Edinburg, Texas
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Edinburg ( ) is a city in and the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of Hidalgo County,
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 ...
, 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 the third-largest city in the larger Rio Grande Valley region. Edinburg is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas. Edinburg is home to the main campus of
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 ...
.


History

In 1908, John Closner, William Briggs, Argyle McAllen, Plutarco de la Viña, and Dennis B. Chapin began to develop a new community at this site. The town square was located at the current crossroads of U.S. Highway 281 and State Highway 107. The town was named "Chapin" in honor of one of the developers. A local myth relates that Edinburg became the county seat of Hidalgo County in a dramatic, nighttime covert operation in which the county records were removed from the previous county seat. However, historical records show more practical reasons. The 1886 Hidalgo County Courthouse in the city of Hidalgo was under frequent danger of flooding because it stood just a few yards away from the banks 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 ...
. Additionally, the county was over 80 miles long at this time, and state law required that the courthouse be close to the geographic center of a county. A wood-frame courthouse was designed and built beside the Chapin courthouse square in 1908; construction on a grand courthouse within the square began in 1910 under the supervision of San Antonio builders and a partnership of San Antonio architects. When Dennis Chapin was involved in the shooting death of Oscar J. Rountree at the Dan Breen Saloon in
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 ...
, the community changed its name to "Edinburg" to honor John Young, a prominent businessman who was born in
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. The town was officially renamed in 1911 and incorporated in 1919.


Geography

Edinburg is located in south-central Hidalgo County at (26.304225, –98.163751). It is bordered to the south by Pharr and to the southwest by McAllen, the largest city in the county. U.S. Route 281 ( Interstate 69C) runs through the east side of Edinburg. US 281 leads north to
Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...
and to San Antonio. Downtown McAllen is to the south and west. 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 ...
, Edinburg has a total area of , of which , or 0.16%, is covered by water.


Climate

Edinburg has a borderline hot semi-arid (
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''BSh'')/
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(''Cfa''), typical for South Texas, and characterised by hot to sweltering summers and warm winters.


Demographics

As of the census of 2020, there were 100,243 people, 29,899 households, and 21,635 families were residing in the city.


2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 77,100 people in the city.


2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 48,465 people, 14,183 households, and 11,417 families in the city. The population density was . The 16,031 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 73.32% White, 0.58% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 22.71% from other races, and 2.27% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 88.68% of the population. About 95% of those who selected the "other race" were Hispanic or Latino. Of the 14,183 households, 46.9% had children under 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.5% were not families. About 15.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.29, and the average family size was 3.71. In the city, the ag distribution was 33.0% under 18, 13.1% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 15.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 90.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,938, and for a family was $30,634. Males had a median income of $27,505 versus $21,010 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 $11,854. About 25.2% of families and 29.2% 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 37.2% of those under 18 and 23.0% of those 65 or over.


Economy

Several state agencies have offices in Edinburg. This includes the Thirteenth Court of Appeals, the Texas Attorney General's Child Support Unit, the Texas Departments of Health Services, Human Services, Protective and Regulatory Services, and Public Safety. The Texas Youth Commission has a facility near Edinburg. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates two facilities, the Lopez Unit and the Segovia Unit, in Edinburg.


Arts and culture


Public libraries

The City of Edinburg operates the Dustin Michael Sekula Memorial Library.


Museums

Edinburg is home to the Museum of South Texas History, formerly the Hidalgo County Historical Museum.


Tourism

The Edinburg Scenic Wetlands comprise one of nine sites of the World Birding Center, a native habitat site and wildlife refuge.


Sports

This city was the home of the Edinburg Roadrunners, an independent league baseball team in the North American League, but after numerous ownership changes, the team disbanded. Currently,
UTRGV The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in Edinburg, Texas, and multiple other campuses throughout the Rio Grande Valley (Texas), Rio Grande Valley region of Tex ...
is the only major baseball team in Edinburg. In 2013, the city of Edinburg and the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation announced plans for the construction of an events arena in which the
NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...
champions, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, would be the anchor tenants. It opened in 2018. The team also has its practice facility at the Edinburg Sports and Wellness Center. The city also opened a six-city-block stretch of green pedestrian walkway space known as the McIntyre Street Project in April 2014; it is expected to be the beginning of a proposed arts and restaurant district extending through the heart of Edinburg. Since 2016, the city has been home to the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros soccer club in the
USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the second tier of the United States soccer league system#Men's leagues, United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) a ...
, who play at H-E-B Park. The city is also home to the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros Academy, the best youth soccer club in the area and a pioneer in youth development for the Rio Grande Valley. The Toros Academy plays in the MLS Next league against the best academies in the nation and provides fully funded programs for U-15, U-17, and U-19 boys.


Stadiums and arenas

Bert Ogden Arena was originally opened in August 2018, is the home for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League. The capacity for basketball games is 7,688 and 9,000 for concerts. The construction cost was $88 million. UTRGV Baseball Stadium, commonly known as Edinburg Stadium, had its groundbreaking take place in 2000., and it opened in 2001. The stadium's capacity is 4,000 people. It was the home for the Edinburg Roadrunners (2001 to 2013). The Edinburg Roadrunners were a member of the
United League Baseball United League Baseball was an Independent league baseball, independent baseball league that operated in Texas. The league operated from 2006 to 2009. The league then temporarily merged with the Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010), Northern L ...
2006 to 2010 and the North American League from 2011 to 2012. The land was owned by the City of Edinburg in years prior to 2014, was donated to the
University of Texas System The University of Texas System (UT System) is a public university system in the U.S. state of Texas. It includes nine universities and five independent health institutions. The UT System is headquartered in Downtown Austin. It is the large ...
. Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium is a 9,700-seat
soccer-specific stadium A soccer-specific stadium, mainly in the United States and Canada, is a sports stadium either purpose-built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multi-purpose stadium whic ...
home for the rio Grande Valley FC Toros of the USL Championship. The construction of the stadium was completed in 2016 and officially opened on March 22, 2017.


Government

As Edinburg is the county seat of Hidalgo County, most major county offices are located there, including the Criminal District Attorney's Office, the District Courts and County Courts at Law of Hidalgo County, the Community Supervision and Corrections Department, the Hidalgo County Juvenile Probation Department, the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office, and the offices of the County Judge, the Tax Assessor/Collector, the County Treasurer, County Auditor and Veterans Services. Hidalgo County Commissioner's Precinct Four represents Edinburg on the Hidalgo County Commissioner's Court.


Edinburg City Council

*
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
- Ramiro Garza Jr. * Council Member Place 1 – Dan Diaz * Council Member Place 2 – Jason De Leon * Council Member Place 3 – Johnny Garcia * Council Member Place 4 – David White Edinburg City Council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of every month starting at 6 pm in the Edinburg City Hall, Council Chambers. Anyone can attend the meetings and voice any concerns.


Federal representation

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 ...
Rio Grande Valley Sector Headquarters is at 4400 South Expressway 281, Edinburg, Texas. The
United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
operates a postal office at 410 S Jackson Road, Edinburg, Texas.


Education


University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

In December 2012, officials announced the merger of the existing University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg and the University of Texas at Brownsville into a regional institution. A year later, in December 2013,
University of Texas System The University of Texas System (UT System) is a public university system in the U.S. state of Texas. It includes nine universities and five independent health institutions. The UT System is headquartered in Downtown Austin. It is the large ...
officials decided to name the new institution the
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 ...
. UTRGV's creation garnered much media attention because of its expected economic, social, and health-care impact on the region. UTRGV is unique in that it is the first time the UT System has merged existing campuses in such a way. UTRGV was to also bring the first medical school to the Rio Grande Valley region. The first class of UTRGV students began courses in fall 2015.


Colleges

Edinburg is also the home of the Rio Grande Bible Institute and is located in the South Texas College District.


Primary and secondary education

Almost all of the city is served by the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District, comprising four high schools, one alternative secondary school, six middle schools, and 20 elementary schools. A small portion is served by the McAllen Independent School District, including Memorial High School, Cathey Middle School, and McAllen's Gonzalez Elementary. In addition, 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 ...
operates magnet schools that serve Edinburg. South Texas Business Education & Technology Academy is in Edinburg. Students from Edinburg also have the chance to attend other South Texas ISD schools in Mercedes: South Texas High School for the Medical Professions and the Science Academy of South Texas. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville operates St. Joseph Catholic School, an elementary and middle school.


Media


Television stations

The Edinburg area is served by numerous local television affiliates. * KGBT (CBS 4) –
Harlingen, Texas Harlingen ( ) is a city in Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County in the central region of the Rio Grande Valley (Texas), Rio Grande Valley of the southern part of the U.S. state of Texas, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city co ...
* KRGV (ABC 5) – Weslaco, Texas * XERV (Televisa 9 Las Estrellas) – Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico * XHREY (Azteca Uno 1) Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico * XHOR (Azteca 7 7) Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico * KCWT (CW 21) La Feria, Texas * KVEO (NBC 23) –
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 ...
* KTFV (UniMás 32) –
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 ...
* KTLM (Telemundo 40) – Rio Grande City, Texas * KLUJ (TBN 44) –
Harlingen, Texas Harlingen ( ) is a city in Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County in the central region of the Rio Grande Valley (Texas), Rio Grande Valley of the southern part of the U.S. state of Texas, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city co ...
* KNVO (Univisión 48) –
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 ...
* XHVTV (Multimedios 6) – Reynosa, Tamaulipas * KFXV (FOX 60) –
Harlingen, Texas Harlingen ( ) is a city in Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County in the central region of the Rio Grande Valley (Texas), Rio Grande Valley of the southern part of the U.S. state of Texas, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city co ...
* KNWS-LD (Azteca América 64) –
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 ...
* KMBH-LD (Fox 67) –
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 ...


Radio stations

* KHID 88.1 FM (National Public Radio) * KOIR Radio Esperanza 88.5 FM (Spanish Christian) panish* XHRYA Mas Musica 90.9 FM (Hit Radio) panish* XHMLS Exitos 91.3 FM (All-Time Hits) panish* KCAS The New KCAS 91.5 FM (Religious) * XHAAA La Caliente 93.1 FM (Regional Mexican) panishref name=autogenerated1> * KFRQ 94.5 FM (Classic/Modern/Hard Rock) * XHRT Xtrema 95.3 FM (All-Time Hits) panish* KBTQ Radio Recuerdo 96.1 FM (Oldies) panish* KVMV Faith, Hope & Love 96.9 FM (Contemporary Christian) * KCYP-LP 97.7 FM LP , The city (Local Talent and Talk) *
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 ...
Que Pasa 99.5 FM (Regional
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 ...
) panish* KTEX-FM South Texas Country 100.3 FM (Country) * KNVO-FM Jose 101.1 FM (Contemporary Spanish) * XHAVO Digital 101.5 FM (International Music) panish* KBFM Wild 104.1 FM (Hip-Hop/R&B/Reggaeton) * KJAV 104.9 FM Ultra * KQXX The X 105.5 FM (Classic-rock) * KBIC 105.7 FM Radio Vida (Christian radio) * KHKZ Kiss 106.3 FM (
Hot AC Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, ...
) * XHVTH La Mas Buena 107.1 FM (Regional Mexican) panishref name=autogenerated1 /> * KVLY Mix FM 107.9 FM (Adult Contemporary, TOP 40) * KURV 710 AM (Talk Radio) FOX News * XERDO-AM La Radio 1450 AM (News/Sports) panishref name=autogenerated2> * XEMS La Radio Mexicana 1490 AM (Regional Mexican) panishref name=autogenerated2 />


Area newspapers

* '' The Monitor'' * '' Valley Morning Star'' * '' Rio Grande Guardian''


Infrastructure


Transportation

McIntyre Street Project plans also include a bus transportation hub for Valley Metro, the regional transit service.
Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a dog breed, breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Some are kept as show dogs or pets. Greyhounds are defined as a tall, muscular, smooth-c ...
provides bus service to Edinburg.Edinburg, TX
greyhound.com/


Highways

* State Highway 107 * State Highway 336 * U.S. Route 281 * Interstate 69C


Airports

Two major commercial airports are near Edinburg:
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 ...
(MFE) at McAllen, 20 minutes from Edinburg and Valley International Airport, (HRL) in Harlingen, 40 minutes from Edinburg. The South Texas International Airport at Edinburg (KEBG) is a public-use airport owned and operated by the City of Edinburg.


Notable people

* Terry Canales, Democratic member of the
Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...
representing District 41, serving since 2013 * Alfredo Cantu Gonzalez, a
U.S. Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
who posthumously received the
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 ...
for service in the Battle of Huế during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
* Robert Guerra, attorney and Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives representing District 41 * Joe M. Kilgore, former lawyer in Edinburg and former member of 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 ...
from Texas * Stanley A. Mulaik, Professor Emeritus (retired) at the School of Psychology at the Georgia Institute of Technology, as well as the head of the Societate American pro Interlingua * Bobby Pulido,
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 ...
singer * Eloy Rodriguez, American scientist * Leslie H. Southwick,
federal judge Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state/provincial/local level. United States A U.S. federal judge is appointed by the U.S. president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in accordance with Arti ...
on the
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: ...
and a former judge of the Mississippi Court of Appeals * Pedro Villarreal,
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
pitcher * Grupo Frontera, a Latin pop / norteño band


Resources


Historical databases


Hidalgo County Texas Genealogy and History - presented by Genealogy Trails

Edinburg, TX

Welcome


References


External links

*
Edinburg Chamber of Commerce

Edinburg Economic Development Corporation
{{Authority control Cities in Hidalgo County, Texas County seats in Texas Populated places established in 1908 1908 establishments in Texas Cities in Texas