Texas was independent prior to its admission to the Union, so the Federal government didn't own any land there while the Texas state government owned almost everything, and sold off almost all of that to private buyers over the next 150 years.
Plus Texas is pretty flat while Texans need protection from its environment. California is anything but flat (save in the San Joaquin Valley) and its climate is so wonderful that it needs protection from Californians.
I’d be very nervous about what could happen a couple of property lots away if I was to be sending 360 monthly payments to a bank for my land & house...
As it is, more and more people in my area are illegally converting single-family homes to multi-family homes (illegally because either the zoning prohibits it, or they just don’t want to get the proper permits/pay the higher property taxes), it makes both the parking situation and commuting a nightmare. There is simply little demand for large detached single-family homes with three or four bedrooms. When it is time to sell your home, having those modified homes around you will certainly impact the price in a negative way - unless your home can be legally modified the same way.