McAllen is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas. It is located at the very southern tip of Texas in an area known as the Rio Grande Valley. As of 2005, the city had a population of 137,463. Its southern boundary is located about five miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, the Rio Grande River.
GeographyMcAllen is at (26.216263, -98.236385)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 119.8 km² (46.3 mi²). 119.1 km² (46.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²) [of] it (0.63%) is water.
ClimateMcAllen has a subtropical climate, similar to that of the Tampa Bay area of Florida but with less precipitation and slightly higher summer maximum temperatures and slightly cooler winters. The average high in January is 68.0 °F and the average low is 46.6 °F. The average high is 96.1°F and the average low is 74.1°F in August. The warm season is long, as average high temperatures are above 90 °F and average low temperatures are above 70 °F from June through September.
Average annual precipitation is only 21.0 inches (532.4 mm). Most precipitation occurs in the warm season, with the least precipitation distinctly occuring in the cooler winter. As September is the peak of the North Atlantic Hurricane Season and tropical storms and hurricanes occasionally drop copious amounts of rainfall on the region, this month tends to be by far the wettest, averaging 3.6 inches (90.3 mm) of precipitation. The driest month is March, with only 0.7 inches (17.3 mm) of precipitation.
Despite frequently seeing temperatures above 100 °F, ocassionally as early as February [www.nws.noaa.gov/mcallen.tx/climate.twd] and as late the end of October, the highest temperature ever recorded in McAllen is only 110 °F, once in 1998 and once in 1999. The lowest temperature ever recorded in McAllen is 13 °F, on January 12, 1962, which is far lower than would be expected at the same latitude in Florida or on the west coast of North America, due to its location in the middle of the continent.
DemographicsAs of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 106,414 people, 33,151 households, and 26,089 families residing in the city. The population density was 893.8/km² (2,314.7/mi²). There were 37,922 housing units at an average density of 318.5/km² (824.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.46% White, 0.61% African American, 0.40% Native American, 1.93% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 15.85% from other races, and 2.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 80.28% of the population.
There were 33,151 households out of which 43.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.3% were non-families. 17.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.18 and the average family size was 3.64.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.8% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,641, and the median income for a family was $36,050. Males had a median income of $30,089 versus $22,480 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,939. About 20.9% of families and 23.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.5% of those under age 18 and 20.3% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation Mass TransitMcAllen's economic fortunes have been linked intimately with that of Mexico's after NAFTA went into effect on January 1, 1994. Prior to ratification of this agreement, economic activity in McAllen was centered around agriculture. Since then economic activity has diversified and growth has routinely numbered in the double digits along with tremendous population growth which has continued for over a decade. Numerous multinational corporations such as Nokia, and General Electric have
established themselves in the McAllen area. This industrial area includes an international airport, two international bridges: The McAllen-Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge and the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge, (with a third under construction), and a Foreign trade zone located on the southwest side of the city on West Military Highway (FM 1016) between South 23rd street and South Ware road. Manufacturers can assemble products in maquiladoras located in Mexico, taking advantage of lower worker wages, and re-export the finished product to the United States. Development of the Interstate 69 corridor from Mexico City through the Valley to Canada, will further help integrate economies of United States and Mexico.
In addition to the industrial activity, there is a vibrant retail sector that is dependent on purchases made by wealthy and middle-class Mexican consumers from Monterrey (connected to Reynosa by toll road), Tampico and to a lesser extend Victoria City (Ciudad Victoria). According to Cynthia Brown, director of UTPA's Center for Border Economic Studies, $1.4 billion dollars spent by Mexicans was added to the area's economy and paid for 41,000 jobs[1]. In 2003, the Rio Grande Valley showed a 13.3 percent increase from 2002 sales, topping $10 billion according to a report compiled by the Rio Grande Valley Partnership/Chamber of Commerce. Of this total, Hidalgo County accounted for $6,556,541,402.
Media and Journalism Television stationsMcAllen Independent School District serves most of the city. Small portions of the city extend into Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District, Hidalgo Independent School District, La Joya Independent School District, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District, Sharyland Independent School District, and Valley View Independent School District.
In addition, residents are allowed to apply to magnet schools operated by the South Texas Independent School District. IDEA Academy, based in Donna, Texas, also serves students of the Mcallen.
McAllen SchoolsThe McAllen Chamber of Commerce provides assistance and information about local attractions and activities for visitors.
Sister cities
