McAllen is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas. It is located at the very southern tip of Texas in an area known as the Rio Grande Valley. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 106,414. It's southern boundary is located about five miles from the United States-Mexico border, the Rio Grande River.
McAllen is known as the City of Palms for the thousands of palm trees that dot the local lanscape and line many of the city's streets. Local residents (and most Texans) simply refer to the entire 4-county area that comprises the Lower Rio Grande Valley as the Valley. A center for international commerce and trade, McAllen is a major gateway to Mexico and the countries of Central America. The city's population nearly doubles from October through March, as retirees descend upon the area from the north. These Winter Texans come to south Texas to enjoy the tropical climate, Mexican culture, square dancing, golf courses and other unique recreational outdoor opportunities. Most "Winter Texans" live in mobile home parks and RV campgrounds, but in recent years, a small but growing number have permanently relocated to the Valley.
In its subtropical setting with wide streets, tall palms, and flowers at every turn, McAllen has a thriving business climate geared toward trade with Mexico. McAllen is a shopping, social, trade, recreation, cultural and healthcare center serving the needs of a half million people. With the city's present population topping the 120,000 mark, the McAllen metropolitan area is one of the fastest growing in Texas and the nation, according to the McAllen Economic Development Corporation. When the Mexican city of Reynosa is taken into account, more than a million people reside within a 15-mile radius of the City of Palms.
Many local residents claim that the laid-back subtropical setting easily lends itself to a slower, more relaxed, and somehow more pleasant life-style; for many McAllenites, the musical sounds of the Spanish language on the streets and in the shops confirm that you are not in Kansas anymore, but in a unique, very special place.
Close proximity to Mexico has fostered a Multiculturalism making McAllen and it's environs very different from "typical" American cities. The unique blend of Mexican and American traditions has created a distinct bi-national border culture that permeates almost all aspects of life in the Valley. McAllen is a gateway community for legal and illegal Mexican immigrants, and official census population estimates probably undercount the actual population by many thousands. Heavy and continual immigration has led to both opportunities and challenges for McAllen. On one hand, McAllen's cultural diversity has been enriched by immigrants from throughout Mexico (and, to a lesser extent, Central America), and the city's expanding labor market has led many companies to relocate manufacturing operations to the McAllen area to take advantage of lower wages; however, the Valley remains one of the poorest regions in the United States, and unemployment and underemployment among local residents is a serious problem. Some "Anglo" residents of McAllen have also left the area in recent years as the city's hispanic population, fueled by new arrivals, dramatically increased.
Fields of vegetables, sugar cane, onions and grapefruit and orange trees can be found throughout neighborhoods and farther out into the country as farmers take advantage of the long growing season and warm temperatures. The Valley's citrus industry has played a particularly important role in the region's development, and although much smaller than during it's heydey in the 1950's and 1960's, it remains an integral part of the Valley's agricultural economy. The famous Ruby Red Grapefruit was originally developed in the Sharyland area just outside of McAllen.
Downtown McAllen is host to several events throughout the year. There is a Street Market the first Sunday of each month from January through March, a Mini Grand Prix Car Race the last weekend in February, a patriotic parade and a grand display of fireworks July 4th and the famous Candlelight Posada during December.
McAllen is at 26°12'59" North, 98°14'11" West (26.216263, -98.236385).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 119.8 km2 (46.3 mi2). 119.1 km2 (46.0 mi2) of it is land and 0.8 km2 (0.3 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 0.63% water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 106,414 people, 33,151 households, and 26,089 families residing in the city. The population density is 893.8/km2 (2,314.7/mi2). There are 37,922 housing units at an average density of 318.5/km2 (824.9/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 78.46% White, 0.61% African American, 0.40% Native American, 1.93% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 15.85% from other races, and 2.71% from two or more races. 80.28% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 33,151 households out of which 43.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% are married couples living together, 16.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 21.3% are non-families. 17.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.18 and the average family size is 3.64.
In the city the population is spread out with 30.8% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 30 years. For every 100 females there are 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $33,641, and the median income for a family is $36,050. Males have a median income of $30,089 versus $22,480 for females. The per capita income for the city is $14,939. 23.8% of the population and 20.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 30.5% of those under the age of 18 and 20.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
McAllen's economic fortunes have been linked intimately with that of Mexico's after NAFTA went into effect on January 1, 1994. Prior to ratification of this agreement, economic activity in McAllen was centered around agriculture. Since then economic activity has diversified and growth has routinely numbered in the double digits along with tremendous population growth which has continued for over a decade. Numerous multinational corporations such as Maytag, Nokia, and General Electric have established themselves in the McAllen area. This industrial area includes an international airport, two international bridges (with a third under construction), and a foreign trade zone located on the southwest side of the city on West Military Highway (FM 1016) between South 23rd street and South Ware road. Manufacturers can assemble products in maquiladoras located in Mexico, taking advantage of lower worker wages, and re-export the finished product to the United States. Development of the Interstate 69 corridor from Mexico City through the Valley to Canada, will further help integrate economies of United States and Mexico.
In addition to the industrial activity, there is a vibrant retail sector that is dependent on purchases made by wealthy and middle-class Mexican consumers from Monterrey (connected to Reynosa by toll road) and Tampico. According to Cynthia Brown, director of UTPA's Center for Border Economic Studies, Mexicans invested $1.4 billion dollars into the economy and paid for 41,000 jobs. In 2003, the Rio Grande Valley showed a 13.3 percent increase from 2002 sales, topping $10 billion according to a report compiled by the Rio Grande Valley Partnership/Chamber of Commerce. Of this total, Hidalgo county accounted for $6,556,541,402.
Although travelers had passed through and explored South Texas, it wasn't until the 1740's that established settlements began to dot the landscape, mostly on the south side of the Rio Grande.
In the early 1850's, when John McAllen arrived in the Rio Grande Valley, development began to come together where McAllen is today. John McAllen and others established a town site in 1904 known then as West McAllen and the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railroad reached the town site a year later. In 1907, other developers started a town on their own land tract and named it East McAllen.
The two groups joined forces soon thereafter and by 1910 several businesses, churches, residences and a newspaper had been built.
McAllen had a population of 150 in 1910. The next year the City of McAllen was incorporated, and by 1920 the city had grown to over 5,300 residents.
McAllen grew steadily over the next several decades and the U.S. Census reported in 1960 that McAllen had 32,728 residents. In the 1960's, the city did not add many residents, but did build a new city hall, double the size of its library and established a museum and had already added a civic center and airport the previous decade.
The city exploded with growth in the 1970's and by 1980 almost doubled in population to 66,281 and continued to grow steadily. La Plaza Mall opened its doors in 1976.
Over the last three decades, McAllen has transformed into the Valley's business, commerce and government leader. The city has become home to scores of national businesses and the center of most state and federal government operations in the Valley.
Source:
McAllenTexas.com
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