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If the river was the driving force behind the Valley’s ancient history, frontier outposts, irrigation, and the railroad were the forces behind its civilization. The origins of towns’ names made good capsules of the history that shaped them. Brownsville, McAllen, and Harlingen, the three largest cities, in order, today are tied together by U.S. Highway 83 and the parallel railroad system along which most Valley towns sprang up around the turn of the century. Brownsville (pop. 136,000) is a seaport and a port of entry from Matamoros, Mexico. Originally known as Fort Taylor, after General Zachary Taylor, it was changed to Fort Brown in 1846, after Major Jacob Brown became the first to die in battle there when he was hit on the leg with a cannonball. Brownsville’s past has been both colorful and lively, passing from a frontier town to an international commercial center without loss of tradition, and ever gaining in the charm of its friendly bicultural heritage. It is the home of the unique Gladys Porter Zoo and the Valley Wing of the Confederate Air Force. (See attractions.) The former Fort Brown is now the site of the University of Texas-Brownsville and Texas Southmost College. It has a growing industrial area, and its seaport, serving South Texas and Northern Mexico, brings ships from all parts of the world to the tip of Texas.McAllen (pop. 105,000) is the upper Valley’s largest city and is a financial center with a booming retail industry. Named for Scottish-born army captain John McAllen - a Matamoros businessman before moving to Hidalgo County where he bought 80,000 acres after the Civil War - it was founded in 1904. In addition to its preeminence as a major port of entry with Mexico, a vital retail and wholesale center and a major health care center in South Texas, McAllen also boasts an excellent arts and science museum and a full calendar of cultural events. As a mecca for winter visitors, it also has the distinction of being "The Square Dance Capital of the World." Harlingen (pop. 60,000) is a crossroads in the Valley, those roads being U.S. 77 which leads to Corpus Christi and U.S. 83 which follows the Rio Grande to Laredo and beyond. The Marine Military Academy is located in Harlingen and boasts the original Iwo Jima Monument from which the Arlington, Va., statue was cast. Its excellent medical center and related facilities offer services once found only in the largest metropolitan areas. It also has the main technical college in the Valley (See education). Harlingen was named for the Holland home of Colonel Uriah Lott, a founder of the city along with Lon Hill. For years Harlingen suffered nicknames like "Holland Gin" and "Howlin’ Gin." But now it’s getting the last laugh with its many attractions. Harlingen’s revitalized historic area, the Jackson Street District, features architecture from the 1920s-50s. The palm-lined business district has quaint restored storefronts, old fashioned street lamps, sidewalk benches and colorful flowers. Stores sell antiques, apparel, collectibles, crafts, country treasures, flowers, furniture, jewelry, works of art. Like anchor stores in a mall, those cities have many other towns clustered between and around them with wide-ranging sizes and distinct personalities. Northeast of Brownsville is Los Fresnos en route to the shrimping and fishing town of Port Isabel, and across Laguna Madre is the resort mecca of South Padre Island that draws many thousands of tourists from across North America each year, especially college "spring breakers." etween Brownsville and Harlingen lies quaint San Benito, once known as "The Resaca City" for its reservoirs. It was actually named for Ben Hicks, owner of the original townsite, whose nickname was "Don Benito." Northeast of Harlingen is quiet Rio Hondo en route to the Arroyo Colorado, the only other river in the region, a last-minute offshoot of the Rio Grande. (See outdoors.)Further north is the ranching and farming town of Raymondville, Willacy County Seat and gateway to the Valley on U.S. 77. Due east of Raymondville you’ll find the angler magnet of Port Mansfield. From McAllen stretching east to Harlingen lies Pharr, named for Louisiana sugar grower H.N. Pharr, which draws more than 10,000 winter Texans each year with its 4,000 RV spaces. San Juan, named by the wife of John Closner for their San Juan Plantation, is home to the Virgen de San Juan Shrine that draws Roman Catholic pilgrims every year to its mystic holdings. (See attractions.) Alamo had several names, including "Ebenezer," before its citizens settled on the name in 1919. The popular Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge is located south of Alamo on U.S. 281. Pharr, San Juan and Alamo form a single school district and are supported largely by agriculture. Donna was named after Donna Fletcher, the daughter of one of 10 men who made up the La Blanca Agricultural Company. Weslaco, short for the W.E. Stewart Land Company, is the geographic center of the Valley and therefore is ground-zero for many radio and TV broadcasters, along with neighboring Mercedes and La Feria. The Texas A&M Agricultural Extension Service is also in Weslaco. (See agriculture.)Mercedes sits astride an important floodway that allows the Rio Grande some breathing room. It features the innovative South Texas Independent School District (See education.) and draws many thousands of visitors each year to its famous week-long livestock show. La Feria, "the fair," was reportedly home to Indians in ancient times. It now boasts one of the Valley’s newest and most attractive high schools, visible on the south side of Expressway 83. Edinburg, the Hidalgo County seat and home of the University of Texas-Pan American, is 10 miles north of McAllen on U.S. 281. It was named (though misspelled) for the capital of John McAllen’s native Scotland. South of McAllen on the border with Reynosa, Mexico, is the original Edinburg, later named Hidalgo for Father Hidalgo of Mexican Revolution fame. The county records were transported to present-day Edinburg under cover of darkness.Going east out of Edinburg on State Highway 107 is another string of smaller towns that parallel U.S. 83. San Carlos, Elsa, Edcouch, and La Villa supply labor for the surrounding sugar cane industry. Monte Alto and Hargill in the northern mid-Valley are a little off the beaten path, but some Winter Texans prefer that. West of McAllen is Mission, named for La Lomita Mission built in 1865 on the river south of Mission. (See attractions.) Mission is home of the Ruby Red Grapefruit and is so popular with Winter Texans that its population doubles during the winter. La Joya marks a distinct difference in the South Texas landscape as the terrain grows hillier and rockier through Sullivan City, on to Rio Grande City - the Starr County seat that grew up around Fort Ringgold - and Roma. Named in 1848 for Major Roman, a volunteer in the Mexican War, Roma was once the head of a 19th-century steamboat operation. It is a popular day-trip for Valley tourists for its historic buildings. Wherever you turn in the Valley there is something to learn, see, or do. Leave no stone unturned. |
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