Located in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, Harlingen has a population of more than fifty eight thousand citizens. Valley International Airport in Harlingen, Texas serves more than two million citizens in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and Northern Mexico making Harlingen the transportation hub of its area.
U.S. Highways 77 and 83 intersect in Harlingen, Texas and a state of the art international bridge into Mexico lies just ten miles to the south. The city is four miles from a port on the Gulf of Mexico and there is a local terminal and switch yard of the Union Pacific Railroad in Harlingen, Texas.
In Harlingen, Texas some seventy-nine percent of the population lists itself as Caucasian with less than one percent African-American. Over the region surrounding Harlingen, however, more than seventy-percent of the population is Hispanic from some derivation illustrating the border town history of Harlingen.
In Harlingen, Texas the average age is thirty-two years and there are one hundred females for every ninety males in the community. Males earn twenty seven thousand dollars a year on average whereas females bring in some twenty-two thousand.
The area's leading medical facility in Harlingen is Valley Baptist Medical Center, one of the few non-profit hospitals in the Rio Grande Valley. The specialists at Valley Baptist specialize in cardiovascular care and also have leading physicians in the areas of orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology, and neurology.
There are many local attractions to see during a visit. Harlingen, Texas is home to the Gladys Porter Zoo, the Iwo Jima Monument and Museum, the Knapp Chevrolet Antique Auto Museum, the Rio Grande Valley Museum, and both the Laguna Atascoa National Wildlife Refuge (45,000 acres) and the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge (2,088 acres).
The area around Harlingen is especially known for bird watching as there are numerous tropical species in the region. The Rio Grande Birding Festival is held in Harlingen each year in the fall. During the 2004 festival some two hundred and sixty one distinct species were sighted by birdwatchers in town for a visit. Harlingen, Texas is, in many ways, a bird watching haven and the community has embraced the sport and supports it wholeheartedly.
Harlingen has a semi-tropical climate that has made it attractive to retirees seeking to escape colder climates. The proximity to Mexico has also made the town popular to both vacationers and those relocating to a more laid-back environment. Known as the "Tropical Playground of Texas," Harlingen is one of the most popular communities in the Rio Grande Valley.
As a regional transportation center and a community that blends the best of American and Mexican traditions, Harlingen is a welcoming and varied locale with a strong health care community and outstanding opportunities for outdoor activities. The region continues to gain in economic prosperity and is regarded as one of the most popular of south Texas towns.