The capital of Texas is [[Austin]], and the largest city is [[Houston]]. Texas was a solidly [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] state from the end of [[Reconstruction]] in the early 1870s until the 1970s, when [[Republican Party]] started gradually taking control, until it dominated the political atmosphere of the state. Nevertheless, Democrats dominate the largest cities of Houston, [[San Antonio]], Austin, [[Dallas]], and [[El Paso]] along with the counties along the Mexican border.
Up until the 1980s Texas had a booming [[oil]] industry, starting with the Spindletop oil gusher. For many years Texas was one of the largest oil producers in the world, with the West of Permian Basin and East Texas oilfields being famous around the globe. Currently, Texas is shifting from the oil industry (though still a significant component of the state economy) to the service sector. It has a growing tech industry and is home to many well-known corporations such as [[Dell]], [[Texas Instruments]] and [[Hewlett Packard]]. The North Texas area also has a large concentration of defense contractors: Bell Helicopter, Lockheed Martin, L3 Technologies, and Raytheon all have a large presence in the area.
The state Constitution of Texas, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says: