Cowtown Pride

The most country-minded city in America? Of course, it's in Texas

Fort Worth knows how to get in the country state of mind better than any other big city in America.

Photo courtesy of Fort Worth CVB

It appears that Cowtown is the most "country-minded" big city in America, while Austin, Houston and Dallas don't fare so well.

In a Facebook study by the real estate site Estately.com, Fort Worth ranked No. 1 among the 50 largest U.S. cities for being "country-minded." The website looked at 10 topics it deemed "country" such as country music, fishing, hunting, NASCAR, firearms, barbecue, cowboy boots, pickup trucks, rodeos and sweet tea and then ranked the cities based on the percentage of Facebook users in those towns who liked them. Pretty straightforward.

But Fort Worth isn't the only country-minded city in Texas. In fact, San Antonio came in second, thanks to a top rodeo ranking, and El Paso landed at No. 5, with top spots for hunting and cowboy boots.

The third and fourth spots went to Tulsa and Oklahoma City, respectively.

Fort Worth took the top spot in pickup trucks, with top five finishes for firearms, barbecue, cowboy boots, rodeos and sweet tea. In fact, NASCAR was the only subject in which Fort Worth didn't place in the top 10.

Arlington was the only other Texas city to earn the "real country" label reserved for the top 15. It ranked No. 11 due to a fondness for pickup trucks and cowboy boots.

The bigger, more "cosmopolitan" Texas cities did not fare as well. Houston and Austin took the 16 and 17 spots, respectively, while Dallas limped into last place among Texas towns at No. 26. However, it's all good enough for a "somewhat country" moniker.

As for the least country-minded cities in America, it's a veritable collection of Yankees and California hippies. Boston, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and New York City placed 46 through 49. In dead last was San Francisco, which ranked 50th or close to it in every category but rodeos. Apparently those Yankee eyes have never eyed the prize that some people call manly footwear.

Here is the complete list of the 15 most country-minded cities in America:

Fort Worth, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
El Paso, Texas
Wichita, Kansas
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Nashville, Tennessee
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jacksonville, Florida
Arlington, Texas
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Louisville, Kentucky
Indianapolis, Indiana
Kansas City, Missouri

unspecified

Enchanted Expansion

Iconic Texas state park Enchanted Rock adds 630 acres to its domain

Photo courtesy of KVUE

This was a lucky purchase after staff spotted a "for sale" sign.

A popular Central Texas hiking and camping destination is getting even bigger.

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area will add an extra 630 acres of land in Gillespie County. The payment was approved by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) in August during a meeting in Austin, though the exact cost of the transaction is unclear.

"We are so excited that we were able to acquire this property and that we will be able to give the hundreds of thousands of Enchanted Rock patrons new opportunities to recreate in this part of the state," said Rodney Franklin, director of Texas State Parks. "This addition is the latest win for Texas State Parks as we work towards enhancing some of our existing sites and continuing our gold medal-winning stewardship to the people of Texas."

In a release Tuesday morning, TPWD said it was first made aware of the available land when local park staff alerted the department about a "for sale" sign. TPWD then engaged its official nonprofit partner, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, to help secure the property from Comanche Rock Acquisitions, LLC.

"This land purchase would not have been possible without the help of our partners and the people of Texas," Franklin said. "By passing Proposition 5 in 2019, TPWD was able to use Sporting Goods Sales Tax funding made available for strategic land acquisitions in conjunction with federal Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars to conserve this property for public use."

Enchanted Rock currently sits at roughly 1,644 acres and includes almost 11 miles of trails, with a maximum elevation of 1,825 feet.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

parks nature hill country

Cowtown Pride

The most country-minded city in America? Of course, it's in Texas

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Enchanted Expansion

Iconic Texas state park Enchanted Rock adds 630 acres to its domain

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