I was wondering the same problem, but after searching the internet and asked few students. you can buy a piece of Texas for $1000-$2000 dollars, with an annual tax of $40. There are few other ways you can become a resident:
1) own a property like i said
2) start a business, this can be a LLP
3) marry another texas resident
4) work a parttime job durnig the year (can be as low as 8 hours a week)
I am working on my option 1. I see that as an investment because you dont need to pay state income tax in Texas, AND, if you ended up working in other parts of the country, you can still claim your texas residency and avoid the high state tax.
Afterall, I think Texas' has so much potential with its economy. That's what makes me pick McCombs in the first place.