Lower Rio Grande Valley (), often referred to as the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) of South Texas, is a region located in the southernmost part of Texas, along the northern bank of the Rio Grande. It is also known locally as the Valley or the 956 (the area code for the region). It is a region spanning the border of

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and Mexico located in a

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...

of the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...

near its mouth. The region includes the southernmost tip of

South Texas South Texas is a geographic and cultural region of the U.S. state of Texas that lies roughly south of—and includes—San Antonio. The southern and western boundary is the Rio Grande, and to the east it is the Gulf of Mexico. The population of th ...

and a portion of northern

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas, is a state in Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 43 municipalities. It is located in nor ...

, Mexico. In the United States, it consists of the Brownsville-Harlingen and McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metropolitan areas, and the Rio Grande City-Roma and Raymondville micropolitan areas. In Mexico, it consists of the Matamoros,

Río Bravo The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States and in northern ...

, and

Reynosa Reynosa () is a border city in the northern part of the state of Tamaulipas, in Mexico which also holds the municipal seat of Reynosa Municipality. The city is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande in the international Reynosa–McAlle ...

metropolitan areas. The area is generally bilingual in English and Spanish, with a fair amount of

Spanglish Spanglish (a blend of the words "Spanish" and "English") is any language variety (such as a contact dialect, hybrid language, pidgin, or creole language) that results from conversationally combining Spanish and English. The term is mostly u ...

due to the region's diverse history and

transborder agglomeration A transborder agglomeration is an urban area, urban agglomeration or conurbation that extends into multiple sovereign states and/or dependent territory, dependent territories. It includes city-states that agglomerate with their neighbouring countr ...

s. It is home to some of the poorest cities in the nation, as well as many unincorporated, persistent poverty communities called ''colonias''. A large seasonal influx occurs of "winter Texans" – people who come down from the north for the winter and then return north before summer arrives.

History

Pre-Spanish colonization

Native peoples lived in small tribes in the area before the Spanish conquest. The native tribes in South Texas were known to be hunter-gatherer peoples. The area was known for its smaller nomadic tribes collectively called

Coahuiltecan The Coahuiltecan were various small, autonomous bands of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Native Americans who inhabited the Rio Grande valley in what is now northeastern Mexico and southern Texas. The various Coahuiltecan groups were hunter ga ...

. Native archaeological excavations near Brownsville have shown evidence of prehistoric shell trading.

Spanish colonization

Initially, the Spanish had a hard time conquering the area due to the differences in native languages, so they mainly focused on the coast of the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

also known as the Seno Mexicano. Also, a major conflict existed on who would conquer the region. Antonio Ladrón de Guevara wanted to colonize the region, but the

Viceroy of New Spain This article lists the viceroys who ruled the Viceroyalty of New Spain from 1535 to 1821 in the name of the monarch of Spain. In addition to viceroys, this article lists the highest Spanish governors of the viceroyalty, before the appointment o ...

José Tienda de Cuervo doubted Ladrón de Guevara's character, eventually leading to a royal Spanish declaration preventing Ladrón de Guevara from participating in colonization efforts. The first ''

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

s'' in the region were settled in Laredo and

in 1767. In 1805, the Spanish government solidified the autonomy of the region by defining the territory of

Nuevo Santander Nuevo Santander (New Santander) was a region of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, covering the modern Mexican state of Tamaulipas and extending into modern-day southern Texas in the United States. Nuevo Santander was named after Santander, Cantabri ...

as south of the colony of Tejas from the

Nueces River The Nueces River ( ; , ) is a river in the U.S. state of Texas, about long. It drains a region in central and southern Texas southeastward into the Gulf of Mexico. It is the southernmost major river in Texas northeast of the Rio Grande. ''Nu ...

south to

Tampico Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fif ...

, Charcas, and Valles. The local government of the region had a rough start with various indigenous wars up until 1812. In 1821 after the

Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence (, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from the Spanish Empire. It was not a single, coherent event, but local and regional ...

, the state was renamed

Republic of Texas and annexation by the United States

The

Texas Revolution The Texas Revolution (October 2, 1835 – April 21, 1836) was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos (Hispanic Texans) against the Centralist Republic of Mexico, centralist government of Mexico in the Mexican state of ...

of 1835–1836 put the majority of what is now called the Rio Grande Valley under contested Texan sovereignty. The area also became a thoroughfare for runaway slaves fleeing to Mexico. In 1844, the United States under President

James K. Polk James Knox Polk (; November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. A protégé of Andrew Jackson and a member of the Democratic Party, he was an advocate of Jacksonian democracy and ...

annexed the Republic of Texas, against British and Mexican sentiments, contributing to the onset of the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

. The area along the Rio Grande was the source of several major battles, including the

Battle of Resaca de la Palma The Battle of Resaca de la Palma was one of the early engagements of the Mexican–American War, where the United States Army under General Zachary Taylor engaged the retreating forces of the Mexican ''Ejército del Norte'' ("Army of the Nor ...

near Brownsville. The war ended in 1848 with the signing of the

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo officially ended the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). It was signed on 2 February 1848 in the town of Villa de Guadalupe, Mexico City, Guadalupe Hidalgo. After the defeat of its army and the fall of the cap ...

which defined the United States' southern border as the Rio Grande. The change in government led to a mass migration from Tamaulipas to the United States side of the river. From the end of the Mexican-American War, the population of the Valley began to grow, and farmers began to raise cattle in the area. Despite the end of the formal war in 1848, interracial strife continued between native peoples and the white settlers over land through the 1920s.

Early 1900s and the Mexican Revolution

At the turn of the 20th century trade and immigration between Mexico and the United States was a normal part of society. The development of the St. Louis, Brownsville, and Mexico Railway in 1903 and the irrigation of the Rio Grande allowed the Rio Grande Valley to develop into profitable farmland. Droughts in the 1890s and early 1900s caused smaller farmers and cattle ranchers to lose their lands. Rich white settlers brought by the railroad bought the land and displaced the

Tejano Tejanos ( , ) are descendants of Texas Creoles and Mestizos who settled in Texas before its admission as an American state. The term is also sometimes applied to Texans of Mexican descent. Etymology The word ''Tejano'', with a ''J'' instead ...

ranchers. Meanwhile, across the river, Mexico was dealing with the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...

. The revolution spilled over the border through cross-border supply raids, and in response

President Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

sent the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

into the region beginning in 1911 and continuing until 1916 when the majority of the United States armed forces were stationed in the region. Texas governor

Oscar Colquitt Oscar Branch Colquitt (December 16, 1861 – March 8, 1940) was an American politician who served as the 25th governor of Texas from January 17, 1911, to January 19, 1915. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Colquitt defended the act ...

also sent the Texas Rangers into the area to keep the peace between Mexicans and Americans. The region played host to several well-known conflicts including the backlash from the

Plan of San Diego The Plan of San Diego () was a plan drafted in San Diego, Texas, in January of 1915, by a "friend" of Basilio Ramos Jr., Augustin S. Garza, and A. A. Saenz, along with six unidentified Hueristas, who would end up signing the document. The grou ...

, and the racially fueled violence of Texas Ranger Harry Ransom. In 1921 the

United States Border Patrol The United States Border Patrol (USBP) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and is responsible for secu ...

came to the region with less than 10 officers. Initially the agency was focused on import and export business, especially alcohol during

Prohibition in the United States The Prohibition era was the period from 1920 to 1933 when the United States prohibited the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. The alcohol industry was curtailed by a succession of state legislatures, an ...

, but later moved to detaining illegal aliens. The region had a significant increase of Border Patrol agents during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in conjunction with the Zimmermann Telegram. The Texas Rangers also increased their presence as law enforcement in the region with a new class of Ranger that focused on determining Tejano loyalty. They were often violent, carrying out retaliatory murders. They were never held accountable to the law even though charges were brought in the Texas senate. There were two major military training facilities in the Valley in Brownsville and Harlingen during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Post-World War II to present

The

North American Free Trade Agreement The North American Free Trade Agreement (, TLCAN; , ALÉNA), referred to colloquially in the Anglosphere as NAFTA, ( ) was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that created a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The ...

, also known as NAFTA, was established in 1994 as a trade agreement between the three North American countries, The United States, Mexico, and Canada. NAFTA was supposed to increase trade with Mexico as they lowered or eliminated tariffs on Mexican goods. Exports and imports tripled in the region and accounted for a trade surplus of $75 billion. The Rio Grande Valley benefited from NAFTA in retail, manufacturing, and transportation. Due to the influx of jobs and exportation, many people migrated to the RGV, both documented and undocumented. According to Akinloye Akindayomi in ''Drug violence in Mexico and its impact on the fiscal realities of border cities in Texas: evidence from Rio Grande Valley counties'', NAFTA also indirectly aids the rise in immigration and drug smuggling practices between cartels in the region, with cartels profiting with over $80 billion. The

Trump Administration Presidency of Donald Trump may refer to: * First presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration from 2017 to 2021 * Second presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration since 2025 See also * ...

decided to make new accords with Mexico and Canada and replaced NAFTA with the new trade agreement,

United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement The Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada (USMCA)Each signatory has a different name for the agreement—in the United States, it is called the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) ...

(USMCA) in 2018. Border_patrol_140127-A-WH280-544

After the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

, the Customs Border Security Act of 2001 established United States Border Patrol interior checkpoints with some situated at the north end of the Rio Grande Valley. This allows for a second line of defense in the ever increasing subtlety of smuggling. More recently the organization

We Build the Wall We Build the Wall is an organization that solicited donations to build private sections of the wall along the Mexico–U.S. border. It started as a GoFundMe campaign by United States Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage in December 2018. Kolfage a ...

has begun construction on a section of the border wall in the Valley. Local residents have expressed concerns about the project including the site's proximity to the

National Butterfly Center The National Butterfly Center is a private nature preserve operated by the North American Butterfly Association that serves as an outdoor butterfly conservatory. It is located adjacent to Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, near the city of Mis ...

and the Rio Grande with its potential for seasonal flooding. The U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission has ordered We Build the Wall to stop until they can review whether or not the construction violates a Treaty to resolve pending boundary differences and maintain the Rio Grande and Colorado River as the international boundary between the United States and Mexico signed in 1970.

Geography

The Rio Grande Valley is not a true

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

, but a

river delta A river delta is a landform, archetypically triangular, created by the deposition of the sediments that are carried by the waters of a river, where the river merges with a body of slow-moving water or with a body of stagnant water. The creat ...

. "Valley" is often used in the western United States to refer to a large expanse with rivers. Most such valleys, including the Rio Grande, have good agricultural production. 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. The main region is within four Texan counties: Starr County, Hidalgo County, Willacy County, and Cameron County.

Major settlements

The largest city on the American side of the region is Brownsville (Cameron County), followed by

McAllen McAllen is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Hidalgo County. It is located at the southern tip of the state in the Rio Grande Valley, on the Mexican border. The city limits extend south to the Rio Grande, across ...

(Hidalgo County). Other major cities include Harlingen, San Benito, Edinburg,

Mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

Rio Grande City Rio Grande City is a city in and the county seat of Starr County, Texas, United States. The population was 15,317 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is west of McAllen. It is connected to Camargo, Tamaulipas, via the Rio Grande City–C ...

, Raymondville, Weslaco,

Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico :''Most, if not all, named for Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (1753–1811)'' * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coah ...

and

Pharr Pharr is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 79,715, and in 2022, the estimated population was 80,187. Pharr is connected by bridge to the Mexican city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas. Pharr is ...

. On the

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

side of the border Matamoros,

, and

are major cities in this region.

Demographics

As of 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population of the Rio Grande Valley at 1,368,723. Hidalgo County has the largest population with an estimate of 861,137. Cameron County has the second-highest population estimated at 422,135. Starr County has the third-largest population estimated at 64,032. Willacy County has the fourth-largest population estimated at 21,419. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

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 The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

Colonias

The major metropolitan areas in the Rio Grande Valley are surrounded by smaller rural communities called colonias. These communities are primarily poor and Hispanic. The areas often lack basic services like sanitation and sewage, and suffer from flooding. Many of these colonias are mixes of mobile homes and self-constructed houses owned by the residents. The

Bracero program The Bracero Program (from the Spanish term ''bracero'' , meaning " manual laborer" or "one who works using his arms") was a temporary labor initiative between the United States and Mexico that allowed Mexican workers to be employed in the U.S. ...

enacted in the 1940s allowed Mexicans to cross the border and work in the agricultural fields. Most worked in the Rio Grande Valley, and due to a shortage of affordable houses, developers started selling them land in unincorporated areas; these clusters of homes over time became what are now known as colonias. According to the Housing Assistance Council, a nonprofit organization that tracks rural housing, approximately 1.6 million people live in 1,500 recognized colonias alongside the

Mexico–United States border The international border separating Mexico and the United States extends from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from urban areas to deserts. It is the List of ...

Language use

The residents of the Lower Rio Grande Valley are generally bilingual in English and Spanish often mixing into

depending on demographics and context. Government statistics for the region are often underreported due to underlying immigration issues. The Spanish language plays an important role in all aspects of life. In 1982 a statistically significant majority of people in the Rio Grande Valley spoke Spanish. People speak Spanish to communicate in all aspects of life including business, government, and at home. People often prefer Spanish to English when interacting with government officials as seen in the response to the region's 2018 flooding.

Religion

The Catholic Church has been present in the Rio Grande Valley since the Spanish colonization of the region. In

San Juan, Texas San Juan is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 35,294, an increase over the figure of 33,856 tabulated in 2010. It is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metrop ...

the

Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle The Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle is a minor basilica of the Catholic Church located in San Juan, Texas, United States. It is also a national shrine under the direction of the Diocese of Brownsville. Histor ...

is a major Catholic shrine. One of the offshoots of the Catholic Church, worship of

Santa Muerte ''Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte'' (; Spanish for Our Lady of Holy Death), often shortened to Santa Muerte, is a new religious movement, female deity, Folk Catholicism, folk-Catholic saint, and folk saint in Mexican folk Catholicism and Mode ...

, has a small but significant following in the valley. There has been public outcry against followers erecting shrines at their homes and in public places. In 2015, a Santa Muerte statue was involved with a bomb scare in

San Benito, Texas San Benito is a city in Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County, in the US state of Texas, United States. Its population was 24,861 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. On April 3, 2007, San Benito celebrated the 100th anniversary of its ...

. This followed the desecration of a Santa Muerte statue in the San Benito Municipal Cemetery in January of the same year. In addition to the Catholic Church, several other Christian denominations are present in the Rio Grande Valley, including several organized Protestant churches in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.Grammich, C., Hadaway, K., Houseal, R., Jones, D. E., Krindatch, A., Stanley, R., & Taylor, R. H. (2018, December 11)
''U.S. Religion Census Religious Congregations and Membership Study, 2010 (County File)''
There are also 26 congregations of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

with about 17,000 members.

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

and

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

communities thrive in the Rio Grande Valley.

Culture

The area is largely bilingual and bicultural, according to ''

Texas Highways ''Texas Highways'' is a monthly magazine put out by the Texas Department of Transportation The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT ) is a Texas state government agency responsible for construction and maintenance of the state's immens ...

''; in 2024 nearly 90% of the population identified as

Mexican cuisine Mexican cuisine consists of the cuisines and associated traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican Cuisine, Mesoamerican cuisine. Mexican cuisine's ingredients and methods arise from the area's first agr ...

and Tejano cuisine are popular in the area. Green spaghetti or espagueti verde, a Mexican style of spaghetti with roasted

poblano The poblano (''Capsicum annuum'') is a mild chili pepper originating in Puebla, Mexico. Dried, it is called ancho or chile ancho, from the Spanish word ''ancho'' (wide). Stuffed fresh and roasted, it is popular in chiles rellenos poblanos. W ...

cream sauce, is a common celebration dish little known in the United States outside the Rio Grande Valley. The local style of barbecue is

barbacoa Barbacoa or Asado en Barbacoa () in Mexico, refers to the local indigenous variation of the method of cooking in a pit or earth oven. It generally refers to slow-cooking meats or whole sheep, whole cows, whole beef heads, or whole goats in a ...

. Brownsville's Vera's Backyard BBQ is a notable barbacoa restaurant.

Climate

The Lower Rio Grande Valley experiences a warm and fair climate that brings visitors from many surrounding areas. Temperature extremes range from triple digits during the summer months to freezing during the winter. While the Valley has seen severe cold events before, such as the 2004 Christmas snow storm and 2021 cold snap, the region rarely experiences temperatures at or below freezing, especially by the coast, which transitions into a

Tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

climate. The region's proximity to the Gulf of Mexico makes it a target for

hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

. Though not impacted as frequently as other areas of the Gulf Coast of the United States, the Valley has experienced major hurricanes in the past. Hurricanes that have made landfall in or near the area include Hurricane Beulah (1967), Hurricane Allen (1980),

Hurricane Gilbert Hurricane Gilbert was the second most intense tropical cyclone on record in the Atlantic basin in terms of barometric pressure, only behind Hurricane Wilma in 2005. An extremely powerful tropical cyclone that formed during the 1988 Atlantic hurri ...

Hurricane Bret Hurricane Bret was the first of five Category 4 hurricanes that developed during the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season and the first tropical cyclone since Hurricane Jerry in 1989 to make landfall in Texas at hurricane intensity. Forming fr ...

Hurricane Dolly (2008) Hurricane Dolly was a strong tropical cyclone that made landfall in Deep South Texas in July 2008. Dolly was the fourth tropical cyclone and second hurricane to form during the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. Dolly developed on July 20 ...

Hurricane Alex (2010) Hurricane Alex was the first tropical cyclone of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, and a rare June Atlantic hurricane. Originating from an area of disturbed weather on June 25, 2010, it slowly developed in the western Caribbean Sea and st ...

, and

Hurricane Hanna (2020) Hurricane Hanna was the first of a record-tying six Atlantic hurricanes to make landfall in the United States in one year. The eighth named storm and first hurricane of the extremely active 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, Hanna developed from ...

. Having an especially flat terrain, the Valley usually experiences the catastrophic effects of tropical cyclones in the form of flooding.

Tourism

The Lower Rio Grande Valley encompasses landmarks that attract tourists. Popular destinations include

Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge is the largest protected area of natural habitat left in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The refuge is located almost entirely in Cameron County, Texas, east of Harlingen, although a very small part of it ...

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge situated along the banks of the Rio Grande, south of Alamo in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, in Hidalgo County, Texas. This sub-tropical sanctuary harbors one of the highest wildl ...

Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park is located at 2800 S. Bentsen Palm Drive (FM 2062) south of the city of Mission in Hidalgo County in the U.S. state of Texas. It serves as the headquarters for the World Birding Center. History The park ...

South Padre Island South Padre Island is a barrier island in the U.S. state of Texas. The remote landform is located in Cameron County, Willacy County, and accessible by the Queen Isabella Causeway. South Padre Island was formed when the creation of the Port Ma ...

Brazos Island Brazos Island, also known as Brazos Santiago Island, is a barrier island on the Gulf Coast of Texas in the United States, south of the town of South Padre Island. The island is located in Cameron County. Brazos Santiago Pass partitions the b ...

, and the Port Isabel Lighthouse. The Valley is a popular

waypoint A waypoint is a point or place on a route or line of travel, a stopping point, an intermediate point, or point at which course is changed, the first use of the term tracing to 1880. In modern terms, it most often refers to coordinates which spe ...

for tourists visiting northeast Mexico. Popular destinations across the border and Rio Grande include: Matamoros, Nuevo Progreso,

, and

, all located in the Mexican state of

. The region also attracts tourists from the Mexican states of

Nuevo León Nuevo León, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nuevo León, is a Administrative divisions of Mexico, state in northeastern Mexico. The state borders the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí, San Luis ...

Coahuila Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza, is one of the 31 states of Mexico. The largest city and State Capital is the city of Saltillo; the second largest is Torreón and the thi ...

, and Mexico, D.F. (México City).

The Carrizo/Comecrudo tribe of Texas

The ancestral lands of the Rio Grande Valley have been home to historic Native groups, which today include the Carrizo/Comecrudo tribe of Texas. While not recognized by the government, this tribe and other communities have existed on the lands predating European settlement and the acquisition of Texas from Mexico. The tribe speaks of their existence as a way of life.Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas, 2010–2021, http://carrizocomecrudonation.com/ Today, a working map of Native and Indigenous nations and tribes across Turtle Island and the Northern Americas has been communally constructed on the Native Land webpage. The Carrizo/Comecrudo tribe is recognized on the Native Land webpage, represented across South Texas. The visibility and recognition of Native communities like the Carrizo/Comecrudo are paramount and require a constant fight by many Indigenous tribes worldwide, especially when histories of vulnerable groups like Indigenous communities are essentially contested and being attacked legally by state governments. As historian and scholar Ned Blackhawk outlines in "The Centrality of Dispossession: Native American Genocide and Settler Colonialism," in ''World History of Genocide: Volume II'', the "mythologies of Indigenous 'disappearance' appear as ahistorical as they are problematic." Scholars like Blackhawk work to address the narrative of Native peoples as passively disappeared and of existing solely in the past by amplifying the intentional and strategic projects of dispossession and settler colonialism in their goals to erase, harm, and destabilize a group of people. Therefore, the Carrizo/Comecrudo tribe's work to establish their presence and continually advocate for their way of living and place in the Rio Grande Valley is resilient and vital. The Carrizo/Comecrudo tribe of Texas has long fought with SpaceX over the environmental protection of their lands. Elon Musk established Starbase, one of the engineering hubs, in Boca Chica Beach, a coastal beach of the Rio Grande Valley. Alongside the Carrizo/Comecrudo tribe of Texas, local RGV environmental organizations have opposed SpaceXs business and activities at Boca Chica, citing the tribe's claims to land and destruction to the local terrain and natural life.Steve Taylor, "Valley groups send letter to FAA in protest at SpaceX's activity at Boca Chica," ''Rio Grande Guardian'', Indiegraf Media, 5 August 2024, https://riograndeguardian.com/valley-groups-send-letter-to-faa-in-protest-at-spacexs-activity-at-boca-chica/ On August 5, 2024, a group of local organizations including the Carrizo/Comecrudo tribe wrote a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration raising concerns about SpaceX operations in Boca Chica Beach and requesting a meeting to discuss the FAA's process of incorporating community voice into the conversation. The group includes a range of environmental organizations across the Rio Grande Valley, including the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, the South Texas Human Rights Center, TRUCHA, Voces Unidas, and Texas Rising RGV. The letter highlights the identities of Rio Grande Valley community members that are most often overlooked, including Indigenous voices. Now, there are large concerns regarding Elon Musk's intentions to relocate the headquarters of SpaceX to the Starbase site in Boca Chica Beach.

Places of historical interest

* First Lift Station *

* Hugh Ramsey Nature Park *

Los Ebanos Ferry The Los Ebanos Ferry or El Chalán, formally known as the Los Ebanos-Diaz Ordaz Ferry, is a hand-operated cable ferry that travels across the Rio Grande between Los Ebanos, Texas, and Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Tamaulipas. It is the last of its kind ...

, last hand-operated ferry on the Rio Grande * La Lomita Historic District *

Fort Brown Fort Brown (originally Fort Texas) was a military post of the United States Army in Cameron County, Texas, during the latter half of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century. Established in 1846, it was the first US Army military ...

* Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site * Resaca de la Palma * Rancho de Carricitos * USMC War Memorial original plaster working model, located on the campus of the

Marine Military Academy The Marine Military Academy (MMA) is a private college preparatory academy located in Harlingen, Texas, US, offering a curriculum for boys in grades 7–12 plus one year of post-graduate study. The school was founded in 1965. Its traditions a ...

in Harlingen * Museum of South Texas History, originally the County Court House and Jail, built in the late 19th century *

Battle of Palmito Ranch The Battle of Palmito Ranch, also known as the Battle of Palmito Hill, is considered by some criteria the final battle of the American Civil War. It was fought May 12 and 13, 1865, on the banks of the Rio Grande east of Brownsville, Texas, and ...

, location of the last battle of the Civil War * Brownsville Raid *

Economy

The Valley is historically reliant on

agribusiness Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy, in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise. The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit ...

and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

Cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

grapefruit The grapefruit (''Citrus'' × ''paradisi'') is a subtropical citrus tree known for its relatively large, sour to semi-sweet, somewhat bitter fruit. The flesh of the fruit is segmented and varies in color from pale yellow to dark red. Grapefru ...

sorghum ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

, and

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

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 A (), or (), is a factory that is largely duty free and tariff free. These factories take raw materials and assemble, manufacture, or process them and export the finished product. These factories and systems are present throughout Latin Ameri ...

(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. The geographic inclusion of

also drives tourism, particularly during the

Spring Break Spring break is a vacation period at universities and schools that includes the Easter holiday, and takes place in early Northern Hemisphere spring. Introduced in the U.S. during the 1930s, spring break has been observed in Europe since t ...

season, as its subtropical climate keeps temperatures warm year-round. During the winter months, many retirees (commonly referred to as "Winter Texans") arrive to enjoy the warm weather, access to pharmaceuticals and healthcare in Mexican border crossings such as Nuevo Progreso. There is a substantial health-care industry with major hospitals and many clinics and private practices in Brownsville, Harlingen, and

Texas is the third largest producer of citrus fruit in the United States, the majority of which is grown in the Rio Grande Valley.

Grapefruit The grapefruit (''Citrus'' × ''paradisi'') is a subtropical citrus tree known for its relatively large, sour to semi-sweet, somewhat bitter fruit. The flesh of the fruit is segmented and varies in color from pale yellow to dark red. Grapefru ...

make up over 70% of the Valley citrus crop, which also includes

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

tangerine The tangerine is a type of citrus fruit that is orange in colour, that is considered either a variety of the mandarin orange (''Citrus reticulata''), or a closely related species, under the name ''Citrus tangerina'', or yet as a hybrid (''Citr ...

tangelo The tangelo ( , ; ''C. reticulata × C. maxima'' or ''× C. paradisi''), ''Citrus × tangelo'', is a citrus fruit hybrid of a ''Citrus reticulata'' variety, such as mandarin orange or tangerine, and a ''Citrus maxima'' variety, such as a pome ...

and

Meyer lemon ''Citrus'' × ''meyeri'', the Meyer lemon (), is a hybrid citrus fruit native to China. It is a cross between a citron and a mandarin/pomelo hybrid. Mature trees are around tall with dark green shiny leaves. The flowers are white with a purp ...

production each Winter. One minor professional sports team plays in the Rio Grande Valley: The

Rio Grande Valley Vipers The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Edinburg, Texas, and are affiliated with the Houston Rockets. The Vipers play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena. The Vipers have won f ...

(basketball). Defunct teams that previously played in the region include: the

Edinburg Roadrunners The Edinburg Roadrunners were a professional baseball team based in Edinburg, Texas, in the United States. The Roadrunners were a member of the United League Baseball, an independent professional league which is not affiliated with Major League B ...

(baseball), La Fiera FC (indoor soccer), Rio Grande Valley Ocelots FC (soccer),

Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings The Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings was a professional baseball team based in Harlingen, Texas, in the United States. The WhiteWings was a member of United League Baseball, an independent professional league which is not affiliated with Major Leagu ...

(baseball), Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (ice hockey),

Rio Grande Valley Sol The Rio Valley Grande Sol were a professional indoor American football, indoor football team based in Hidalgo, Texas. They were members of the X-League Indoor Football (XLIF) in their final season. The Sol played their home games at the State Far ...

(indoor football) and the

Rio Grande Valley FC Toros Rio Grande Valley FC, also known as RGVFC or Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, was an American professional soccer team based in Edinburg, Texas, Edinburg, Texas operated by Lone Star, LLC. They joined the USL Championship in the 2016 season. The tea ...

(soccer) One of the Valley's major tourist attractions is the semi-tropical wildlife. Birds and butterflies attract a large number of visitors every year all throughout the entire region. Ecotourism is a major economic force in the Rio Grande Valley.

Transportation

The Rio Grande Valley is served by three commercial airports: Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport in Brownsville, Texas,

Valley International Airport Valley International Airport (VIA) is owned by the city of Harlingen, in Cameron County, Texas, United States. It is operated by a nine-member airport board appointed by the mayor. HRL is centrally located in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) and i ...

in Harlingen, Texas, and

McAllen Miller International Airport McAllen International Airport is an international airport serving McAllen, Texas, McAllen, Mission, Texas, Mission and the surrounding Lower Rio Grande Valley, Rio Grande Valley region of Texas in the United States. It is located within the Cit ...

in McAllen, Texas.

American Airlines American Airlines, Inc. is a major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the ...

and

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...

provide service to all three airports, with Avelo Air also providing service to Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport,

Allegiant Air Allegiant Air is an American ultra low-cost carrier, ultra-low cost airline headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. The airline focuses on serving leisure traffic from small and medium-sized cities which it considers to be underserved, using an ult ...

also providing service to McAllen Miller International Airport,

Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines Co., or simply Southwest, is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States that formerly operated on a low-cost carrier model. It is headquartered in the Love Field, Dallas, Love Field neighborhood ...

Sun Country Airlines Sun Country Airlines is an ultra-low cost airline in the United States. Based at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport with headquarters on airport property, Sun Country operates to about 140 destinations in the United States, Canad ...

and

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...

also providing service to Valley International Airport. There are several bus lines that run through the United States side of the Lower Rio Grande Valley including Metro Connect (

), McAllen Paratransit, McAllen Metro Services, Brownsville Metro/ADA Paratransit Service Island Metro (

), and

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of Intercity bus service, intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as interci ...

. On the Mexican side of the border there are several bus companies that run including Greyhound, Tornado, Ave Senda Ejecutiva, Enlaces Terrestres Nacionales, Futua, Noreste, Omnibus de Oriente, Transpais, Transportes del Norte, Transportes Frontera, and Turistar Lujo. Puente Viejo Matamoros

The

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

in the United States is well developed in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and connects Brownsville, Hidalgo, McAllen, Raymondville, Edinburg,

, and Laredo. On the Mexican side, there are several major highways between Matamoros,

, and

Nuevo Laredo Nuevo Laredo () is a city in the Municipality of Nuevo Laredo in the Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Tamaulipas. The city lies on the banks of the Rio Grande, across from Laredo, Texas, Laredo, United States. The 2010 census popula ...

. car travel on the Mexican side was considered dangerous and the Mexican

Federal Police A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment of law enforcement officers and their resources. The most common type of law enforcement ...

offered a police escort between

Ciudad Victoria Ciudad Victoria () (English: ''Victoria City'') is the seat of the Victoria Municipality, Tamaulipas, Municipality of Victoria, and the capital of the Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Tamaulipas. It is located in the Northern Mexico, n ...

, Matamoros, and Reynosa.

Freight trains A freight train, also called a goods train or cargo train, is a railway train that is used to carry cargo, as opposed to passengers. Freight trains are made up of one or more locomotives which provide propulsion, along with one or more railroad ...

run between Harlingen,

, Edinburg, and

Santa Rosa Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish name for Saint Rose. Santa Rosa may also refer to: Places Argentina *Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city * Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca * Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca *Santa Rosa, La Pampa * S ...

connecting to the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

. In Mexico,

Kansas City Southern de México Kansas City Southern de México, S.A. de C.V. is a Mexican railroad and operating subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CPKC). The company was founded in 1996 as Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana , a joint venture between KCS a ...

runs freight service and crosses from Matamoros into Brownsville over the Brownsville & Matamoros International Bridge. Sea trade runs through the deepwater seaport, the

Port of Brownsville The Port of Brownsville is a deepwater seaport in Brownsville, at the southern tip of Texas. Geography The port is the southern terminus of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The port is located near the river mouth of the Rio Grande and Lower R ...

and the

Foreign Trade Zone A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to ...

62. , the Port also features an export terminal for

liquid natural gas Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the volume o ...

under construction,

Rio Grande LNG Rio Grande LNG is an liquid natural gas export terminal project in the Port of Brownsville, Texas, currently under construction by NextDecade Corporation. On 21 November 2019, U.S. regulators approved permits for three new liquified natural gas ...

, with a competing LNG export terminal, the

Texas LNG project The Texas LNG project is a multi-decade liquid natural gas shipping terminal project near Brownsville, Texas. It has been in the planning stages since the early 2010s and, as of 2019, gained regulatory authority approval for construction and opera ...

, planned to commence construction in the near future. SpaceX South Texas launch site is located near Brownsville.

Politics

The region is represented by

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 ...

and

John Cornyn John Cornyn III ( ; born February 2, 1952) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Texas, a seat he has held since 2002. ...

in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

and by

Monica De La Cruz Monica De La Cruz (born November 11, 1974) is an American politician and insurance agent from the state of Texas. She has represented in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2023. Early life and career De La Cruz graduated from James Pace E ...

, Vicente Gonzalez, and

Henry Cuellar Enrique Roberto "Henry" Cuellar ( ; born September 19, 1955) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2005. He is a member of the Democratic Party. His district extends from the Rio Grande to San Ant ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

. In the twenty-first century, the dominance of

has caused political issues, as jurisdictional disputes regarding

water rights Water right in water law is the right of a user to use water from a water source, e.g., a river, stream, pond or source of groundwater. In areas with plentiful water and few users, such systems are generally not complicated or contentious. In o ...

have caused tension between farmers on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Scholars, including Mexican political scientist Armand Peschard-Sverdrup, have argued that this tension has created the need for a re-developed strategic transnational

water management Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. These resources can be either freshwater from natural sources, or water produced artificia ...

. Some have declared the disputes tantamount to a "war" over diminishing

natural resources Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest, and cultural value. ...

. Climatologists believe

water scarcity Water scarcity (closely related to water stress or water crisis) is the lack of fresh water resources to meet the standard water demand. There are two types of water scarcity. One is ''physical.'' The other is ''economic water scarcity''. Physic ...

in the Valley will only increase as

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

alters the precipitation patterns of the region. The Lower Rio Grande Valley has historically been one of the most strongly Democratic regions in the country, having only briefly voted Republican during the

1950s File:1950s decade montage.png, 370x370px, Top, L-R: U.S. Marines engaged in street fighting during the Korean War, late September 1950; The first polio vaccine is developed by Jonas Salk.Centre, L-R: US tests its first thermonuclear bomb with co ...

Eisenhower years and the

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

landslide election of Republican Richard Nixon. Continued Democratic dominance would depend on maintaining the loyalty of Latino voters, who make up 91.5% of the region. Recently, the GOP has made large inroads, causing loyalties to shift. Latino men, particularly young men, rural Latinos, the growing number of Latino evangelical Protestants, devout Catholics, socially conservative, pro-life voters, and working class-blue collar voters without a college degree have begun to join highly educated, urban Latino and white voters in supporting the Republican Party at majority levels. Culturally, the state GOP successfully galvanized the majority Latino region against Democrats on several hot-button social issues, namely gender identity and transgender-related concerns. The Lower Rio Grande Valley, like Texas itself, is socially conservative. Over 60% of voters outright reject a variety of transgender rights. GOP Spanish ads denigrating pronouns, denouncing gender-theory curriculum, opposing gender-affirming care for minors, and "protecting girls' sports and locker rooms" by banning transgender athletes in sports flooded the campaign trail. These sentiments are now influencing local races in the region and across Texas, signaling a new source of Republican strength. Economically, the GOP emphasized strong support for the state's oil and gas industry, which is 33% Latino. Other ideas communicated through the campaign trail were lowering taxes and supporting entrepreneurs and small business owners within the Latino community who signaled they trusted Trump to manage the economy over the Democrats. Pundits also noted the Trump campaign was able to build much-needed trust in the Latino community for Trump's immigration plans, often criticizing illegal immigration and asylum-seekers, which polls showed Latinos began to believe his rhetoric was about "other people" not "me." In 2016,

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

won only 29 percent of the region's vote, an 80-year low for Republicans. However, shocking pundits in 2020, he significantly strengthened the Republican vote in the Rio Grande Valley, reducing Democrats' winning margins from 38.6 in 2016 to 15.1 in 2020 and then outright winning the region in 2024 by 4.4 points, ultimately a 43-point shift from 8 years prior. Cruz on the same ballot lost the region by 5 points, a significant improvement from losing 2–1 in 2018.

Education

Historically, education has posed significant challenges to schools in the region. Schools in the early 1920s through the 1940s were racially segregated in the Rio Grande Valley. In 1940 a study showed the need for improvement in cultural differentiation of instruction. The

Texas Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) is the court of last resort for civil matters (including juvenile delinquency cases, which are categorized as civil under the Texas Family Code) in the U.S. state of Texas. A different court, the Texas Court o ...

in Del Rio ISD v. Salvatierra reinforced the racial segregation. In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Bilingual Education Act, helping students whose second language was English. The Act gave financial assistance to local schools to create bilingual programs, enabling Mexican students to integrate white schools. The area, like many others, had a hard time integrating. Texas still has the bilingual program, while states like California, Arizona, and Massachusetts, have removed the bill and passed similar propositions stating that students would only be taught in English. The bilingual program in the Rio Grande Valley is still in effect, especially with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals students in the area. Colleges and universities located in the Rio Grande Valley include: * Texas A&M Health Science Center, School of Public Health – McAllen * Texas A&M University Higher Education Center at McAllen *

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is a public research university with its main campus in Edinburg, Texas, and multiple other campuses throughout the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas. It is the southernmost member of the Uni ...

– entered into full operation in 2015 with the merger of the

University of Texas at Brownsville The University of Texas at Brownsville (abbreviated as UTB and formerly known as the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College TB/TSC was an educational institution located in Brownsville, Texas. The university was on the l ...

and the

University of Texas–Pan American The University of Texas–Pan American (UTPA) was a public university in Edinburg, Texas. Founded in 1927, it was a component institution of the University of Texas System. The university served the Rio Grande Valley (Texas), Rio Grande Valley a ...

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine is a public medical school of University of Texas Rio Grande Valley located in Edinburg, Texas. It is fully accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The UTRGV Sc ...

Texas Southmost College Texas Southmost College (TSC) is a public junior college located in Brownsville, Texas, United States. History Early history Texas Southmost College was established in 1926 under the name of The Junior College of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, ...

Texas State Technical College Texas State Technical College (TSTC) is a public technical college with its main campus near Waco, Texas. TSTC is the State of Texas's only public multicampus technical college, offering associate degrees and certificates in technical skills and ...

South Texas College South Texas College (STC) is a public community college in the Rio Grande Valley region of South Texas. It is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award Bachelor of Applied Technology ...

* University of Texas Health Science Center – Regional Academic Health Center

Sports

Defunct

Hospitals

Cornerstone Regional Hospital Cornerstone Regional Hospital is a for-profit hospital in Edinburg, Texas, partially owned and operated by Universal Health Services. Cornerstone Regional Hospital is licensed by the state of Texas and accredited by The Joint Commission. The hosp ...

, Edinburg, Texas * Edinburg Children's Hospital, Edinburg, Texas * Edinburg Regional Medical Center, Edinburg, Texas * Driscoll Children's Hospital Rio Grande Valley * Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, Edinburg, Texas * Harlingen Medical Center, Harlingen, Texas * McAllen Heart Hospital, McAllen, Texas * McAllen Medical Center, McAllen, Texas * Rio Grande Regional Hospital, McAllen, Texas * Rio Grande State Hospital, Harlingen, Texas * Solara Hospital, Harlingen, Texas * VA Health Care Center at Harlingen. Harlingen, Texas * Valley Baptist Medical Center, Harlingen, Texas * Valley Baptist Medical Center, Brownsville, Texas * Valley Regional Medical Center, Brownsville, Texas * Knapp Medical Center, Weslaco, Texas * Mission Regional Medical Center, Mission, Texas

Media

Magazines

* ''The Go Guide'' (published by Above Group Advertising Agency) * ''Rio Grande Magazine'' * ''Viva el Valle'' * ''RGV Drives Magazine'' (published by MAT Media Solutions) * ''RGVision Magazine'' (published by RGVision Media)

Newspapers

* '' Valley Town Crier'' – owned by Gatehouse Media * '' The Edinburg Review'' – owned by Gatehouse Media * '' Valley Bargain Book'' – owned by Gatehouse Media * ''El Periódico USA'' * ''

El Nuevo Heraldo ''El Nuevo Heraldo'' is a Spanish-language newspaper in Brownsville, Texas Brownsville ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County, located on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, ad ...

'' – owned by AIM Media Texas * ''Mega Doctor News'' * ''Texas Border Business'' * ''

The Brownsville Herald ''The Brownsville Herald'' is a newspaper based in Brownsville, Texas, United States, circulating in the Cameron County area. History Jesse O. Wheeler, a newspaperman from Victoria, purchased Brownsville's ''Cosmopolitan'' newspaper in 1892 an ...

'' – owned by AIM Media Texas * '' The Island Breeze'' – owned by AIM Media Texas * '' The Monitor'' – owned by

AIM Media Texas AIM Media Texas is a United States publisher of daily and non-daily newspapers, primarily in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas. In 2012, Freedom Communications began selling most of its newspaper portfolio. Former Dallas Morning News preside ...

* ''

Valley Morning Star The ''Valley Morning Star'', established in 1909 as the ''Harlingen Star'', is an American newspaper published in Harlingen in the U.S. state of Texas. In 1938, ''The New York Times'' reported on a printer's strike at the newspaper that was orga ...

'' – owned by AIM Media Texas * ''

Valleywood Magazine Dragon Studio Wales, is a complex of film and television studios in Bridgend in Wales, United Kingdom about 5 miles from Bridgend, from the Welsh capital, Cardiff. Studio facilities The complex has five sound stages, ranging between in size. ...

'' – owned by Valleywood Publications * '' The Donna News'' – owned by Valleywood Publications * '' Weslaco World'' – owned by Valleywood Publications * '' La Feria Journal'' – owned by Valleywood Publications * '' South Padre Island Post'' – owned by Valleywood Publications * '' Edinburg Daily Review'' – owned by Valleywood Publications * '' The Alamo News'' – owned by Valleywood Publications * ''

Pharr Press Pharr is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 79,715, and in 2022, the estimated population was 80,187. Pharr is connected by bridge to the Mexican city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas. Pharr is ...

'' – owned by Valleywood Publications * '' Harlingen Times'' – owned by Valleywood Publications * ''

Progreso Gazette Progreso or Progresso (Spanish, Portuguese and Italian for "Progress") may refer to: Places Angola * Progresso, Belas, Luanda, Angola Argentina * Progreso, Argentina Belize * Progresso, Belize, village in the Corozal District Bolivia * ...

'' – owned by Valleywood Publications

Television

KGBT-TV KGBT-TV (channel 4) is a television station licensed to Harlingen, Texas, United States, serving the Lower Rio Grande Valley as a primary Antenna TV owned-and-operated station and a secondary MyNetworkTV affiliate. It is owned by Nexstar Medi ...

/DT channel 4,

Antenna TV Antenna TV is an American digital television network owned by Nexstar Media Group. The network's programming consists of classic television series, primarily sitcoms, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Antenna TV's programming and advertising operatio ...

MyNetworkTV MyNetworkTV (stylized as mynetworkTV; unofficially abbreviated MNT or MNTV) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its Fox Television Stations ...

Affiliate *

KRGV KRGV-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Weslaco, Texas, United States, serving as the ABC affiliate for the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The station is owned by the Manship family of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, through Mobile Video Tape ...

-TV/DT Channel 5 News,

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

Affiliate *

KVEO KVEO-TV (channel 23) is a television station licensed to Brownsville, Texas, United States, serving the Lower Rio Grande Valley as an affiliate of NBC and CBS. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Harlingen-licensed KGBT-TV (channel 4), ...

-TV/DT NBC 23/CBS 4 (DT-2),

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

Affiliate *

KCWT-CD KCWT-CD (channel 21) is a low-power, Class A television station licensed to McAllen, Texas, United States, serving the Lower Rio Grande Valley as an affiliate of The CW Plus. The station also carries non-commercial PBS programming on its fo ...

21,

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

Affiliate with

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

on DT4 *

KTFV-CD KTFV-CD (channel 32) is a low-power, Class A television station licensed to McAllen, Texas, United States, serving the Lower Rio Grande Valley as an affiliate of the Spanish-language network UniMás. It is owned by Entravision Communications a ...

32,

UniMás UniMás (, stylized as ''UNIMÁS'', and originally known as TeleFutura from its launch on January 14, 2002, to January 6, 2013) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television, free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. ...

Affiliate * KFXV TV/DT 60,

FOX Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

Affiliate * KLUJ-TV/DT 44, TBN Affiliate *

KTLM KTLM (channel 40) is a television station licensed to Rio Grande City, Texas, United States, broadcasting the Spanish-language Telemundo network to the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Owned and operated by NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group, the st ...

-TV/DT 40,

Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast. It provides content ...

Affiliate * KNVO TV/DT 48,

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television, free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the L ...

Affiliate *

KMBH-LD KMBH-LD, virtual channel 67 ( UHF digital channel 20), is a low-power television station licensed to McAllen, Texas, United States. It is a translator of Harlingen-licensed Fox affiliate KFXV (channel 38) which is owned by Santa Moni ...

67, Fox 2 News,

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

Affiliate *

XERV-TDT XERV-TDT (channel 9) is a television station located in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico, whose over-the-air signal also covers the Rio Grande Valley across the international border in the United States. The station is owned by Grupo Televisa, carry ...

9.1 /

XHTAM-TDT XHTAM-TDT (channel 2) is a television station located in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico, whose over-the-air signal also covers the Rio Grande Valley across the international border in the United States. The station is owned by Grupo Televisa and car ...

2.1

Las Estrellas Las Estrellas () is a Mexican television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. Its first official broadcast took place on 21 March 1951. It airs free-to-air through affiliate stations throughout Mexico, based on XEW-TDT in Mexico City. It is con ...

Televisa Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., simply known as Televisa, is a Mexican telecommunications and broadcasting company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April ...

XHAB-TDT XHAB-TDT, virtual channel 8 (UHF digital channel 30), is a Televisa television station licensed to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. The channel can also be seen in Texas' Rio Grande Valley market. In addition to local news and programming, XHAB al ...

8.1 Televisa Tamaulipas, Televisa * XHOR-TDT 7.1 Azteca 7, TV Azteca *

XHREY-TDT Azteca Uno (formerly Azteca Trece) is a Mexican national broadcast television network owned by TV Azteca, with more than 100 transmitters across the country. Azteca Uno broadcasts on virtual channel 1. Azteca Uno programming is available in M ...

/ XHMTA-TDT 1.1 Azteca Uno, TV Azteca * XHVTV-TDT 6.1 Canal 6, Multimedios * XHCTRM-TDT 3.1 Imagen Televisión, Grupo Imagen

Radio

KBFM KBFM (104.1 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Edinburg, Texas, United States, carrying a bilingual English/Spanish language rhythmic CHR format known as "Wild 104". Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves the Rio Grande Valley. K ...

Wild 104 (Hip Hop/Top 40 – IHeart Media) *

XEEW-FM XEEW-FM (97.7 MHz) is a radio station in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, serving Matamoros and Brownsville, Texas, United States. It carries the Los 40 Los 40 (stylized as LOS40, formerly ''Los 40 Principales'', ) is a Spanish Top 40-themed ...

Los 40 Principales 97.7 (Top 40 Spanish/English) *

KBTQ KBTQ (96.1 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish classic hits format. Licensed to Harlingen, Texas, United States, the station serves the McAllen area. The station is owned by Latino Media Network. History KMBS "Stereo 96" signed on th ...

96.1 Exitos (Spanish Oldies) Univision *

KBUC KBUC (102.1 MHz) is a radio station broadcasting a tejano music format. Licensed to Raymondville, Texas, United States, the station serves the McAllen-Brownsville-Harlingen and Reynosa-Matamoros border area. The station is owned by Grupo Multi ...

Super Tejano 102.1 (Tejano) *

KCAS KCAS (91.5 FM) is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to serve McCook, Texas. McCook is a dispersed rural community about 20 miles northwest of the county seat, Edinburg, in Hidalgo County, Texas. The station is owned and ...

91.5 FM (Christian, Teaching/Preaching/Music) * KESO 92.7 KESO (Classic Hits) *

KFRQ KFRQ (94.5 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to Harlingen, Texas, United States, the station serves the Rio Grande Valley area. The station is currently owned by Entravision. It shares a studio with its siste ...

Q94.5 The Rock (Classic Rock) (All Rock All The Time) *

KGBT-FM KGBT-FM (98.5 MHz) is an American radio station in McAllen, Texas, United States, owned by Latino Media Network, which offers a regional Mexican music format The station has had a regional Mexican format since 1997. Its studios are located in Mc ...

98.5 FM (Regional Mexican) Univision *

KHKZ KHKZ (106.3 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a hot adult contemporary format. Licensed to San Benito, Texas, United States, the station serves the Rio Grande Valley. The station is currently owned by iHeartMedia. It shares a studio with it ...

Kiss FM 105.5 & 106.3 (Hot Adult Contemporary) *

KIRT Kirt or KIRT may refer to: * K’irt’ or Kard, town in Armenia * Kirt, West Virginia, United States * KIRT, an American radio station People with the name * Kirt Manwaring (born 1965), American baseball player * Kirt Niedrigh, comic book charact ...

1580 AM Radio Imagen (Variety, Spanish contemporary) * KIWW (Spanish) *

KJAV KJAV (104.9 FM, "Life Radio 104.9") is a radio station that is licensed to Alamo, Texas, United States. The station was acquired by Christian Ministries of the Valley, Inc in 2023, and broadcasts a Contemporary Christian radio format. Histor ...

Ultra 104.9 Sonamos Differente (Spanish AC & English HAC) (AC) *

KKPS KKPS (99.5 FM broadcasting, FM) "Fuego 99.5" is a radio station broadcasting a Contemporary hit radio, Bilingual Rhythmic CHR format. Licensed to Brownsville, Texas, United States, the station serves the McAllen-Brownsville-Harlingen area. The s ...

Fuego 99.5 (Spanish Hot AC (International hits) * KJJF/ KHID 88.9/88.1 Religious (Relevant Radio) *

KNVO-FM KNVO-FM (101.1 FM, "La Suavecita 101.1") is a radio station licensed to serve Port Isabel, Texas, United States. The station is owned by Entravision Communications. KNVO-FM broadcasts a Spanish adult hits music format to the Rio Grande Valley ...

La Suavecita 101.1 (Spanish Hits) *

KQXX KQXX-FM (105.5 FM, "Kiss FM 105.5 & 106.3") is a radio station broadcasting a Hot Adult Contemporary music format, simulcasting its sister station KHKZ. Licensed to Mission, Texas, United States, the station serves the McAllen area. The statio ...

Kiss FM 105.5 & 106.3 (Hot Adult Contemporary, simulcast of KHKZ – IHeart Media) *

KTEX KTEX (100.3 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Mercedes, Texas, United States, the station serves the McAllen, Weslaco, Harlingen, Brownsville, Texas, area. The station is owned by iHeartMedia. It shares ...

100.3 (Mainstream Country – IHeart Media) *

KURV KURV (710 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Edinburg, Texas, United States, and serving the Rio Grande Valley. It broadcasts a news-talk format and is owned by Grupo Multimedios, through licensee Leading Media Group Corp. T ...

710 AM Heritage Talk Radio (part of the BMP family of stations) * KVLY 107.9 RGV FM (AC) (More Hits, More Variety) * KVMV 96.9 FM (Christian, Contemporary Music) World Radio Network *

KVNS KVNS (1700 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a sports format. Licensed to Brownsville, Texas, United States, the station is currently owned by iHeartMedia and features programming from Fox News Radio, Premiere Radio Networks and Westwood One. ...

1700AM (Fox Sports Radio – IHeart Media) *

KYWW KYWW (1530 kHz, "Puro Tejano 1530 AM") is a Spanish language AM radio station, licensed to Harlingen, Texas, United States, and serving the Rio Grande Valley border area. It is owned by Latino Media Network, and airs a Spanish language Tejano m ...

1530 La Tremenda (Univision) * XHRYA-FM 90.9 Mas Music (Spanish/English Mix)

Notable people

Notable people who were born, lived, or died in the Rio Grande Valley include: *

David V. Aguilar David V. Aguilar is the former Deputy Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In this position, he oversaw more than 43,000 Federal Agents and Officers. As the nation's highest ranking Border Patrol Agent, Aguilar managed the nation's ...

(Chief Border Patrol Agent, United States Border Patrol) *

Cristela Alonzo Cristela Alonzo (born January 6, 1979) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, writer, and producer, who created and starred in the ABC sitcom '' Cristela.'' This made Alonzo the first Mexican American woman to create, produce, write, and sta ...

(comedian, actress, writer, producer from

) *

Micaela Alvarez Micaela Alvarez (born June 8, 1958) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Education and career Alvarez was born in Donna, Texas. She received her Bachelor of Science d ...

(federal judge) *

Abraham Ancer Abraham Ancer (; born 27 February 1991) is a Mexican-American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and is currently playing on the LIV Golf tour. He won the 2018 Emirates Australian Open and the 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational f ...

(professional golfer, Olympian) * Natalia Anciso (contemporary artist) *

Gloria E. Anzaldúa Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins ...

(writer, poet, philosopher) *

Ramón Ayala Ramón Covarrubias Garza (born 8 December 1945), known by his stage name Ramón Ayala, is a Mexican accordion player, composer and songwriter of Norteño music. He is also known as the "King of the Accordion". Awards and recognition Ayala ...

(singer) * Cathy Baker (television performer) *

Edgar Barrera Edgar is a commonly used masculine English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Edgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the Late Middle Ages; it was, however, ...

(songwriter, producer, Grammy Award Winner;

McAllen, Texas McAllen is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Hidalgo County. It is located at the southern tip of the state in the Rio Grande Valley, on the Mexican border. The city limits extend south to the Rio Grande, acros ...

) *

Lloyd Bentsen Lloyd Millard Bentsen Jr. (February 11, 1921 – May 23, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 69th United States secretary of the treasury under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1994. He served as a United States senator from ...

(U.S. Secretary of the Treasury; U.S. Senator; 1988 vice-presidential candidate) *

James Carlos Blake James Carlos Blake (May 26, 1943 – January 11, 2025) was an American novelist as well as a writer of novellas, short stories, and essays. His work has received extensive critical favor and several notable awards. He has been called “one of th ...

(novelist) *

Harlon Block Harlon Henry Block (November 6, 1924 – March 1, 1945) was a United States Marine Corps corporal who was killed in action during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. Born in Yorktown, Texas, Block joined the Marine Corps with seven high schoo ...

(Iwo Jima flag raiser) *

William S. Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist. He is widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major Postmodern literature, postmodern author who influen ...

(writer; his time as a farmer in the Valley in

Pharr, Texas Pharr is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 79,715, and in 2022, the estimated population was 80,187. Pharr is connected by bridge to the Mexican city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas. Pharr is ...

, is briefly chronicled in his books ''Junky'' and ''Queer'') * Pedro Cano (Medal of Honor recipient) *

Rolando Cantú Rolando Roel Cantú (born February 25, 1981) is a Mexican former American football player who was a tackle for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He was the first Mexican football player trained in the Mexican collegiat ...

(football player) *

Raúl Castillo Raul Castillo may refer to: * Raúl Castillo (actor), American actor and playwright * Raul Castillo (fighter), American mixed martial artist * Raúl Castillo (footballer), Mexican footballer {{hndis ...

(actor) *

Chuck Charnichart Chuck Charnichart is an American restaurateur and pitmaster. Early life and education Charnichart's parents, Bethoven and Francisca Charnichart, emigrated from San Luis Potosí (city), San Luis Potosí, Mexico, to Brownsville, Texas in 1997. He ...

, restaurateur *

Thomas Haden Church Thomas Haden Church (born Thomas Richard McMillen; June 17, 1960) is an American actor. After starring in the 1990s sitcom '' Wings'' and playing the lead for two seasons in ''Ned & Stacey'' (1995–1997)'','' Church became known for his film work ...

(actor) * Maria D'Luz (singer, songwriter, pianist, recording artist, musician) *

(first Republican woman to represent Texas's 15th congressional district from

Brownsville, Texas Brownsville ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County, located on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border, border with Matamoros, Tamaulipas ...

) *

Kika de la Garza Eligio "Kika" de la Garza II (September 22, 1927March 13, 2017) was an American lawyer, Korean War veteran, and politician who served 16 consecutive terms as the Democratic representative for the of Texas from January 3, 1965, to January 3, 1997 ...

(U.S. Representative) *

Freddy Fender Freddy Fender (born Baldemar Garza Huerta; June 4, 1937 – October 14, 2006) was an American Country and Tejano singer, known for his work as a solo artist and in the groups Los Super Seven and the Texas Tornados. His signature sound fused cou ...

(actor, musician, lyricist) *

Mike Fossum Michael Edward Fossum (born December 19, 1957, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota) is a former American astronaut, engineer, and the Chief Operating Officer of Texas A&M University at Galveston. He flew into space on board the NASA Space Shuttle missio ...

(astronaut) *

Grupo Frontera Grupo Frontera is an American regional Mexican band from Edinburg, Texas. The band currently consists of vocalist and bajo quinto player Adelaido "Payo" Solís III, accordionist and fellow vocalist Juan Javier Cantú, congas player Julian Peña Jr ...

(regional Mexican band from

Edinburg, Texas Edinburg ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 100,243 at the 2020 census, and in 2022, its estimated population was 104,294, making it the second-largest city in Hidalgo County, and th ...

) * Reynaldo Guerra Garza (

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is one of the 13 United States courts of appeals. It has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: ...

judge) *

Roberto Garza Roberto Garza (born March 26, 1979) is an American former professional football center. He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round (99th overall) of the 2001 NFL draft, and in 2005, joined the Chicago Bears, spending ten seasons ...

(football player) * Tony Garza (U.S. Ambassador to Mexico) *

Xavier Garza Xavier Garza (born 14 October 1968) is an author and illustrator of children's books and professor of art at Northwest Vista College in San Antonio. Life and career Xavier Garza was born in Rio Grande City in Texas's Lower Rio Grande Valley in 1 ...

(author and illustrator) * Alfredo C. Gonzalez (

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient, U.S. Marine veteran) *

Matt Gonzalez Matthew Edward Gonzalez (born June 4, 1965) is an American politician, lawyer, and activist. He served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 2001 to 2005 and was president of the Board. In 2003, Gonzalez, running as a member of the Gre ...

(2008 vice-presidential candidate; former president of the Board of Supervisors of San Francisco, California) * Raquel Gonzalez (wrestler) *

Bill Haley William John Clifton Haley (; July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981) was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-sel ...

(musician) *

Catherine Hardwicke Catherine Hardwicke is an American film director, production designer, and screenwriter. Her directorial work includes '' Thirteen'' (2003), which she co-wrote with Nikki Reed, the film's co-star, '' Lords of Dogtown'' (2005), '' The Nativity ...

(writer, film director-producer) * Rolando Hinojosa (author) *

Rubén Hinojosa Rubén Eloy Hinojosa (born August 20, 1940) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for , from 1997 to 2017. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district stretched from Seguin (east of San Antonio), to McAllen on ...

(U.S. Representative) * Esteban Jordan (accordionist) *

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a m ...

(musician, actor, songwriter) * Bobby Lackey (college football player; Weslaco, Texas) *

Tom Landry Thomas Wade Landry ( ; September 11, 1924 – February 12, 2000) was an American professional football coach, player, and World War II veteran. Regarded as one of the greatest head coaches of all time, he was the first head coach of the Dallas ...

(American football coach, Mission, Texas) * José M. López (Medal of Honor recipient) * Domingo Martinez (author) * Eduardo Martinez (Historian, Journalist) *

Narciso Martínez Narciso Martínez (October 29, 1911 – June 5, 1992), was a Mexican folk musician. His nickname was ''El Huracan del Valle'' ("The Hurricane of the Valley"). - Registration required. He began recording in 1935 (or 1936) and is the father of con ...

("father of conjunto music" from La Paloma, Texas) *

Rachel McLish Raquel Livia Elizondo McLish (born 21 June 1955) is an American female bodybuilding champion, actress, and author.

(Ms. Olympia; actress) *

Roy Mitchell-Cárdenas Roy Mitchell-Cárdenas (born July 25, 1977 in Houston, Texas) is an American musician, writer, and multi-instrumentalist. He was the bassist (and sometimes guitarist) for the rock band Mutemath, as well as the bassist for Earthsuit. Mitchell-Cárd ...

(musician) *

Jack Morava Jack Johnson Morava is an American homotopy theorist at Johns Hopkins University. Education Of Czech and Appalachian descent, he was raised in Texas' lower Rio Grande valley. An early interest in topology was strongly encouraged by his parent ...

(mathematician) *

Bobby Morrow Bobby Joe Morrow (October 15, 1935May 30, 2020) was an American sprinter who won three gold medals at the 1956 Olympics. He has been called "the dominant sprinter of the 1950s" and "the most relaxed sprinter of all time, even more so than his ...

(Olympic gold medalist) *

Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...

(founder and CEO of

SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an America, American space technology company headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase, Starbase development site in Starbase, Texas. Since its founding in 2002, the compa ...

, moved into a $50,000 rental home in

Boca Chica Boca Chica is a municipality (''municipio'') of the Santo Domingo province in the Dominican Republic. Within the municipality there is one municipal district (''distritos municipal''): La Caleta. As of the 2022 census it had 167,040 inhabitan ...

) *

Billy Gene Pemelton William Eugene Pemelton (born September 5, 1941, in Mercedes, Texas) is a retired American track and field athlete. He represented the United States in the pole vault at the 1964 Olympics where he finished in eighth place. He qualified by finish ...

(1964 Olympian) *

Bobby Pulido José Roberto Pulido Jr. (born April 25, 1971), known professionally as Bobby Pulido, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is acclaimed for pioneering the dissemination of Tejano music to a youthful audience, subsequently a ...

(singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor from

) * Major Samuel Ringgold (father of modern artillery) * Charles M. Robinson III (author) *

Valente Rodriguez Valente Rodriguez (born February 14, 1964) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Ernie Cardenas on the sitcom '' George Lopez''. He also starred as Cesar in the TV Land sitcom '' Happily Divorced'', as well as guest starring on ...

(actor) *

Ricardo Sanchez Ricardo Sanchez (born September 9, 1953) is a former lieutenant general in the United States Army. Early life and education Sánchez was born into a Mexican American family in Rio Grande City, Texas. He spent one year at the University of Tex ...

(U.S. Army lieutenant general; ground forces commander in Iraq) *

Julian Schnabel Julian Schnabel (born October 26, 1951) is an American painter and filmmaker. In the 1980s, he received international attention for his "plate paintings"—with broken ceramic plates set onto large-scale paintings. Since the 1990s, he has been a ...

(filmmaker) * Siggno (American norteño/tejano band formed in

Santa Rosa, Texas Santa Rosa is a town in Cameron County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,450 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville and the Matamoros–Brownsville metropolitan areas. Geography Santa Rosa is ...

) * Adela Sloss Vento * Merced Solis, aka

Tito Santana Merced Solis (born May 10, 1953), better known by the ring name Tito Santana, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, Professional wrestling school, trainer, and retired school teacher. Solis has stayed a Face (profession ...

(wrestler) *

Nick Stahl Nicolas Kent Stahl (born ) is an American actor. Starting out as a child actor, he gained recognition for his performance in the 1993 film ''The Man Without a Face'', in which he was directed by and starred alongside Mel Gibson. Stahl later tr ...

(actor) *

Emeraude Toubia Emeraude Toubia (, born March 1, 1989) is an American actress. From 2016 to 2019, she portrayed Isabelle Lightwood on the Freeform fantasy series ''Shadowhunters''. Toubia has been starring as Lily Diaz on the Amazon Prime Video romantic comed ...

(actress) * Filemon Bartolome Vela (federal judge) * Eric Miles Williamson (novelist, literary critic, professor)

References

External links

Texas State Historical Association – Lower Rio Grande Valley

Rio Grande Valley Partnership: Valley Chamber

Rio Grande Valley Sports Information Center

Rgvattractions.com: Attractions in the Rio Grande Valley

Rio Grande Valley Community Foundation

RGVPride.com

Los Ebanos, TX

Wintertexaninfo.com: The Winter Texan Connection
* KERA documentary about agricultural workers
"A Thirst in the Garden,"
The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

American Archive of Public Broadcasting The American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB) is a collaboration between the Library of Congress and WGBH Educational Foundation, founded through the efforts of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The AAPB is a national effort to di ...

{{Authority control Rio Grande Valleys of Texas Valleys of Mexico Regions of Texas Wetlands of Texas Landforms of Cameron County, Texas Landforms of Hidalgo County, Texas Landforms of Starr County, Texas Landforms of Willacy County, Texas Landforms of Tamaulipas Rio Grande basin