The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area made waves midyear with their populations ranking as the fifth largest Metropolitan Statistical Area, surpassing El Paso. Covering all of Hidalgo County, the Rio Grande Valley’s region near the border added jobs at a faster rate than the rest of the state overall. With 1.3 million residents, businesses big and small have been moving to this international tourism destination.
McAllen
Leading the way through expansion is McAllen. Founded in 1911, McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County. Located on the Texas/Reynosa, Mexico border, McAllen has a population of 135,000 and has flourished as a shopping, business and destination mecca in South Texas. Some of the biggest announcements in 2016 included plans for a Dave & Buster’s, the newly constructed and opened McAllen Performing Arts Center and the secured partnership for a flagship campus with Texas A&M University. McAllen is not only growing in business, but also in education options for a more skilled workforce.
Edinburg
The City of Edinburg lies just north of McAllen. With a population of more than 80,000, Edinburg hosts the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, the RGV Toros and Edinburg Arts. Edinburg has grown tremendously and plans to continue to rival other top cities with its $250 million Resaca Market planned on Monte Cristo Road. The Market is expected to rival San Antonio’s River Center with a movie theatre, boardwalk, jogging trail, hotel and many retail stores.
Mission
Making waves across the Rio Grande Valley with its brand new Center of Education and Economic Development education facility, the City of Mission aims to continue increasing its business growth. With a population of 81,050, Mission has a rich infrastructure and transportation sector. Over the last 15 years, Mission’s population has nearly doubled and the number of businesses has increased by nearly 90%.
An Emerging City
Alamo has been assisting the Rio Grande Valley with prospering businesses and attractions while maintaining a small town feel. Minutes away from McAllen, Edinburg and Mission, Alamo attracts visitors all over the world to its small business attractions, quaint places to retire, the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge and a $500 million retail potential.
Ecotourism
Established in 1943, the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge has been attracting residents and visitors to Alamo for years. The Refuge is home to over 400 species of birds and 300 species of butterflies. Nature tourists exceed 165,000 per year and more than 90% stay three-to-seven nights to experience all that Santa Ana has to offer. Contributing over $34 million per year to Alamo’s economy, the Refuge is a vital source to our local community via job creation opportunities and the growth of local businesses that stem as a result of the increase of visitors to the city.
A $500 Million Retail Potential
There are over 100,000 people with a retail demand potential of $500 million within a 10-minute radius of Alamo. A young, bilingual and skilled workforce has made the city a part of the fastest growing Metropolitan Statistical Areas in Texas, giving businesses the advantage of investing in an emerging city.
Alamo serves as an international gateway to cities like Nuevo Progreso and Tamaulipas, and international trading and commerce increase when Winter Texans arrive. With an average 119,480 daily traffic count in Alamo along Interstate 2/U.S. 83, our city is full of opportunities for businesses looking for the perfect location with growing potential.
Locate in Alamo
Alamo is gaining traction with new businesses opening on a regular basis. Being conveniently located near larger cities like McAllen, Edinburg and Mission means Alamo is the ideal choice when deciding where to locate both new and established businesses. The Alamo Economic Development Corporation (EDC) is focused on bringing new businesses to the city with vital incentives that include:
- Various grants to new and existing businesses based on available resources and only for offsite improvements where the resulting asset falls within public domain, such as water distribution, sewer collection, drainage, medians, street lighting, etc.
- The Intermediary Relending Program, which works when EDCs borrow money from the USDA at 1% for a maximum term of 30 years.
- The Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG), which provides grants to EDCs for projects that finance and facilitate the development of small and emerging rural businesses while funding distance learning networks and employment-related adult education programs.
- Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones (TIRZ) that finance projects within identified areas of a city.
- The Revolving Loan Program that serves as a source of money and is specifically made for multiple small business development projects.
Become part of an emerging community today! For more information about Alamo’s incentives and opportunities, contact the Alamo EDC.