National Texas Day Date in the current year: February 1, 2025

Texas is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and several Mexican states. Nicknamed the Lone Star State because it was once an independent republic, it is the second largest U.S. state in terms of both population and area, after California and Alaska, respectively.

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the area that is now Texas was inhabited by several groups of Indigenous peoples. The name Texas is derived from a Caddo word meaning “friend”; it was applied to the Caddo themselves by the Spanish, who first arrived in the area in the first half of the 16th century.

Although the conquistador Álvarez de Pineda claimed Texas for Spain in 1520, no European settlements appeared there for more than 160 years. The French established a fort in what is now Texas in 1685, but the Spanish soon learned of the French colony and launched several expeditions to Texas. The fort was destroyed by April 1689, and the Spanish began colonizing Texas in 1690.

Following the Louisiana Purchase, Spain and the United States had a territorial dispute over Texas and other parts of New Spain. The United States claimed that the purchase included all of Texas, while Spain maintained Texas was not included. In 1819, Spain and the United States signed the Adams-Onis Treaty, in which Spain ceded Florida to the United States but retained control of Spanish Texas.

In 1821, Mexico gained independence from Spain, and much of New Spain, including Texas, became Mexican territory. However, Texians (Anglo-American residents of Texas who had immigrated from the United States) sought political freedom, leading to the Texas Revolution and subsequent independence of the Republic of Texas in 1836. Mexico, however, refused to recognize the independence of Texas, considering it a rebel province.

Armed conflicts with Mexico and Native American tribes led Texas to seek support from the United States. The United States recognized Texas as an independent republic in 1837, but refused to annex it, even though the vast majority of Texians wanted to join the United States. The Republic of Texas was eventually annexed by the United States and admitted to the Union as the 28th state on December 29, 1845.

National Day Calendar created the National State Days project in 2017 to ensure that the unique history, culture, spirit, and heritage of each U.S. state is properly celebrated. Celebrations begin on July 13 with National Delaware Day and continue throughout the year, pausing for Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks.

The states are celebrated in the order of their admission to the Union; Texas was the 28th state to join the Union, and its day falls on February 1. It does not coincide with the actual anniversary of Texas’s admission, which falls on December 29. National Texas Day should not be confused with Texas Independence Day, which is celebrated on March 2 to commemorate the independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico.