Overview

Introduction to Harlingen, Texas

Harlingen is located in the Rio Grande Valley of the southern portion of Texas in Cameron County. It's close to the popular South Padre Island Beach as well as world class bird watching locations. Crossing over the border to nearby Mexico provides a variety of shopping opportunities.

History

In 1904 Lon C. Hill purchased a large acreage of fertile delta land and established irrigation canals in order to attract farmers form the Midwest. He named the town in tribute to Harlingen of the Netherlands which had a similar canal system. In the beginning, agriculture including vegetables and cotton were the primary factors for the economy.

The town became a prominent commerce and transportation center. During World War II, military facilities were established which produced a significant increase in the population. During the late 1980's citrus fruit, tourism, grain and cotton production were important parts of the economy.

Attractions

  • Valley Race Park offers greyhound dog racing
  • South Padre Island Beaches
  • National Shrine of Our Lady of San Juan del Valley
  • Jackson Street Historic District provides unique shops, outdoor movie nights and a variety of community events
  • La Placita Diaz/Guiterrez Park includes plazas from the Hispanic custom
  • Harlingen Municipal Auditorium provides concerts and theatrical performances

Museums and Structures

  • Rio Grande Valley Museum
  • Port Isable Historical Museum
  • The Joyner Home is an attractive Italian-style villa
  • The Pink House is a southern Colonial style home
  • Tichenor Home has Georgian-style architecture
  • The Berly Home is an attractive three story home made from bricks
  • South Ward/Bowie Elementary School features an attractive facade featuring artwork resembling Toltec feather headdresses, Aztec heads and a fabled Mexican serpent
  • The Harlingen High School/Vernon Middle School was constructed in a Spanish revival style

Activities

The city is well known for tropical bird watching due to being situated at the convergence of two primary flyways. Several of the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail locations are in Harlingen including the Harlingen Thicket Bird Sanctuary. The Laguna Atascosa NWR is located next to the beautiful Laguna Madre and the Santa Ana NWR is a notable location which provides tram tours during the winter.

The nearby Los Ebanos Preserve includes nature trails, gardens, a variety of birds and a vast amount of butterflies. World Birding Center offers a large trail area. The Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival is the largest nature festival in the region. The Arroyo Queen is a notable tour. The noteworthy Extravaganza Folklorica included ethnic costumes, music and dancing.

Transportation

The city is served by the Valley International Airport. The busy Free Trade Bridge is located near Harlingen and includes a prominent U.S. Customs inspection center.

Higher Education

A campus of the Texas State Technical College is situated in Harlingen. South Texas College, University of Texas Pan American and University of Texas at Brownsville are nearby.

Demographics

People

Total Population65,449
Male Share of the Population49.8%
Female Share of the Population50.2%
Senior Citizens14.8%
Employed Population 16+24,452
Age of the Population32

Families

% of people married46.1%
Average household size3

Education and Earnings

Population % with Bachelor Degree or Higher14.9%
Median Earnings25+$25,398
Median Earnings Without High School Qualification$14,496
Median Earnings With High School Degree$23,625

Wealth

Median Family Income$42,310
% Above Poverty Level69.8%
% Below Poverty Level30.2%

Commute & Sprawl

Average Commute Time17 minutes
% Working from Home3.8%
% Walking and Biking to Work2.3%
% Using Public Transportation0.3%

Housing

People Living Alone23.1%
Median Gross Rent$729
Median House Value$83,500

Ancestry

Other(often includes Hispanic and African American)76.1%
English2.6%
Irish2.2%
French Except Basque0.9%
Italian0.7%
Scottish0.6%
Norwegian0.3%
Swedish0.3%
Danishn0.2%
Canadian0.2%
Czech0.2%
Polish0.2%
Ukrainian0.1%
Welsh0.1%
Slovak0.1%
Hungarian0.1%
Dutch0.1%
Arab0.1%
German0.1%
Brazilian0.1%
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Harlingen Almanac

CategoryValue
CountyCameron County
Standard Zip Codes78550, 78552
P.O. Box Zip Codes78553, 78551
Phone Area Codes956
Time ZoneAmerica/Chicago
Approximate Latitude26.19
Approximate Longitude-97.68

Harlingen Climate

Nearest Weather Stations

Notes:

  • Temp ranges are avg daily min and max for the month
  • Precipitation is rainfall (and rainfall equiv of snowfall)

StationHARLINGEN
Distance1.9 miles
Jan Temp48 to 69 F
Apr Temp64 to 84 F
Jul Temp74 to 95 F
Oct Temp64 to 85 F
Annual Precip28.1 inches
StationBROWNSVILLE AP
Distance25.9 miles
Jan Temp51 to 69 F
Apr Temp65 to 82 F
Jul Temp75 to 92 F
Oct Temp66 to 84 F
Annual Precip27.5 inches
StationPORT ISABEL
Distance31 miles
Jan Temp52 to 67 F
Apr Temp67 to 79 F
Jul Temp78 to 89 F
Oct Temp70 to 83 F
Annual Precip28.5 inches

Nearby Cities and Towns

LocationPopulationMedian Family Income
Combes3,031$52,316
La Feria7,329$44,048
Primera4,742$43,510
Rangerville47$0
Rio Hondo2,607$46,310
San Benito24,466$31,616

Harlingen Public Libraries

Harlingen Public Library
410 76 DR
Harlingen, Texas
(956) 216-5800

library logo

More Information for Librarians

Harlingen Hospitals

Solara Hospital Harlingen
(Proprietary)
508 Victoria Lane
Lavaca Medical Center
(Government - District/authority)
1400 North Texana Street
Va Health Care Center (hcc) At Harlingen
(Government - Federal)
2601 Veterans Dr
Valley Baptist Medical Center - Harlingen
(Non-profit)
2101 Pease Street
Hamlin Memorial Hospital
(Government - District/authority)
632 Northwest Second Street
Hamilton General Hospital
(Government - District/authority)
400 North Brown Street
Renaissance Hospital Groves
(Proprietary)
5500 39th Street

Harlingen Public Schools

Austin El
700 E Austin Ave
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3060
Primary
Total Enrollment 410
Bcfs - Harlingen
3700 E Harrison Ave
ZIP: 78550
(210) 333-6227
Ben Milam El
1215 Rangerville Rd
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3150
Primary
Total Enrollment 433
Bonham El
2400 E Jefferson
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3070
Primary
Total Enrollment 788
Bowie El
309 W Lincoln Ave
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3080
Primary
Total Enrollment 388
Cameron Co J J A E P
1409 E Harrison St
ZIP: 78550
(956) 361-8271
High
Total Enrollment 12
Coakley Middle
1402 S 6th St
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3000
Middle
Total Enrollment 805
Crockett El
1406 W Jefferson St
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3090
Primary
Total Enrollment 403
Dr Abraham P Cano Freshman Academy
1701 Lozano
ZIP: 78550
(956) 430-4900
Other
Total Enrollment 1054
Early College H S
2510 Pecan Bldg R
ZIP: 78550
(956) 430-9690
High
Total Enrollment 320
Edna Tamayo House
1438 N 7th
ZIP: 78550
(956) 425-6567
Other
Total Enrollment 15
Harlingen H S
1201 E Marshall Ave
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3600
High
Total Enrollment 2014
Harlingen School Of Health Professions
2302 N 21st St
ZIP: 78550
(956) 430-4078
Other
Total Enrollment 205
Horizon Montessori Iii
2802 S 77 Sunshine Strip
ZIP: 78550
(956) 423-8200
Primary
Total Enrollment 222
Houston El
301 E Taft Ave
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3110
Primary
Total Enrollment 466
Jefferson El
601 S J St
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3120
Primary
Total Enrollment 309
Keys Acad
2809 N 7th St
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3220
Other
Total Enrollment 148
Lamar El
1100 Mclarry Rd
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3130
Primary
Total Enrollment 674
Lee H Means El
1204 E Loop 499
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3377
Primary
Total Enrollment 548
Long El
2601 N 7th
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3140
Primary
Total Enrollment 684
Memorial Middle
310 N 13th St
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3020
Middle
Total Enrollment 856
New Pathways Center
208 S F St
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3251
Primary
Secondary Alter Ctr
1310 Sam Houston
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3210
Other
Total Enrollment 109
Stuart Place El
6701 Business Hwy 83
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3160
Primary
Total Enrollment 713
Tech High
801 N 13th St Ste 15
ZIP: 78550
(956) 423-8200
Travis El
600 E Polk Ave
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3170
Primary
Total Enrollment 416
Treasure Hills El
2525 Haine Dr
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3180
Primary
Total Enrollment 833
Vernon Middle
125 S 13th St
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3040
Middle
Total Enrollment 738
Zavala El
1111 N B St
ZIP: 78550
(956) 427-3200
Primary
Total Enrollment 381
Dr Hesiquio Rodriguez El
8402 W Wilson Rd
ZIP: 78552
(956) 430-4060
Primary
Total Enrollment 783
Gutierrez Middle
3205 W Wilson Rd
ZIP: 78552
(956) 430-4400
Middle
Total Enrollment 798
Harlingen H S - South
1701 Dixieland Rd
ZIP: 78552
(956) 427-3800
High
Total Enrollment 1605
Harlingen Leadership Academy
4501 W Expy 83
ZIP: 78552
(956) 364-2456
Primary
Total Enrollment 202
Moises Vela Middle
801 S Palm Blvd
ZIP: 78552
(956) 427-3479
Middle
Total Enrollment 843
Wilson El
16495 Primera Rd
ZIP: 78552
(956) 427-3190
Primary
Total Enrollment 450

Harlingen Private Schools

Calvary Christian School
1815 N 7th St
ZIP: 78550
Elementary
Total Enrollment 262
Harlingen Adventist Elementary School
20811 Montezuma Ave
ZIP: 78550
Elementary
Total Enrollment 15
Marine Military Academy
320 Iwo Jima Blvd
ZIP: 78550
Secondary
Total Enrollment 218
Montessori Academy
3943 Bourbon St
ZIP: 78550
Elementary
Total Enrollment 22
St Albans Episcopal Day School
1417 E Austin Ave
ZIP: 78550
Elementary
Total Enrollment 297
St Anthony Catholic School
1015 E Harrison Ave
ZIP: 78550
Elementary
Total Enrollment 165
Destiny Christian Academy
2601 Bothwell Rd
ZIP: 78552
Combined Elementary And Secondary
Total Enrollment 55
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