Reynosa () is a border city in the northern part of the state of
Tamaulipas, in
Mexico. It is also the
municipal seat of
Reynosa Municipality.
The city is located on the southern bank of the
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico.
The length of the Rio G ...
in the international
Reynosa–McAllen Metropolitan Area, directly across of the
Mexico-U.S. border from
Hidalgo, Texas
Hidalgo is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,198 at the 2010 census, and in 2019 the estimated population was 14,183.
History
The area that is now Hidalgo was first settled by Spanish colonists led by José d ...
.
As of 2013, the city of Reynosa has a population of 672,183.
If the
floating population is included in the census count, the population can reach up to approximately 1,000,000.
History
Reynosa was founded on 14 March 1749 with 297 inhabitants by Carlos Cantú under the command of
José de Escandón y Helguera the Count of
Sierra Gorda. But due to flooding in the area on the 4 July 1802, they decided to move five miles to the east keeping the same margin between them and the Rio Grande. It was not until 1926 that the state government recognized Reynosa as a city.
Reynosa was first named ''Villa de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Reinosa''. The pioneers of the Villa proceeded from El Nuevo Reino de León, especially from Monterrey, Cadereyta, Cerralvo and El Pilón. The town was composed of 50 families. It was given the name of Reynosa as a tribute to the
town with the same name in Spain, the birthplace of the
Viceroy de Güemes y Horcasitas.
Current

Reynosa extends across 3,156.34 sq kilometers (1218.66 sq. miles), representing 3.7 per cent of the
Tamaulipas territory. Today it is the location of several satellite U.S. companies doing business to take advantage of low labor rates and industry incentives.
On 18 September 2012, an explosion at the nearby
Pemex
Pemex (a portmanteau of Petróleos Mexicanos, which translates to ''Mexican Petroleum'' in English; ) is the Mexican state-owned petroleum company managed and operated by the Mexican government. It was formed in 1938 by nationalization and expr ...
gas plant killed 30 and injured 46 people. Pemex Director Juan Jose Suarez said that there was "no evidence that it was a deliberate incident, or some kind of attack".
In 2017, it was described as a major hotspot in the
Mexican Drug War, as a result of the internecine wars between the
Gulf and
Los Zetas drugs cartels.
Geography

Reynosa is the largest and most populous city in the state of Tamaulipas, followed by
Matamoros,
Nuevo Laredo,
Ciudad Victoria,
Tampico, and
Río Bravo. In addition, the international
Reynosa–McAllen Metropolitan Area counts with a population of 1,500,000 inhabitants, making it the
third largest metropolitan area in the Mexico–U.S. border after
San Diego–Tijuana
San Diego–Tijuana is an international transborder agglomeration, straddling the border of the adjacent North American coastal cities of San Diego, California, United States and Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. The 2012 population of the reg ...
and
El Paso–Juárez. Reynosa is the
30th largest city in Mexico and anchors the largest metropolitan area in Tamaulipas.
In 2011, Reynosa was the fastest growing city in the state of Tamaulipas, and was among the top five fastest growing cities in Mexico.
The city is about south of
McAllen, Texas.
[Sanchez, Claudio.]
Child Migrants Settle Uneasily In The Big Easy
Archive
. National Public Radio. September 11, 2014. Retrieved on September 7, 2015.
Climate
Reynosa has a
semi-arid climate (
Köppen climate classification ''BSh'') with short, mild winters and hot summers.
Winters are mild and dry with a January high of and a low of although temperatures can fall below .
Summers are hot with a July mean of and temperatures can exceed anytime from May until August.
[ The average annual precipitation is , with most of it being concentrated in the summer months though the months May and June are the wettest.
]
Notable people
* Abraham Ancer – Professional Golfer
*Xavier Baez
Xavier or Xabier may refer to:
Place
* Xavier, Spain
People
* Xavier (surname)
* Xavier (given name)
* Francis Xavier (1506–1552), Catholic saint
** St. Francis Xavier (disambiguation)
* St. Xavier (disambiguation)
* Xavier (footballer, born ...
– Footballer
* Jorge Cantú – Major League Baseball player
* Christian Chávez – Singer and actor
* Laura Flores – Actress, hostess and singer
*Jaime Garcia
Jaime is a common Spanish and Portuguese male given name for Jacob (name), James (name), Jamie, or Jacques. In Occitania Jacobus became ''Jacome'' and later ''Jacme''. In east Spain, ''Jacme'' became ''Jaime'', in Aragon it became ''Chaime'', and i ...
– Major League Baseball player
* Néstor Garza – Former WBA World Super Bantamweight Champion
* José María Cantú Garza – Geneticist
*Vidal Medina
Vidal Medina (born in 1976) is a Mexican playwright and theatre director.
Biography
Medina was born in 1976 in Reynosa, Tamaulipas. He graduated from the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León
Universidad (Spanish for "university") may refer t ...
– Playwright and theatre director
*Maki Esther Ortiz
Maki Esther Ortiz Domínguez (born 23 September 1962) is a Mexican politician affiliated with the National Action Party (PAN). She currently serves as Mayoress of Reynosa, and she is the first woman in the history of the city elected to the pos ...
- Senator
*Los Relámpagos del Norte
Los Relámpagos del Norte were a Mexican norteño duo formed in the early 1960s by Cornelio Reyna and Ramón Ayala. Cornelio Reyna was the lead singer and bajo sexto player, while Ramon Ayala was the background vocalist and the accordion player. ...
- Musical duo
* Komander - Wrestler
*Beto Quintanilla
Norberto "Beto" Quintanilla Iracheta (May 23, 1948 – March 18, 2007) was a Regional Mexican singer and songwriter. He was known as "El Mero León del Corrido" (The Lion of the Corrido).
Biography
Beto Quintanilla was originally from Gener ...
- Artist
* Sergio Peña Solís - Mexican drug lord
A drug lord, drug baron, kingpin or narcotrafficker is a high-ranking crime boss who controls a sizable network of people involved in the illegal drug trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they are normally not directly ...
( Los Zetas Cartel)
Transportation
Reynosa is served by the General Lucio Blanco International Airport, which has flights to multiple important Mexican cities on six airlines, some serving it with aircraft such as Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.
In addition, the McAllen Miller International Airport in McAllen, Texas, is also relatively close and is served by airlines like Allegiant Air, American and United.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005
INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
Tamaulipas
Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México
Gobierno de Reynosa
{{Authority control
Populated places in Tamaulipas
Mexico–United States border crossings
Lower Rio Grande Valley
Populated places established in 1749
1740s establishments in Mexico
1749 establishments in North America
Tamaulipas populated places on the Rio Grande