89R10259 BK-D
By: Guerra H.R. No. 68
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Residents of McAllen are gathering at the State
Capitol on February 4, 2025, to celebrate this vibrant South Texas
community; and
WHEREAS, McAllen traces its history to 1797, when Spanish
settler Jose Manuel Gomez founded the Santa Anita Ranch in what is
now southern Hidalgo County; the ranch grew in size and was
eventually inherited by Mr. Gomez's great-granddaughter, Salome
Balli, who married John McAllen; together, they continued to add to
the property and renamed it McAllen Ranch; and
WHEREAS, In 1904, the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico
Railroad arrived, and that same year, Mr. McAllen and other early
settlers launched the McAllen Townsite Company and established a
community that was named for John McAllen; other developers founded
East McAllen in 1907, and the two towns eventually merged, becoming
home to a growing number of businesses, churches, residences, and a
newspaper; by 1920, the city had a population of some 6,000
residents; and
WHEREAS, Over the last five decades, McAllen has grown into a
thriving center for business, commerce, and government in the Rio
Grande Valley; as a result of its retail tax strength, the city has
one of the lowest property tax rates in the region, and it continues
to be listed among the fastest-growing metropolitan statistical
areas in the country; U.S. News & World Report ranked McAllen No. 3
in the category of best places to live in the U.S. for quality of
life for 2020-2021, and it was recently rated by the publication as
the second-best place to live in Texas for 2024-2025; furthermore,
SmartAsset ranked McAllen as the third-safest city in America in
2023; and
WHEREAS, McAllen is renowned for its natural beauty and is
home to Quinta Mazatlan, a Spanish revival estate set amid
sprawling tropical gardens; this unique conference and events
center encompasses quiet trails winding through more than 15 acres
of birding habitat that is visited by more than 500 species; and
WHEREAS, The city also features a rich array of cultural
attractions, and in 2022, Governor Greg Abbott announced that
McAllen had been named a Music Friendly Community by the Texas Music
Office, a designation that will help the city to foster further
economic development related to the music industry; and
WHEREAS, McAllen has built a reputation as an outstanding
place to live, work, and raise a family, and its citizens may indeed
take great pride in the prominent role that their city continues to
play in the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas
Legislature hereby recognize February 4, 2025, as McAllen Day at
the State Capitol and extend to the visiting delegation sincere
best wishes for a memorable visit to Austin.