Alamo ( ), located in the

Rio Grande Valley The Lower Rio Grande Valley ( es, Valle del Río Grande), commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. Th ...

in what is nicknamed the "Land of Two Summers", is a city in the irrigated area of southern Hidalgo County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, United States. Known as the "Refuge to the Valley", it is located in an area of abundant 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 Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, 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, at t ...

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, South Texas. The wildlife refuge was established for the protect ...

. Alamo's population was 18,353 at the 2010 census and an estimated 19,910 in 2019.

History

Alamo was laid out in 1909, and named after the

Alamo Mission in San Antonio The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Ant ...

. Alamo is the Spanish/Mexican word for Cottonwood tree.

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 and to the east by the city of

Donna Donna may refer to the short form of the honorific ''nobildonna'', the female form of Don (honorific) in Italian. People * Donna (given name); includes name origin and list of people and characters with the name * Roberto Di Donna (born 1968), ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), 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 Census Bureau is part of the ...

, 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 The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 19,493 people, 6,106 households, and 4,758 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, 14,760 people, 4,621 households, and 3,826 families resided in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 2,580.8 people per square mile (996.3/km²). The 6,208 housing units averaged 1,085.5 per square mile (419.0/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

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 total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

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 t ...

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

Government and infrastructure

The current City Officials are Mayor Diana Martinez, Mayor Pro-Tem Robert De La Garza, Commissioner Oscar Salinas (Place 1), Commissioner Pete Morales (Place 2) and Commissioner Maria Del Pilar Garza (Place 4). The current Chief of Police is Richard Ozuna, a former Captain at the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

operates the Alamo Post Office.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Most of Alamo's population resides within the

Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District is a public school district based in Pharr, Texas (U.S.) in the Rio Grande Valley. The district serves Pharr, San Juan, and Alamo as well as a small portion of McAllen. PSJA ISD's total studen ...

(PSJAISD), although a portion does reside in the

Donna Independent School District Donna Independent School District is a public school district based in Donna, Texas (USA). In addition to Donna, the district also serves Scissors and South Alamo; and portions of Alamo, Midway North, and Midway South. In 2010, Donna ISD was ...

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

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), 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 Census Bureau is part of the ...

. 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 Pharr-San Juan-Alamo (PSJA) Memorial Early College High School is a public high school in Alamo, Texas (U.S.). It is part of the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District and is one of the district's six high schools. Located at 800 Sout ...

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. Valley Christian Heritage School is in Alamo. Idea Public School District enrolls local students in any of a variety of area campuses in located in Alamo, San Juan, Pharr, Donna, and Edinburg.

Public libraries

Sergeant Fernando de la Rosa Memorial Library is located in Alamo. The library is named after

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

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,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

.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 sister ...

(94.5 FM) *

KJAV KJAV (104.9 FM, "Ultra 104.9") is a radio station licensed to serve Alamo, Texas, United States. The station is owned by Bi-Media, LLC, through licensee Bi-Media Licensee, LLC. The principals of Bi-Media are the Bichara family, which also owns t ...

(104.9 FM) *

KVLY KVLY may refer to: * KVLY-TV, a television station (digital channel 36, virtual 11) licensed to Fargo, North Dakota, United States :See also: KVLY-TV mast, transmitter for the station and second highest man made structure in the world * KVLY (FM) ...

(107.9 FM) *

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

(99.5 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