Differences between Rio Grande Valley Cities? (Austin, Brownsville: condo, home, construction)

[Chelito23]

I have read in other threads that there has been a lot of growth in the RGV over recent years, but has this all ended with the economic recession?

How has McAllen changed from what it used to be 10 years ago?

How does McAllen compare to Brownsville?

[gabetx]

Originally Posted by Chelito23

I have read in other threads that there has been a lot of growth in the RGV over recent years, but has this all ended with the economic recession?

How has McAllen changed from what it used to be 10 years ago?

How does McAllen compare to Brownsville?

The biggest differences are that McAllen is more Americanized and Brownsville is more Mexican influenced. You can tell you are in the U.S. in McAllen, but Brownsville feels like a city in Mexico.

That is just my personal opinion.

[Visitor2007]

Originally Posted by gabetx

The biggest differences are that McAllen is more Americanized and Brownsville is more Mexican influenced. You can tell you are in the U.S. in McAllen, but Brownsville feels like a city in Mexico.

That is just my personal opinion.

What about Harlingen and Rio Grande City?

[roflmao]

"there has been a lot of growth in the RGV over recent years, but has this all ended with the economic recession?"

No, the area is in fact still growing, just a little tiny bit slower.

McAllen: Lots of shopping and restaurants all over, caters to shoppers from Mexico. The most built up and "modern" of the valley cities.

Harlingen: Still slow, still dull, and still full of old cranky people. I fly through it on the highway a lot and actually stopped the other day and saw a few new things, but mostly the same old junk and a lot of missing stores.

Brownsville: Probably the fastest growing of the valley cities, quickly trying to get up to McAllen's level. Many new stores, home development, schools on the northwest side of town and A LOT of road expansion in and around the city. Oh and the airport still has one gate, but TWO airlines! (lol)

South Padre: Many MANY new condo towers, get into any building over 2 stories in Brownsville and you can see the newest one, called Sapphire or something, sticking up over the horizon. And there is a new landmark, the Leaning Tower of Padre, 31 story condo tower started to lean while under construction and now it just sits there, a half built shell of a building with cracks all over its lower floors.

Also the highway went from 4 to 6 lanes from Brownsville to McAllen and beyond, billion dollar road project that took yeeeeeeeaaaars to complete. Well, I think its finished now, been a while since I saw a cone.

Oh and there is one of those rip-you-off outlet malls between McAllen and Harlingen.

[doctorjef]

Harlingen does have a nice little airport. Good access to the rest of the Valley if you don't want to make the endless, boring drive down from Austin (in my case formerly) or places even farther away. Southwest Airlines is your friend!

[Chelito23]

Which is the leading airport in the Valley? Harlingen's or McAllen's?

How is the local job situation? Is it mostly limited to retail jobs? Are they actually hiring locally now?

[doctorjef]

Harlingen would obviously be the airport to fly into if going to South Padre. I wonder if McAllen has flights coming in from the interior of Mexico, at least from Monterey, given the city being a shopping destination for folks from Mexico.

[hellpaso]

McAllen does have flights from Mexico, as well as direct flights to Las Vegas and Orlando via Allegiant Air. There are currently 5 gates and they are supposed to be adding two more.

[roflmao]

"Harlingen would obviously be the airport to fly into if going to South Padre."

Yet those of us who live in the area would say fly Continental into Brownsville if your going to SPI. Flights to Brownsville are cheaper (unless your on a one hop Southwest flight into Harlingen) and your 20 minutes away compared to 40-to an hour away.

[doctorjef]

Southwest has direct service from Austin to Harlingen.