
The Lone Star State Is Soaring
America's future will be made in Texas.
The United States is a misnomer. Despite its title, our republic has rarely been united, instead hosting an endless gladiatorial contest between different states and regions. In the early 19th century, New York and New England struggled for supremacy against the Virginians and their empire of cotton. Gotham then took the field against the Chicago stockyards, before losing out to those upstarts in California. And now, the West Coasters are themselves under attack: from the Lone Star State.
Texas today is irrepressible. If the numbers are right, it could soon pass California and become America’s most populous state. Texas is also the nation’s second youngest state, even as it enjoys higher net migration than any of its peers. Tellingly, many new arrivals are exiles from the Golden State. This buoyancy isn’t hard to understand. Shaking off its reactionary heritage, Texans now wallow in progress, building more and making more than anyone else, with some boozing and dancing as they go. At its best, in fact, this blend of high-tech growth and gentle multiculturalism could yet rebuild America — if, that is, its worst conservative instincts can be repressed.
In a sense, Texan success within the United States is ironic. After declaring independence from Mexico, in 1836, it enjoyed a reputation as a place to “flee” the tyranny of Washington. By the time it joined the union, nine years later, the 28th state was dominated by planters and ranchers, groups that eagerly embraced both slavery and the Confederacy. After losing the Civil War, Texans were left bitter and impoverished, their natural bounty in hock to far-off Northern bankers. To quote Wilbert “Pappy” O’Daniel, governor and then senator in the Forties, Texas had become “New York’s most valuable foreign possession”.
Continue reading the entire essay here at UnHerd.
Joel Kotkin is a senior research fellow at the Civitas Institute and a presidential fellow in urban futures at Chapman University.
Pursuit of Happiness

National Poll from Civitas Institute: Americans Concerned About AI, Economic Issues
The Civitas Institute Poll, conducted from March 11-20, 2025, asked 1,200 Americans an array of questions about how things are going in the country.

Divorce, Family Arrangements, and Children's Adult Outcomes
This paper uses linked tax and Census records for over 5 million children to examine how divorce affects family arrangements and children's long-term outcomes.

Humanity According to Alasdair MacIntyre
He reminded us that life is mainly about love and friendship, not reason and will.
.webp)
Charter Schools Are Not ‘State Actors,’ And SCOTUS Should Have Said So
Charter schools need more autonomy than district schools if American families are going to have real choice in education.

The Burden of Debt and the Gift of Work
Pakaluk demonstrates how our nature as moral and social beings serves to create value and wealth as we utilize the resources of this earth to address the problem of scarcity.

American Renaissance: Penn Station Reborn?
Given the president’s rallying cry to Make America Great Again, it should be evident that one of the best expressions of this message would be to restore one of the nation’s greatest architectural icons and declarations of civic pride.