Median Home Price. Median Age. Comfort Index Climate. Located at the extreme southern tip of Texas and the continental U. It anchors the subtropical Lower Rio Grande Valley, a vast area spreading 60 miles west and 30 miles north, a business-friendly area clustered with small towns, agriculture, and commercial and manufacturing interests tied to Mexico and free trade status.
There are Gulf Coast beach areas about 20 miles east of town at the mouth of the Rio Grande, notably South Padre Island, a favorite winter and spring-break destination. Read More about Harlingen. Recent economic statistics are mixed with high unemployment but strong projected job growth. In recent decades, the region has undergone rapid growth as industries have located to take advantage of inexpensive labor, the North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA , and ocean shipping.
Industry is diverse with everything from food processing to petrochemicals to paper bags and hats. The city has a large Hispanic population and a sizable Hispanic middle class. The intersection between the Hispanic and Anglo cultures adds interest. The University of Texas at Brownsville, a consolidation of previous higher education institutions, has 11, students.
There are few cultural or recreational amenities outside of watersports and cross-border shopping, and though home prices are reasonable, parts of the city have problems with traffic, unemployment, and substandard housing. Harlingen, a smaller city about 25 miles northwest in the Rio Grande Valley, has an Air Force base and is also an industrial and transportation center largely connected to Mexico and the free-trade market.
The surrounding country is mainly level agricultural land with marshy coastal areas to the east. The Gulf of Mexico is the dominant climate influence. Prevailing southeast Gulf breezes provide a humid but generally mild tropical-like climate. Winds are frequently strong and gusty in the spring. Hot, dry winds out of Mexico can yield temperatures of degrees.
Cold weather is infrequent and of short duration. The heaviest rains occur in late spring and again in early fall with some extended periods of cool rainy weather in winter. Torrential rains may accompany tropical storms or hurricanes that occasionally move over the area in summer or fall. Recent job growth is Positive. Visitors will find a variety of things to do at the center, such as state-of-the-art and hands-on exhibits, float trips, wilderness walks, and a variety of birding adventures, from wetlands to scenic bluffs to a historic adobe hacienda.
Boasting a long history of community engagement and quality performances in the community, the theater heavily relies on volunteers for acting, singing, dancing, promoting shows, and design. The Harlingen Performing Arts Theatre produces several musicals and plays during the year, including family-friendly classic shows, such as Seussical the Musical and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Productions here include both professional and locally produced shows. Overall, the theater is a charming place for visitors and residents to discover local talent. Route 77 and U. Route 83 , designated as Interstate 69 East and Interstate 2 respectively, in northwestern Cameron County fostered its development as a distribution, shipping, and industrial center. In Lon C. Hill a man of Choctaw ancestry envisioned the Arroyo Colorado as a commercial waterway.
He named the town he founded on the north bank after the Frisian city of Harlingen , the Netherlands. The town's post office was established that year. The first school opened with fifteen pupils in near the Hill home, the first residence built in Harlingen. Harlingen incorporated on April 15, , when the population totaled 1, In the census listed 1, The local economy at first was almost entirely agricultural.
Major crops were vegetables and cotton. World War II military installations in Harlingen caused a jump in population from 23, in to 41, by The city's population fell to 33, by , then climbed to 40, by Local enterprise, focused on the purchase and utilization of the abandoned base and related housing, laid the groundwork for continuing progress through a diversified economy. The estimated population in July was 49,, of which about 80 percent was Hispanic.
In the late s income from tourism ranked second only to citrus fruit production, with grain and cotton next in order. The addition of wholesale and retail trade, light and medium manufacturing, and an array of service industries has broadened the economic base. Large-scale construction for multifaceted retirement communities is a new phase of industrial development. The City of Harlingen operates a busy industrial airpark where bombers used to land.
The first hospital in Harlingen opened in and consisted of little more than two barracks as wings. The Valley Baptist Hospital was built nearby a few years later, and eventually the older hospital closed. The city's outstanding network of health care specialists and facilities parallels the growth of the still-expanding center.
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