Rio Grande Valley

The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) or the Lower Rio Grande Valley, informally called The Valley, is an area located in the southernmost tip of South Texas. It lies along the northern bank of the Rio Grande, which separates Mexico from the United States.

The Rio Grande Valley is not a valley, but a delta or floodplain containing many oxbow lakes or resacas formed from pinched-off meanders in earlier courses of the Rio Grande. Early 20th century land developers, attempting to capitalize on unclaimed land, utilized the name "Magic Valley" to attract settlers and appeal to investors. The Rio Grande Valley is also called "El Valle", the Spanish translation of "the valley", by those who live there.^[1] The residents of the Rio Grande Valley occasionally refer to the area as "El Magico Valle del Rio Grande" ("The Magical Valley of the Rio Grande"), and also simply by the initials "RGV."

The region is made up of four counties: Starr County, Hidalgo County, Willacy County, and Cameron County. As of January 1, 2008, the Texas State Data Center estimated the population of the Rio Grande Valley at 1,138,872.^[2] According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2008, 86 percent of Cameron County, 90 percent of Hidalgo County, 97 percent of Starr County, and 86 percent of Willacy County are Hispanic.^[3]

The largest city is Brownsville (Cameron County), followed by McAllen (Hidalgo County). Other major cities include Harlingen, Mission, Edinburg, and Pharr.^[4].

Tourism

The Valley encompasses several landmarks that attract tourists, and is primarily known for South Padre Island. Popular destinations include Port Isabel Lighthouse, Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, and Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park. The Valley is a popular waypoint for tourists seeking to visit Mexico. Popular destinations across the border include: Matamoros, Nuevo Progreso, Río Bravo, and Reynosa, all located in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The Valley also attracts large numbers of wealthy tourists from the Mexican states of Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Distrito Federal, and Tamaulipas.

The Valley is a popular Winter tourist destination for residents from the Midwest United States and Canada, called Winter Texans. Along with Mexican nationals and thousands of college students who visit South Padre Island throughout March and April, Winter Texans constitute the bulk of the Valley's tourism. Winter Texans typically arrive in October•November and stay until February•March, causing a seasonal swell for local businesses. It is the only region within the United States where birders can observe certain varieties of tropical birds more typical of Mexico. It is also along the path taken by the migratory Monarch Butterfly as it transits to and from the Mexican state of Michoacan.

The history of the Rio Grande Valley is chronicled at the Museum of South Texas History.

People of historical interest

A list of notable people who were born, lived, or died in the Rio Grande Valley includes:

• David V. Aguilar (Chief Border Patrol Agent, United States Border Patrol, Rio Grande Valley Station, Texas)
• Gloria E. Anzaldúa (Writer/Poet, Hargill, Texas)
• Cathy Baker (T.V. performer, Edinburg, Texas)
• Lloyd M. Bentsen, Jr. (U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Mission, Texas)
• Harlon Block (Iwo Jima flag raiser, died on Iwo Jima, Weslaco, Texas)
• Thomas Haden Church (Actor, Harlingen, Texas)
• Kika de la Garza (U.S. Representative, Mission, Texas)
• Freddy Fender (Musician/Actor lyricist, San Benito, Texas)
• Mike Fossum (Astronaut, McAllen, Texas)
• Robert Garza (Department of Public Safety, first Hispanic in the Texas Rangers)
• Roberto Garza (Professional Football Player Chicago Bears, Rio Hondo, Texas)
• Tony Garza (U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Brownsville, Texas)
• Alfredo C. Gonzalez (Highly distinguished U.S. Marine Veteran, Edinburg, Texas)
• Matt Gonzalez (2008 Vice Presidential candidate; former president of the San Francisco, California, Board of Superviors; born, McAllen, Texas)
• Lucious Jackson (Retierd Pro basketball player, Played at UTPA, San Marcos, Texas)
• Catherine Hardwicke (Film director, writer, producer, McAllen, TX)
• Kris Kristofferson (Musician, actor, song writer, Brownsville, Texas)
• Tom Landry (American football coach, Mission, Texas)
• Bobby Lackey (College Football Player Weslaco, TX)
• Jose M. Lopez (Medal of Honor Recipient, Mission, TX)
• Rachel McLish (Ms. Olympia, actor, Harlingen, Texas)
• Bobby Joe Morrow (Olympic gold medalist, San Benito, Texas)
• Major Samuel Ringgold (Father of modern artillery, served at what is now Fort Ringgold, Rio Grande City, Texas)
• Valente Rodriguez (Actor, Edcouch, Texas)
• Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, USA, Ret. (Ground forces commander in Iraq, Rio Grande City, Texas)
• Julian Schnabel — "neo-expressionist" painter and Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe winner and director of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (film)
• Merced Solis aka Tito Santana, Wrestler, Mission, Texas)
• Nick Stahl (Actor, Harlingen, Texas)
• Rigo Tovar (musician/actor/composer, Matamoros, Tamps)
• Juan Pedro Walker Surveyor, cartographer for Spain and early U.S., mapped much of Rio Grande Valley for Louisiana Purchase
• William S. Burroughs American writer, his time as a farmer in the valley (Pharr, TX) is chronicled, briefly, in his books Junky and Queer

Places of historical interest

• First Lift Station
• Los Ebanos Ferry Last hand operated ferry on the Rio Grande River
• La Lomita Historic District
• Fort Brown
• Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site
• Resaca de la Palma
• Rancho de Carricitos
• USMC War Memorial original plaster working model
• Museum of South Texas History Originally the County Court House and Jail, built in the late 1800s
• Battle of Palmito Ranch, location of the last battle of The Civil War

The Brownsville Raid, the construction of the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle^[5], and the Pharr police riots^[6] all took place in The Rio Grande Valley.

Economy

The Valley is reliant on agribusiness and tourism. Cotton, sorghum, maize, and sugarcane are its leading crops, and the region is the center of citrus production and the most important area of vegetable production in the State of Texas. Over the last several decades, the emergence of maquiladoras (factories or fabrication plants) has caused a surge of industrial development along the border, while international bridges have allowed Mexican nationals to shop, sell and do business in the border cities along the Rio Grande River. The geographic inclusion of South Padre Island also drives tourism, particularly during the Spring Break season, during which South Padre Island becomes reminiscent of New Orleans during Mardi Gras. There is a substantial health-care industry with major hospitals and many clinics and private practices in Brownsville, Harlingen and McAllen.

The economy is shifting gradually from agricultural to light and medium industrial focus- with low labor content jobs on the US side of the border and high labor content tasks on the Mexico side of the border.

Texas is the third largest producer of citrus fruit in United States, the majority of which is grown in the Rio Grande Valley. Grapefruit make up over 70% of the Valley citrus crop, which also includes orange, watermelon, tangerine, tangelo and Meyer lemon production each Winter.^[7]

There are five professional sports teams that play in the Rio Grande Valley: the Rio Grande Valley Whitewings (baseball), the Edinburg Roadrunners (baseball), the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (ice hockey), the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (basketball), and the Rio Grande Valley Bravos (soccer).

Education

Colleges and Universities in the Rio Grande Valley include:

• University of Texas at Brownsville
• University of Texas•Pan American
• Texas State Technical College
• South Texas College

Media

Newspapers

• El Mañana - owned by Editora Demar from Reynosa, Mexico
• The Monitor - owned by Freedom Communications
• The Brownsville Herald - owned by Freedom Communications
• El Nuevo Heraldo - owned by Freedom Communications & The Brownsville Herald
• El Extra - owned by Freedom Communications & The Brownsville Herald.
• Valley Morning Star - owned by Freedom Communications
• The Island Breeze - owned by Freedom Communications & the Valley Morning Star

Television

• XHRIO-TV FOX 2 News, Fox Affiliate
• XHRIO-TV My 2, My Network TV Affiliate (Secondary)
• KGBT-TV/DT Action 4 News, CBS Affiliate
• KRGV-TV/DT Newschannel 5, ABC Affiliate
• KVEO-TV/DT News Center 23, NBC Affiliate
• KLUJ-TV/DT 44, TBN Affiliate
• KTLM-TV/DT 40, Telemundo Affiliate
• KNVO TV/DT 48, Univision Affiliate
• KMBH TV/DT 60, PBS Affiliate
• KSFE-LP 67, CW Affiliate

Radio

• KBFM Wild 104 (Hip Hop/Top 40)
• KBTQ 96.1 Recuerdo (Spanish Oldies)Univision
• KCAS 91.5 FM (Christian, Teaching/Preaching/Music)
• KESO Digital 92.7 (Internacional, Spanish Top 40)
• KFRQ Q94.5 The Rock Station (Classic/Modern/Hard Rock)
• KGBT 1530 La Tremenda (Univision)
• KGBT-FM 98.5 FM (Regional Mexican) Univision
• KHKZ Hot Kiss 106.3 (Hot Adult Contemporary)
• KIRT 1580 AM Radio Imagen (Variety, Spanish contemporary)
• KIWW (Spanish)
• KJAV 104.9 Jack FM
• KKPS Que Pasa 99.5 (Tejano)
• KMBH-FM/KHID 88.9/88.1 NPR (Classical/Public Radio)
• KNVO-FM Super Estrella (Super Star) 101.1
• KQXX 105.5 (Oldies)
• KTEX 100.3 (Country)
• KURV 710 AM Heritage Talk Radio (part of the BMP family of stations)
• KVLY Mix 107.9 KVLY (Hot Adult Contemporary)
• KVMV 96.9 FM (Christian, Contemporary Music) World Radio Network

References

1. ^ Winter Texan Resources for South Padre Island, Brownsville, Harlingen, and the Rio Grande Valley
2. ^ 2007 Total Population Estimates for Texas Councils of Governments
3. ^ Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley Fact Sheet
4. ^ Population Estimates for Rio Grande Valley Cities 2000-2004
5. ^ History of Virgen de San Juan Shrine
6. ^ Not Forgotten: Pharr police riots 1971
7. ^ Rootstock and Scion Varieties by Julian W. Sauls, Professor & Extension Horticulturist, Texas AgriLife Extension

External links

• Valley Chamber Rio Grande Valley Partnership.
• Rio Grande Valley Sports Information Center Information on all the latest local sports of the Rio Grande Valley.
• Turtle Cam South Padre Island

Categories: Regions of Texas