6 Of The Biggest Land Owners In Texas

They say everything is big in Texas. I don't know about everything, but if you wanna talk about land mass, Texas is huge. The Lone Star State is the second biggest state in the nation spanning 268,596 square miles. That's a whole lot of tumbleweeds that's for sure!

Texas has acres upon acres of wide open spaces, but it also is home to four of the nation's biggest cities. Four cities in Texas make up America's top ten biggest cities. They are (biggest to smallest) Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin.

Believe it or not, out of all the states in America Texas reportedly has the highest percentage of land that is privately owned. According to a-z-animals.com, this accounts for a whopping 95% of the Lone Star State! The 50 million dollar question is, who owns all that property? Here are the top six landowners in the big state of Texas.

1. The Kleberg Family  - 825,000 acres

The Kleberg family, descendants of Captain Richard King along with Gideon K. Lewis established the legendary King Ranch in 1853. Located in Kingsville this sprawling landmark property is bigger than Rhode Island and has remained in the same family for the past 171 years. The iconic ranch blankets four counties, including Kleberg, Kenedy, Brooks, and Willacy.

2. The Briscoe Family - 640,000 acres

The Briscoe's is a prominent ranching family that has thousands of acres in Uvalde County, and managing a massive cattle ranch, in addition to running diverse agricultural operations, along with businesses in the oil and gas industry, as well as ownership in various real estate developments.

The patriarch of the family is cattleman Dolph Briscoe Sr. went into the cattle business in the early 20th century. Dolph Briscoe Jr. the former governor of Texas (1972-78) Together they would develop and operate Briscoe Ranch, Inc.

3. The O’Connor Family - 587,000 acres

Born in County Wexford, Ireland Thomas O'Conner sailed to America in 1834. On September 28, 1834, the Mexican government granted O'Connor 4,428 acres of land in Goliad County. He made good use of the property making saddletrees, ultimately acquiring thousands more acres that would be passed down from generation to generation.

To this day the O'Connors run a successful ranching business that's known for producing high-quality livestock. The prominent family is committed to land stewardship and preservation with other holdings in the oil and gas industry, and various other businesses and interests.

4. The Wilks Brothers - 350,000 acres
The Wilks brothers are entrepreneurs from Cisco, Texas who earned their billionaire status in the fracking industry. The sons of a bricklayer, they also established several business empires such as Wilks Masonry in 1995, and a hydraulic fracking company in 2002 called Frac Tech.

The Wilks Brothers, have other holdings in ranching, including potential involvement in agricultural activities.

5. The Reynolds Family - 250,000 acres

The Reynolds family is a prominent Lone Star family that made their fortune ranching on more than 250,000 acres of land in Fort Griffith, Texas. The landmark property operates as a working ranch with a focus on wildlife conservation.

The Reynolds family has holdings in a variety of other lucrative businesses that also include operations in the oil and gas industry.

6. The Faskan Family - 227,000 acres

The Faskens are one of the richest families in the nation. In 1913 David Fasken left Toronto, Canada to make his fortune in the oil and gas industry when he and purchased 220,000 acres in Midland, Texas.

Today the family holds a vast share of businesses, from Fasken Oil and Ranch to managing a successful ranch that has expanded to 227,000+ acres. The Faskan's land is also used for various agricultural and energy sector operations.