Texas: The Most Common Land In The United States

While home ownership and having your own private piece of terra firma to call your own has been part of the American dream since the first settlers arrived in the early 1600's, the government owns much of the land from sea to shining sea today. Government land – properties owned by states, municipalities and the federal government – is used to protect and serve the citizens. In Colonial times in America, land owners thought they had powerful control over what happened on their land, but even then the government retained the right to limit use through regulations about the orientation of buildings, personal use that may cause a nuisance to neighbors and unsafe building practices that impacted public safety and health.

As a real estate professional,

States have similar holdings as local governments, but on a larger scale. As you can imagine, taming the Wild West during the 19th century was challenging. County courthouses were often the first permanent buildings in Texas counties. It is interesting to note that Texas has more historic courthouses still in use than any other state in the union. Two-hundred thirty five, according to the Texas Historical Commission. These iconic buildings are an impressive collection of architectural delights with their ornate copulas and towering brick fortress-like

Federal government buildings may include structures and land for military training and education, legislative offices, social service centers and some hospitals, like the Veteran Affairs (VA) medical centers, outpatient treatment facilities, nursing homes, and post-service training and community outreach programs. The VA currently operates more than 150 medical centers and hundreds of other programs for veterans and active duty personnel.

As you can see, there are some areas that overlap. Parks and recreational spaces may be privately owned, leased or public properties. Airports are usually owned and operated by one of the government sectors, but may be under local, state or federal management. The reasons for government entities owning land vary. Government ownership usually falls under one of four categories.

The first is serving the public interest. Government buildings allow access to services from health care to financial and legal assistance. Maintaining our national roadways and transportation infrastructure is imperative to serving the public since our food travels on interstates, local highways and by rail. Air cargo ensures rapid mail service. Here's something you may not know. Of the 35,000 United States Post Offices in the United States, 75% are privately owned and leased back to the