McAllen Indeed the "Jewel in the Valley Crown" Economically McAllen is running like a finely-tuned engine. Consider this: The McAllen, Mission, Edinburg Metro Area and Reynosa, Mexico comprise a dynamic community with a combined population of 1.7 million. During the past two decades this area has made bold advances, with unprecedented growth in both population and industrial attraction. McAllen is rated one of the Fastest Growing Metros in the State of Texas and Forbes listed McAllen as one of the top ten best cities for recession recovery in a 2009 article.

Air Transportation
McAllen has emerged as a regional air transportation center serving the 10th fastest growing metropolitan area in the United Sates. Frequent daily flights between McAllen-Miller International Airport and major airline transportation hubs in Dallas and Houston provide easy access to any destination in the world.

Growing McAllen Arts Community
McAllen is an area with an escalating arts culture. Known state-wide for the quality and quantity of its artists the city is now emphasizing and enhancing those resources through many special events.

The McAllen Chamber of Commerce’s Cultural Arts and Entertainment Series, annual Art and Film Festival, a live outdoor music concert series called Music After Hours which presents local musicians twice per month October through May, and South of the City Limits Entertainment Series at the downtown El Rey Theater; Broadway in McAllen; the McAllen Chamber of Commerce’s Creative Incubator are all driving this thriving community.

Nature and Wildlife
The Rio Grande Valley is the most popular birding and butterflying location in the U.S. and people visit from all over the globe to see some of the bird and butterfly species that can be found nowhere else in the entire country.

The area hosts dozens of wildlife watching sites. Quinta Mazatlan, McAllen’s Wing of the World Birding Center, is the city’s interpretive nature education center, with not only birding trails but also various programs for families and especially for children. Quinta Mazatlan is also home of Wild Walk, McAllen’s outdoor educational festival for schoolchildren, and of McAllen’s annual Vida Verde festival, educating residents about sustainability practices, held every spring.

The city’s hike and bike trails and other private and public native landscaping bring the colorful neotropical bird species we’re so famous for right into the city.

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Convention & Visitors Bureau:
P.O. Box 790
McAllen, TX 78505
Phone: 877.MCALLEN or 956.682.2871
Fax: 956.631.8571

Visitors Information Center:
McAllen Chamber of Commerce
1200 Ash Ave.
McAllen, TX 78501
Email: tourism@mcallen.com
Website: www.mcallen.org

Quick Facts:
Founded: 1909
Incorporated: February 21, 1911
County: Hidalgo
Altitude: 122 feet
Weather: Avg. Temp. 74°, 26 inches of rainfall yearly
Coldest Month: January, 61° and 12 days of rain
Warmest Month: July, 86° and 3 days of rain
Location: Longitude 98°14' west and Latitude 26°12' north
71 mi. west of the Gulf of Mexico & 8 mi. from the Mexican border
Population: McAllen 115,000 (2000 approx.)
Metro. Stat. Area (MAS) 383,545 (1990 census)

Services:
Liaison with local hotels, restaurants, attractions.
Liaison with local receptive operators.
Assistance with itinerary planning, site inspections and step-on guides.
Provide brochures, maps, and literature to help sell/make your trips.

Promotional Materials Available:
McAllen Visitor's Guide: General tourist information
McAllen Rack Brochure: Brief tourist information
McNifico: Spanish language visitor's guide
Calendar of Events: Available November-April
Meeting Planner's Guide: Includes meeting space specifications, hotel and CVB services
McAllen Area Street Map: All streets in McAllen/major streets in Pharr, Mission, and Edinburg
Golf Guide: Lists all golf courses in the McAllen area
Park Guide: Lists all RV Parks and amenities in the Valley
Guide Book: Describes points of interest in the Rio Grande Valley
Birding in the McAllen Area: Lists bird/wildlife-watching locations in the area
Historical Map of Hidalgo County: Shows all historical sites in county/description of each
Directory of Churches: Listing of all churches in McAllen

The McAllen CVB may also be able to obtain materials on the attractions & destinations mentioned in this guide.

Hospitals/Health Services:
Rio Grande Regional Hospital
Address: 101 Ridge Road (south of Exp 83, west of 2nd Street)
Phone: 956.632.8000
300 physicians, 35 medical specialties, 200 beds

McAllen Medical Center
Address: 301 West Exp 83 (south of Exp 83, east of 2nd Street)
Phone: 956.632.4000
400 physicians, 50 medical specialties, 462 beds.

McAllen Heart Hospital
Address: 1900 S. "D" Street (5 blocks east of 2nd Street off Ridge Road)
Phone: 956.994.2000
60 beds, 24 hour Emergency Center

Night Clinics:
McAllen Family Night Clinic
Address: 190 E. Toronto
Phone: 956.686.4105

Valley Medical Arts Day & Night Clinic
Address: 5201 N 1 0th
Phone: 956.631.5411

Colleges & Universities:
The University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA)
Phone: 956.381.2741
Website: www.panam.edu
UTPA is located in Edinburg, just seven miles from McAllen. It is the fifth largest campus in the UT-System and the tenth largest public university in Texas. The enrollment is approximately 13,000 students, 88% of whom are Hispanic. UTPA offers 47 bachelor's degrees and 36 master's degrees in more than 50 fields of the sciences, business, arts and humanities, education and social and health sciences. The University also offers a doctorate in business administration with an emphasis in international business.

South Texas Community College (STCC)
Phone: 956.631.4922
Website: www.stc.co.tx.us
STCC was created in 1993 by Act of the Texas Legislature to serve Hidalgo and Starr counties. It is the fastest growing community college in the state, with a 600% enrollment increase in its first three years of operation (from 1,000 in 1993 to 6,000 in 1997). There are several satellite campuses around Hidalgo County and one in Starr County. The main campus is on Pecan and 39th in McAllen. STCC offers 52 certificate and associate degree programs in the areas of business, communications, fine arts, humanities, math, science, nursing and allied health, social and behavioral sciences and technology.

Print:
The Monitor (Daily)
1101 Ash St.
956/686-4343

Town Crier (Wednesdays)
1811 N. 23rd
9561628-2423

Television Stations:
KGBT-TV Ch. 4 (CBS) 956/421-4444
KRGV-TV Ch. 5 (ABC) 956/631-5555
KVEO-TV Ch. 23 (NBC) 956/544-2323
FOX-TV Ch. 6 (FOX) 956/
KMBH-TVCh. 60 (PBS) 956/421-4111
XRlO-TVCh. 2 SPANISH 956/630-2222

Radio Stations:
KBFM-FM 104 Top 40
KFRQ-FM 94.5 Rock
KVLY-FM 108 Adult Contemporary
KKPS-FM 95.5 Tejano
KSOX-FM 102.1 Oldies
KGBT-AM 1530 Spanish
KHID-FM 88.1 National Public Radio
KIWW-FM 96 Tejano
KRGE-AM 1290 Rock
KTEX-FM 100 Country
KURV-AM 710 News & Talk
KVJY-AM 840 Easy Listening
KVMV-FM 97.6 Christian Radio