The beautiful city and Texas state capital of Austin with its lush riverside parks is a pleasant surprise to everyone who visits there. Dallas is the image of Texas that most people are familiar with, and visitors will not be disappointed. North Texas is prairie, home of the cattle ranges and oil fields that fuel the state's economy. Another, less familiar side of the state is its ocean playground on the Gulf Coast, with great beach resorts and very interesting shorelines with abundant wildlife. Houston is one of the most modern and dynamic cities in the U.S.A. The Houston Shipping Channel is a major shipping seaport that reaches to the Gulf of Mexico, which is only 50 miles away. San Antonio is one of Texas's most well-known historic regions and is very beautiful. West Texas is an arid region, there is a lot of desert here, which offers visitors an interesting experience in wild desolation.