-sweet bun.

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Pecos Texas
Talshiarr via WikiCommons
What fruit is Pecos most famous for growing a perfect example of?
Peaches
Blueberries
Apples
Cantaloupes
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pecos, Texas, way out west, has long been renowned for the quality and juicy, orange flesh of their cantaloupes. In recent years, however, the cantaloupe industry is in sharp decline as a result of the booming oil industry in the area.

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Hannaford House in Granbury, Texas
Renelibrary via WikiCommons
Which Texas town claims that the outlaw Jesse James lies buried in its turf and not in Missouri?
Granbury
Wimberley
Canyon
Waco
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While historians believe that Jesse James was shot and killed in 1802 and buried in Missouri, local legends in Granbury hold that another member of James’s gang was shot instead and that James himself returned to Granbury to be with his grandson.

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Blue Hole, Wimberley, TX
The Daytripper via YouTube
Which of the following activities would you do with a troop of friends at Blue Hole?
Golf
Grill out
Swimming
Camping
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

At Blue Hole, in Wimberley, Texas, you can dive into the crystal-clear, sparkling blue waters for a refreshing swim in the Texas heat. The waters in Blue Hole are fed by a natural spring, and the limestone surface helps keep the water clear.

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Tour of Jefferson Texas and Caddo Lake
Channel 6
Why was Jefferson, TX such a bustling town in the 19th century?
It was a major rail destination.
It was an important river port.
It was a center for live music.
It was a medical center.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the 19th century, when a large amount of trade was conducted over rivers, the river port in Jefferson provided an important connection between Texas and the rest of the south. Located in Far East Texas, just a four-day trip from New Orleans, Jefferson was the leading distribution point in the region.

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Marathon, Texas
Idawriter via WikiCommons
How did Marathon, Texas receive its name?
Because of the race that was founded there
Because it’s so far from everything
Because of the excellent hiking in the area
Because the founder thought the landscape reminded him of Marathon, Greece
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The founder of Marathon, Texas, former sea captain Albion E. Shepard, thought the wide-open plains of desert looked like the landscape he had seen in Marathon, Greece. So, he stamped the Greek name on the Texas setting. Now, there is a marathon in Marathon.

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Rockport Texas
Stuart Seeger via WikiCommons
Which of these beach towns has earned the designation of the first Blue Wave Beach in Texas?
South Padre Island
Port Aransas
Corpus Christi
Rockport
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Rockport Beach, on the Gulf Coast of Texas, earned the title of being the first Blue Wave Beach in Texas. The Clean Wave Coalition awards this title to communities whose beaches are healthy for the community and the environment.

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Blue Bell Creameries
Renelibrary via WikiCommons
Blue Bell ice cream is an iconic Texas creamery that most Texans are addicted to. Which small town boasts being its home?
Gruene
Brenham
Marshall
Odessa
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Named after the bluebell wildflower, a group of businessmen started the Blue Bell creamery, making butter from leftover cream gathered from nearby dairy farms. The ice cream production began a few years later.

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Larry McMurtry
Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America
Which Pulitzer-prize winning author hails from Archer City?
Jean-Marc Bouju
Gail Caldwell
Carolyn Cole
Larry McMurtry
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry hails from Archer City, Texas. The author wrote the famed “Lonesome Dove,” a western novel, which was later made into a TV mini-series with Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall.

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Spoetzl Brewery
Darrylpearson via WikiCommons
To which town would you make a road trip to visit Spoetzl Brewery?
Shiner
Luckenbach
Blanco
Waco
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Shiner, Texas, houses the Spoetzl Brewery, which makes Shiner Beer, and calls itself the “town that beer built.” Spoetzl Brewery first began brewing in 1909, out of an old tin shed. These days the state of the art brewery produces upward of 600,000 barrels of beer a year.

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McAllen Texas
Anthony Acosta via WikiCommons
Which direction should you point your car to get to McAllen, Texas?
North
South
East
West
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

McAllen stands at one of the southernmost points of Texas, right on the southern border with Texas. With its International Museum of Art and Science and a Spanish revival mansion, the city makes an excellent cultural destination.

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Texas A&M U
Oldag07 via WikiCommons
Why do young people seem to gather at Bryan, Texas?
For the bumping party scene
To go to the beach
For the mountain biking
To go to college
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bryan houses the excellent research institution and university, Texas A&M. Texas A&M serves over 53,000 undergraduate students and prides itself on its agricultural roots and its tense rivalry with UT Austin.

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Seymour, Texas
USDA NRCS Texas via WikiCommons
What might you find if you dig around Seymour, Texas?
Fossils
An ancient library
Water caves
Lava
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A world-famous fossil was unearthed in Seymour, Texas: the Dimetrodon, meaning “two measured teeth.” The animal actually was not a dinosaur, but an ancient relative of mammals. The naturalist Edward Cope gave it its name in 1878.

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Woman waving hello
RJW / DigitalVision / Getty Images
What should you do in a small town in Texas if a stranger waves at you?
Look at them quizzically.
Ask them, “Do I know you?”
Raise your hands like, I don’t know you.
Wave back.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In small-town Texas, people are typically very polite, almost to a fault, and even to people they have never seen before. People often will wave at strangers on the street or even in cars passing by. In these situations, it’s customary to wave back in order to not be a jerk.

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Cormanche, Texas
Larry D. Moore via WikiCommons
What percentage of Texans today live in the country, outside the big city?
10%
15%
20%
40%
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While the rural, country life seems to embody the Texas spirit, a mere 15% of Texans actually live out in the country. The vast majority have been drawn to the job opportunities and conveniences of city life.

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Cormanche courthouse
25or6to4 via WikiCommons
Where does the last remaining log courthouse in the state of Texas stand?
Kerrville
Midland
Clint
Comanche
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The last standing log courthouse in Texas, named “Old Cora,” remains in Comanche. The town prides itself on its historical wealth, drawing attention to legends such as when John Wesley Hardin shot a sheriff at a town saloon.

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Texas BBQ
Zach Garner via WikiCommons
If you’re in a small town, feeling hungry and find a BBQ joint with no line, what should you do?
Get you some BBQ.
Order brisket.
Keep driving.
Look up reviews on the internet.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you come across a BBQ joint in a small town with no line, it’s best to keep driving. It’s common knowledge in Texas that good BBQ = waiting in line for it. That’s because all the locals know where the best smoked meat is served, and they all congregate to wait for it. No line means you'll get some mediocre BBQ real fast.

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The Caverns of Sonora
DanielCD via WikiCommons
Which attraction can you visit in Sonora, Texas?
The Caverns of Sonora
The Sonora Dunes
Ft. Sonora
The Chianti Foundation
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When traveling through Sonora, the Caverns of Sonora are a must-see. The local reputation holds that the caverns delight more than any cave in Texas. It takes a full hour and forty-five minutes to tour the “crystal palace.”

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Caddo Lake
Jay Carriker via WikiCommons
Which destination might you visit if you were staying in Uncertain, Texas?
Natural Bridge Caverns
Caddo Lake
Schlitterbahn
Big Bend
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Uncertain, Texas, population 93, is not a big hot spot tourist destination. It is, though, situated on the dramatic shores of Caddo Lake, where pines and bald cypress trees tower over a complex ecosystem, brimming with waterfowl, turtles and gators.

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Big Bend
Adbar via WikiCommons
If you wanted to drive across the full length of Big Bend National Park, how long would you expect it to take?
30 minutes
1 hour
1.5 hours
3 hours
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Big Bend National Park, situated at the bend in the Rio Grande bordering Mexico and West Texas, takes about 1.5 hours to drive across if you stay on the two-lane highway. At over 801,000 acres, Big Bend is the 15th largest national park.

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Cash Register
Unsplash by Dan Smedley
If a cashier in a small Texas town tells you to “Have a blessed day,” what’s the proper small town response?
God bless you, too.
What now?
Suppressed laugh
Thank you
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Small-town Texans regularly speak about being blessed, blessing each other and asking God’s blessing on various aspects of life throughout the day. To those who enter this realm from outside the Bible Belt, this language may seem archaic and strange. The proper response is reciprocation: God bless you, too.

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Smithville, TX
Djmaschek via WikiCommons
Which small Texas town provided the backdrop for the picturesque movie “Hope Floats”?
Marshall
Smithville
Gruene
Waco
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The movie “Hope Floats,” starring Sandra Bullock, brought notoriety to Smithville, Texas, for being the perfect, picturesque small Texas town. The town, east of Austin, now hosts a few Austin transplants, including an eclectic handbag maker, Consuela’s, and a barbecue market storefront, Mickelthwait’s.

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Fort Davis, TX
DianaOstPhotography via WikiCommons
Which town boasts being the highest town in Texas?
Amarillo
El Paso
Ft. Davis
Marfa
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ft. Davis, situated in the striking Davis Mountains, stands at 5,050 ft, making it the highest elevation of any town in Texas. The quiet little hamlet began as a fort during the turbulent frontier days.

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Palacios, Texas
Patrick Feller via WikiCommons
Which town stands at the confluence of the Colorado River and the Gulf of Mexico?
Del Río
Brownsville
Port Isabel
Palacios
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Palacios, on Matagorda Bay, dwells right at the spot where the Colorado River flows into the Gulf of Mexico, creating a delicate and complex ecosystem. Groups such as the Matagorda Bay Foundation care for the ecosystem and educate the public about its intricacy.

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Blanco, TX lavender
KenB via WikiCommons
Which of the following is a nickname for Blanco, Texas?
The Peach Capital of Texas
White, Texas
The Lavender Capital of Texas
The Bluebonnet Capital of Texas
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Blanco calls itself the “The Lavender Capital of Texas.” In Blanco, you can tour the Hill Country Lavender Farm or attend the aromatic Lavender Festival in June. The spring-fed Blanco River winds through the center of town and provides a refreshing escape from the Central Texas heat.

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The Chinati Foundation / La Fundación Chinati, Marfa, Texas
John Cummings via WikiCommons
What is the Chinati Foundation?
An art museum
An opera house
An astronomical research center
A paranormal research group
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Chinati Foundation spreads out in the desert landscape outside Marfa, TexA. The contemporary art museum seeks to stay true to the vision of its founder, Donald Judd, an artist who created large-scale installations in direct communication with the landscape around them.

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Alpine, Texas
Patriarca12 via WikiCommons
If you want to take the Amtrak to Big Bend, which town will you arrive in?
Terlingua
Lajitas
Ft. Davis
Alpine
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Alpine acts as the rail hub for Big Bend National Park. The largest city in the region, at 6,054 inhabitants, the town feels like a big city out in the wide-open desert spaces. Alpine is also known for having a hopping nightlife, music scene and vibrant murals lining the city streets.

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Stephen F. Austin
Texas State Library and Archives Commission via WikiCommons
Which Texas town was part of Stephen F. Austin’s original colony?
Marble Falls
Chappell Hill
Salida
Odessa
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Chappell Hill attracted settlers from the Old South in the 1840s, as its landscape along the Brazos River provided a perfect setting for establishing farmland. Stephen F. Austin established his original colony in this region.

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Enchanted Rock
Claygate via WikiCommons
Which of the following attractions puts Fredericksburg, Texas on the map?
Peaches
Wildseed Farms
Enchanted Rock
All of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The cozy, German town of Fredericksburg draws tourists from around the world to sample its peaches, stroll through the wildflowers at the magnificent Wildseed Farms and crawl up on the enormous granite pluton, Enchanted Rock.

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Bob Wills
The Orchard Music (on behalf of Synergie OMP); BMI - Broadcast Music Inc., and 2 Music Rights Societies
Where does Bob Wills, the King of Swing, hail from?
Clint, TX
Waco, TX
Dripping Springs, TX
Turkey, TX
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Turkey may only have a population of 384, but it gave birth to one of the most important swing musicians of all time, Bob Wills. Turkey lies on the Caprock Escarpment, where visitors can stay in the historic Hotel Turkey and listen to the swing music that makes the town famous.

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The Texas State Railroad Palestine Depot in Palestine, Texas
Michael Barera via WikiCommons
What transportation line ends in Palestine, Texas?
The Texas State Railroad
The Texas Steam Boat Line
The Chisholm Trail
The Texas Kayak Tour
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Palestine provides the Western hub for the Texas State Railroad, the official railroad of Texas. Prisoners laid the first tracks of the railroad in 1881, and it was completed in 1909. Today, visitors can take a four-hour journey through the Piney Woods region of Texas on this historic train.

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Comanche Springs, Fort Stockton, Texas
Eric Siegmund via YouTube
Which springs made Ft. Stockton a viable site for a military fort in the mid-nineteenth century?
Barton Springs
San Pedro Springs
San Salomon Springs
Comanche Springs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Comanche Springs, a vital source of water for Native Americans in the dry landscape, drew Army Capt. William Henry Chase Whiting to set up a post in the area, where the troops could have plenty of water. Camp Stockton eventually grew into Ft. Stockton and became an important city between El Paso and San Antonio.

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Hilmar Cheese Plant
texasfarmbureau via YouTube
Which Panhandle town was put on the map by the Hilmar Cheese Company?
Amarillo
Lubbock
Dalhart
Abilene
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Hilmar Cheese Company launched the growth and prosperity of the panhandle town, Dalhart. Twelve dairy families from California founded the company in 1984 with the production of their high-quality Jersey cows.

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Waylon Jennings - Luckenbach, Texas
RCA Records
What made Luckenbach, Texas, such an iconic Texas landmark?
It was the site of a major battle in the revolution.
It’s featured in a popular Waylon Jennings song.
It’s the live music capital of Texas.
It hosts the oldest dance hall in Texas.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

“Let’s go to Luckenbach, Texas, with Waylon and Willie and the boys,” sings the refrain of the song Waylon Jennings made popular, “Luckenbach, TX.” The song heralds the simple life available in small-town Texas, as opposed to overly complicated, high-society life.

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Carol M. Highsmith - Library of Congress via WikiCommons