Alamo ( ), located in the

Rio Grande Valley 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 ...

is a city in the irrigated area of southern

Hidalgo County, Texas Hidalgo County (; ) is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 870,781, making it the ninth-most populous county in Texas, and the most populous county outside of the counties in the Texas Triangle. The ...

, United States in an area of vegetable farming and citrus groves, and is a noted winter resort/retirement town near the Mexico–U.S. border. Alamo is one of the Rio Grande Valley's gateways to Mexico, via

U.S. Route 281 U.S. Route 281 (US 281) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway. At it is the longest continuous three-digit U.S. Route. The highway's northern terminus is at the International Peace Garden, north of Dunseith, North Dakota, a ...

and Nuevo Progreso, Tamaulipas, as well as a gateway to the

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 ...

. Alamo's population was 19,493 at the 2020 census.

History

Alamo was laid out in 1909, and named after the

Alamo Mission The Alamo is a historic Spanish mission and fortress compound founded in the 18th century by Catholic missionaries in what is now San Antonio, Texas, United States. It was the site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836, a pivotal event of the Texa ...

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

Geography

Alamo is located in southern Hidalgo County at (26.185113, –98.117892). It is bordered to the west by the city of

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

and to the east by the city of Donna. According to the

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

, Alamo has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

Alamo is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 19,493 people, 6,106 households, and 4,758 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, 14,760 people, 4,621 households, and 3,826 families resided in the city. The population density was . The 6,208 housing units averaged 1,085.5 per square mile (419.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.61% White (including Hispanics or Latinos), 0.21% African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 13.73% from other races, and 1.94% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos people of any race were 78.10% of the population. Of the 4,621 households, 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.2% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.2% were not families. About 15.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.19 and the average family size was 3.57. In the city, the population was distributed as 30.0% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $23,928, and for a family was $24,827. Males had a median income of $17,476 versus $14,683 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $10,564. About 24.9% of families and 32.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 48.0% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Most of Alamo's population resides within the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (PSJAISD), although a portion does reside in the

Donna Independent School District Donna Independent School District (ISD) is a public school district based in Donna, Texas, Donna, Texas (United States, USA). In addition to Donna, the district serves Scissors, Texas, Scissors and South Alamo, Texas, South Alamo, and portions of ...

boundaries.SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Hidalgo County, TX
"

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 ...

. Retrieved on January 2, 2017. Elementary schools in the PSJAISD located in Alamo include Zeferino Farias Elementary, Agusto Guerra Elementary, Santos Livas (previously North Alamo) Elementary, Marcia R. Garza Elementary, and John McKeever Elementary. Middle schools: Alamo Middle School and Audie Murphy Middle all serve Alamo. Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Memorial High School is the zoned high school of PSJAISD Alamo. Captain D. Salinas II Elementary, Sauceda Middle School, and Donna High School serve the Donna ISD portion. In addition, all Alamo residents are allowed to apply to magnet schools operated by the

South Texas Independent School District South Texas Independent School District (STISD) is a magnet school district headquartered in Mercedes, Texas ( USA). STISD operates magnet schools that draw students from three counties: Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy. STISD covers an area o ...

. Valley Christian Heritage School is in Alamo.

Idea Public School District IDEA Public Schools, Inc (Individuals Dedicated to Excellence and Achievement Public Schools) is a not‐for‐profit charter school operator based in Weslaco, Texas. It was formed in June 2000.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 ...

Sergeant Fernando "Nando" De La Rosa, who died during a roadside bomb explosion on October 27, 2009, in the Arghandab River Valley in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

.Sergeant Fernando de la Rosa
." Sergeant Fernando de la Rosa Memorial Library. Retrieved on May 9, 2010.

Radio stations

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 ...

(94.5 FM) * KJAV (104.9 FM) * KVLY (107.9 FM)

References

External links

City of Alamo official website

"Alamo, TX"
in ''Handbook of Texas Online''
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge
{{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Hidalgo County, Texas Populated places established in 1924