how is living there

From Colorado, it is a huge difference. Have you ever been there?

life is slow, everything is inexpensive, the mexican food is good, there is no nightlife, and we're getting a bass pro shop. san antonio is a couple of hours away by car and houston is a 45 minute flight.

im from seguin originally, then to CS

in col from last aug till this aug

prior to this i was in edinburg for maybe 3/4 a year. wife is from mcallen.

wanted an 'outside the fam' view

Harlingen is a funny town. I grew up in Edinburg and never set foot in Harlingen until after I had graduated and worked for about 10 years. We found the town to be sort unfriendly (maybe our fault but never had that feeling in anyother towns that we have lived in.) We lived in the country outside of town.

Not much to do in Harlingen compared to McAllen but things may have changed over the years since we lived there.

I am sure that if you go to church you will find some nice folks and have a good time in Harlingen.

I'm from Mercedes, and most of my family lives in Harlingen. Harlingen has had issues with growth because of city politics, but that has started to change. The mall is dying, but there are new retail centers opening. As someone else has said, Bass Pro is going to open, so that might help drive the city economy. Overall, has decent schools, fewer Mexican Nationals than the upper and lower Valley, close to SPI and Arroyo City and San Antonio is 3.5 hrs away. They have good hospitals and an International Airport that Southwest and Continental service.

For a long time, Harlingen never really did grow, but it was because of their politics. They didn't want all of the international money and there isn't a major city across the border like Brownsville and McAllen have. There is some old money and they had a pretty tight grip on what happened. It has started to change.

I would think the best thing about Harlingen is that you're that much closer to South Padre.

Closer to South Padre and Southwest Airlines!

good to know the hospital is nice

If you haven't already, read this thread

texags.com/main/forum.reply.asp?topic_id=1836332&forum_id=41

seems like from what ive heard/read that harligen is different though

Harlingen isn't vastly different...it is sandwiched right smack dab in the middle of it all. The valley is what it is, and Harlingen is part of it just like Brownsville, McAllen, Los Fresnos, Mercedes, Weslaco....

agree with what a lot of ds is saying.

What everyone has not told you and probably because they were not raised there, is that Harlingen has the highest Caucasian population of any city in the valley, thus a very different town from "border cities" as I like to call them. And as a matter of fact the majority of the "white" population are senior citizens and retirees that have significant political power.

Harlingen would have been an ordinary non "border city" as Mercedes, La Feria, Donna, Weslaco, Edinberg except as wikipedia explains:

World War II military installations in Harlingen caused a jump in population from 23,000 in 1950 to 41,000 by 1960. Harlingen Army Air Field preceded Harlingen Air Force Base, which closed in 1962. The city's population fell to 33,603 by 1972, then climbed to 40,824 by 1980. Local enterprise, focused on the purchase and utilization of the abandoned base and related housing, laid the groundwork for continuing progress through a diversified economy. The estimated population in July 1985 was 49,000, of which about 80 percent was Hispanic. In the late 1980s income from tourism ranked second only to citrus fruit production, with grain and cotton next in order. The addition of wholesale and retail trade, light and medium manufacturing, and an array of service industries has broadened the economic base. Large-scale construction for multifaceted retirement communities is a new phase of industrial development.

The city of Harlingen operates a busy industrial airpark where bombers used to land. At Valley International Airport the Confederate Air Force (now Commemorative Air Force) occupied hangar and apron space until 1991.

and what wikipedia does not tell you is that Harlingen is a harbor for retired military from all the years of it use as a military installation. But as well WWII vets are not only retired but are dying which, I believe is the change in the view of politics.


However I do not foresee Harlingen ever growing into a McAllen or a Browntown which is exactly why I plan to retire there. Majorly because there is not and international border crossing that is used for trade.

I do however for see Harlingen growing into a more recreational parks and wildlife areas. Bass pro put their location there because of the intersection of 77 and 83. So if you are going fishing at Arroyo City or South Padre Island, you will pass right buy it.

Brilliant move in my opinion. I am glad they did not build a 'Gallarias' as they say in Mexico.

Their "old money" might have paid off.

[This message has been edited by scottberryshortcake (edited 5/14/2011 11:53p).]

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is that Harlingen has the highest Caucasian population of any city in the valley

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I am an old gringo that has lived in the valley forever. I went to elementary school/Jr Hi/High school. Worked in the valley (including Harlingen, pharr, Edinburg, and McAllen)and San Antonio for many years and am retired.

Please take this the right way...if you have a problem with hispanics, please don't move to the valley. We have enough of that kind of thinking to go around already!



[This message has been edited by oldvalleyrat (edited 5/15/2011 9:18a).]

[This message has been edited by oldvalleyrat (edited 5/15/2011 9:18a).]

I had a friend who had a problem with hispanics. He moved down here and made it through 2 or 3 years before bolting.

As he left he said 'I'm gonna stick a tortilla and a jalapeno on my car antennae and drive North. When the first person asks me what they are I'm gonna look for a job in that town.'

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I do however for see Harlingen growing into a more recreational parks and wildlife area

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based on what? the bass pro shop?

i grew up in harlingen and really can't imagine significant change in that city. it'll be 30 years from now and folks will be crowing about the new 2nd chilis that just opened up.

OasisMan,

I've lived in Harlingen since 1997, Houston for 4 years prior to that and Virginia 4 years prior to Houston. I was born and raised in the Valley and moved on when I graduated from High School. At the time, I said I would never move back. Hah!

My take on it is you get out of it what you put into it. I'm not from Harlingen so moving there, I didn't really know anyone. I had a few introductions from friends but that was it. 14 years later, I have a very close circle of friends and can't imagine living anywhere else in the Valley (I would say anywhere but let's be realistic).

Here are a list of reasons I enjoy Harlingen:

1. Great group of friends
2. Proximity to SPI (35 minutes from my garage to Queen Isabella Causeway)
3. Best hunting and fishing in Texas
4. Schools are good, there are many opportunities for a quality education but like anywhere, the parents need to be involved in their children's education (IDEA Academy, Med-High, STISD are all top schools NATIONALLY). The glass-half-full view would be that without a bunch of smart kids all over the place, the opportunity to be Top 10/Top 10% is pretty good and that gets you in to places like A&M.
5. Great business opportunities (I'm in the hotel business but have other investments in the region)
6. Small-town feel without too many of the small-town drawbacks

Some things you may want to consider:

1. Predominately Hispanic population (some people have issues with that but it is what it is)
2. Dining/nightlife is certainly not comparable to larger cities. Harlingen's restaurant scene is Tex-Mex or Chinese with a couple of chains and one or two independents and the bar scene is two or three places. That's it. McAllen, about 30 minutes west, has more to offer on both fronts.
3. I can see where someone would consider Harlingen "closed" or cold to an outsider but I didn't have that experience. If you go to church, that's a quick way to meet new people.
4. Harlingen Country Club just built a new Club House/Pro Shop and social memberships are VERY reasonable. Don't know if that's your thing, but again, another way to meet new people.
5. Museum/cultural events are somewhat limited but there are opportunities if you take the time to search them out.
6. Travel out of the Valley can be challenging. If your trip is outside of Texas, plan on adding about 3 hours and $100 to your flight since you will more often than not be changing planes in Houston/DFW.

I saw suggested by someone else visiting the area for several days. That is a great idea and should give you a better feel for the area. If you need a guide, let me know.

dirtyred

Did a nice job of itemizing the advantages and disadvantages. One he didn't really make a point of is that Southwest Airlines flies out of Harlingen. If you want to fly out of Brownsville or McAllen you have to fly American or Continental (less flights and more expensive).

One aside.

"(IDEA Academy, Med-High, STISD are all top schools NATIONALLY)."

None of these schools are in Harlingen. The STISD schools (MedHi, SciTech, and BETA are in Weslaco and Edinburg (entrance requirements)and I believe that IDEA's closest campus is in San Benito.

Fortunately Harlingen has a nice school district that most are pleased with.

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in col from last aug till this aug

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Where in Colorado are you? It would be really tough for me to move back to even a large city in TX, but the Valley would be night-and-day difference from Colorado.

FYI, the last few times I have flown from Dallas to the Valley, AA was cheaper than SWA. It didn't used to be this way, but AA has become more competetive, and they fly nonstop. But, as was stated above, AA only flies into Brownsville and McAllen.

^
How do you always get out of going to the Valley? My parents know they have to come visit me, especially during the holidays. I have no desire to spend Christmas in 85-90* weather when I can stay home and ski.

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Please take this the right way...if you have a problem with hispanics, please don't move to the valley.

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heh, from seguin. its not the valley but its practically 50/50 (white/hispanic)

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Where in Colorado are you?

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im up in greeley

looking at harlingen because of an internal medicine residency program + close proximity to family

McAllen > Harlingen..... just saying

Valley Babtist is a great hospital though if that is the one you will be at.

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Please take this the right way...if you have a problem with hispanics, please don't move to the valley. We have enough of that kind of thinking to go around already!

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FALSE
Maybe back in the old days when there were more orange trees than people there was a problem with whites "having a problem with hispanics" in the valley.
But now I would argue the opposite.

it would actually be "University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Lower Rio Grande Valley RAHC Program" if i ended up there

It's funny that a lot of the valley has a very negative bias against Harlingen. A lot of it stemming from the Cardinals steady dominance in high school football in the RGV over the years.

P.I. is only a 30 minute drive to the Harlingen Medical area.

Property prices on the island and on the mainland are relatively cheap compared to just a few years ago....and PI schools are pretty daggum good too.

Might consider living on the coast and commuting 30-35 minutes (via 48 IMO) and ending up with real estate that might sell faster and with more appreciation than what you might get in Harlingen.

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A lot of it stemming from the Cardinals steady dominance in high school football in the RGV over the years.

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not so much for adults!

^
Maybe you mean people over 40, at a minimum. I'm 31, and we were the best team in the valley all 4 years I was in high school (3rd round 3 of those years, and I'm not sure about my soph year). I also remember Harlingen playing Judson when I was about 10.

You may have misunderstood what I meant. I wasn't trying to say that Harlingen doesn't play good high school football because they do. My intention was to say that once folks have graduated for high school the competetiveness between schools has little to do with their opinions of towns.

Over the years Edinburg, Los Fresnos, McAllen and others have had dominant sports programs and this doesn't seem to caused negative impressions of those cities.

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negative bias against Harlingen. A lot of it stemming from the Cardinals steady dominance in high school football in the RGV over the years.

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lol no.

My wife's girlfriend has to work in Harlingen for a couple of weeks, what should I tell her to see or do?

The beach as much as possible

^
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And specifically on the beach - Wanna Wanna's or Clayton's.