Here two interesting articles about Texas :
California Vs Texas :
http://www.economist.com/displayStor...ry_id=13990207
Lone Star Rising :
http://www.economist.com/specialrepo...ry_id=13938917
As a side note, as an European, If I was to choose a US state to move in, it would probably be Texas.
Texas do have a lot of problems, like every states, but on the balance it's offer the most opportunities. And Texans people are actually quite friendly. This is after traveling and living a bit in several states.