Ask a Texan, "Where are you from?" and he might reply, "Texas! What country are you from?" Texas is so big and diverse it's like a small country. In fact, it's the only state that was it's own country before being annexed in 1845, The Republic of Texas 1836-1845. The landscapes vary from mountains to desert to plains, rolling hills to oak savannah to piney woods and miles and miles of Gulf coast. Before leaving Washington,DC, Davy Crockett said,"You may all go to hell, I'm going to Texas." Davy never got to see the entire state before he met his demise at the Alamo but others such as Sam Houston said it for him, "Texas is the finest portion of the globe that has ever blessed my vision."