89R15334 KRT-D
By: Hinojosa of Nueces S.R. No. 134
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Proud residents of Weslaco are gathering in Austin
on February 26, 2025, to celebrate Weslaco Day at the State Capitol;
and
WHEREAS, Located in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley, the
city of Weslaco's site was part of the Llano Grande grant of 1790;
after the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway came to the
area, the American Rio Grande Land and Irrigation Company purchased
a major portion of the grant and platted the West Tract in 1913, and
four years later, the company sold 30,000 acres to the W. E. Stewart
Land Company, from which the name Weslaco is derived; officially
founded in 1919, the town soon had a post office, schools, a bank,
and a fire department, and by 1930, the population had reached
5,300; throughout the 20th century, the city was centered around
manufacturing and agriculture, with facilities that housed migrant
farmworkers and laboratories where new cultivars of produce were
created; and
WHEREAS, Today, Weslaco is home to more than 42,000
residents, and its economy benefits from the educational services,
health care, retail, agricultural, and tourism industries; among
its educational institutions are the Texas A&M AgriLife Research
and Extension Center at Weslaco and the TAMU-Kingsville Citrus
Center, which are both hubs for innovative research that enhances
agricultural productivity and sustainability; and
WHEREAS, Residents and visitors alike can enjoy the area's
natural beauty at Estero Llano Grande State Park, the Valley Nature
Center, and Frontera Audubon; the city also hosts a number of annual
events, including the Mid-Valley Lighted Christmas Parade and the
Weslaco Holiday Lights Display, and the Texas Onion Festival
celebrates the 1015 sweet onion, which was created in Weslaco and is
the State Vegetable of Texas; and
WHEREAS, Boasting a rich history, thriving educational and
cultural institutions, and a dynamic business community, Weslaco
has established itself as an outstanding place to live and work, and
its citizens may indeed take pride in the place they call home; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 89th Texas Legislature
hereby recognize February 26, 2025, as Weslaco Day at the State
Capitol and extend a warm welcome to the visiting delegation.