Selena Gomez's Life In Texas Before She Got Famous Is Actually Relatable

Texas is the proud hometown of many of the Hollywood stars, famous singers, and media icons of our generation. One very influential celebrity that was born and raised in Texas is still making a mark on the media every day — the one and only Selena Gomez.

Having been born in Grand Prairie, TX, Selena Gomez is a true Texan with a very powerful and inspiring childhood.

The singer began her life in a small neighborhood in the Dallas suburbs with her father and mother. When she was only 5, her parents divorced, leaving her with an early life of hardships.

Selena's mother Mandy Teefey had given birth at only 16 years old, leaving them to live off a very low income for many years. She lived in the same Texas home until she was 13.

Before her life of stardom, Selena attended her early school years at a Texas elementary and then went on to Danny Jones Middle School in Mansfield until the grade before moving out of state for her career.

Her early life was the same as many other normal residents in the area, though she did have to deal with the struggles involving her family's financial situations.

The actress and singer stated in a 2012 interview with the Daily Mail that she "was never confident in school" and didn't have many friends growing up, going on that she just "sat at the back of the room and got on with [her] work."

Gomez, like most children, was inspired by her parental figure and wanted to follow in the footsteps of her mother who used to act in stage performances. Because of this, Selena and her mom decided to start getting her into acting early on. After auditioning for child star roles, Selena famously landed a reoccurring role in Barney & Friends alongside fellow future Disney star Demi Lovato.

The child star also made small cameos in the Texas-based movies Spy Kids 3D and Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial By Fire while she was still living in the Southern state. She was able to live out her childhood in Texas until she began to get casted for roles on Disney Channel and eventually moved to Florida, according to the Dallas Observer.

After gaining her immense fame, the actress owned a 10,000+ sq ft mansion in Fort Worth, complete with a tennis court, full bar, and waterslide, that she lived in when she visited her family in Texas. She sold it back in 2018.

Though Selena now lives in California, she still loves to come to the Lone State. Selena shared on Instagram that she visits her childhood home in Grand Prairie every chance she gets.

This article has been updated since it was originally published on June 21, 2019.