Brownsville

City of Brownsville
—  City  —
Boca Chica Blvd. with U.S. 77 in the background
Nickname(s): The Green City
Motto: On the border by the sea...
Location within Cameron County
Coordinates: 25°55′49″N 97°29′4″W / 25.93028°N 97.48444°W / 25.93028; -97.48444Coordinates: 25°55′49″N 97°29′4″W / 25.93028°N 97.48444°W / 25.93028; -97.48444
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Cameron
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• City Council	Mayor Antonio "Tony" Martinez Estela Chavez-Vasquez Rose M. Z. Gowen Ricardo Longoria, Jr. Jessica Tetreau-Kalifa Melissa Zamora John Villarreal
• City Manager	Charlie Cabler
Area
• City	147.5 sq mi (382.0 km2)
• Land	144.9 sq mi (375.3 km2)
• Water	2.6 sq mi (6.8 km2)
Elevation	33 ft (10 m)
Population (2010)
• City	175,023 (city proper)
• Density	1,186.6/sq mi (458.2/km2)
• Metro	1,136,995
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	78520-26
Area code(s)	956
FIPS code	48-10768[1]
GNIS feature ID	1372749[2]
Website	http://www.cob.us

Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States.^[3] It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of 175,023.^[4] In addition, the Matamoros–Brownsville Metropolitan Area counts with a population of 1,136,995,^[5] making it the 4th largest metropolitan area in the Mexico-US border.^[6]

The area in Brownsville is one of the fastest growing urban areas in the United States.^[7] The city's population dramatically increased after it experienced a boom in the steel industry during the 1900s, where it produced three times its annual capacity.^[8] Nowadays, the Port of Brownsville is a major economic hub for South Texas, where shipments from Mexico, other parts of the United States and the world arrive.^[9] Brownsville's economy is mainly based on its international trade with Mexico through the NAFTA agreement, and is home to one of the fastest growing manufacturing sectors in the nation.^[10] In addition, Brownsville's climate has often been recognized among the best pro-business climates in the United States,^[11] and the city has also been ranked among the least expensive places to live in the U.S.^[12]

Brownsville's historical significance is due to the fact that it served as a site for several battles and events in the Texas Revolution,^[13] the Mexican American War,^[14] and the American Civil War.^[15] And right across the U.S-Mexico border lies Matamoros, Tamaulipas, a city with a population of 700,000 people and a major site of the Mexican War of Independence,^[16] the Mexican Revolution,^[17] and the French Intervention.^[18] On another note, Brownsville and Matamoros, Tamaulipas are home to the Charro Days and Sombrero Festival annual celebrations, which are two–nation fiestas that commemorate the heritage of the U.S. and Mexico.^[19][20]

Geography and climate

Brownsville is located on the U.S.-Mexico border (marked here by the Rio Grande or Río Bravo del Norte) from Matamoros, Tamaulipas.

Broadleaf evergreen plants, including palms, dominate Brownsville neighborhoods to a greater degree than is seen elsewhere in Texas—even in nearby cities such as Harlingen and San Benito. Soils are mostly of clay to silty clay loam texture, moderately alkaline (pH 8.2) to strongly alkaline (pH8.5) and with a significant degree of salinity in many places.[6]

According to the City of Brownsville,^[21] the city has a total area of 147.5 square miles (382 km²), making it by far the largest American city by land area in the lower Rio Grande Valley and third largest American city by land area along the U.S.-Mexico border, after San Diego, California and El Paso, Texas. 144.9 square miles (375 km²) of it is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²) of it (3.16%) is water.

In addition to being the southernmost city in Texas, Brownsville is among the southernmost of all U.S. cities. Only Hawaiʻi and a handful of municipalities in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties (plus tiny Everglades City in Collier County) in Florida are at a more southerly latitude than Brownsville, which lies at roughly the same latitude as North Miami Beach in northern Miami-Dade County; thus, Brownsville is farther south than such well-known, tropical Florida cities as West Palm Beach, Ft. Myers, and Fort Lauderdale.

Brownsville is now one of the first cities in the U.S. and Texas to ban the use of plastic shopping bags, reaching closer toward its goals of a greener, cleaner city.^[22] This has led other cities in the area to also consider such a ban. In addition, Forbes has identified Brownsville as one of 12 metro areas in the U.S. with the cleanest air; Laredo, Texas was the only other Texas metro area to be among the 12.^[23]

Brownsville received the theoretical maximum worst score (72) for its level of human influence on the environment. This is the place where the maximum was observed. It ranked higher than the most populous metropolitan cities.^[24]

Brownsville has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa),^[25], just outside of the tropical savanna climate zone. Yet the nearby ocean waters of the Gulf of Mexico help keep Brownsville cooler during the summer relative to cities further inland such as Laredo and McAllen. Thus temperatures above 100 °F (38 °C) are uncommon. At the other extreme, there may be a few nights per year with freezing temperatures.^[26] Rainfall tends to be the heaviest in summer and early part of fall, although it is not unheard of for Brownsville to go for weeks or sometimes months without any rainfall even during the "wet" season. Extreme temperatures range from 12 °F (−11 °C) in February 1899 to 106 °F (41 °C) in March 1984. The greatest snowfall in a day and a season was 1.5 inches (3.8 cm), which fell on December 25, 2004.^[26]

Brownsville's location at the intersection of different climate regimes (subtropical, Chihuahuan desert, Gulf Coast plain, and Great Plains) causes it to be a birding location. Its unique network of resacas (distributaries of the Rio Grande and oxbow lakes) provide habitat for nesting / breeding birds of various types - most notably during the Spring and Fall migrations.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2010, there were 175,023 people, 38,174 households, and 32,180 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,207.1 people per square mile (466.0/km²). There were 53,936 housing units at an average density of 372.0 per square mile (143.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 85.73% White, 0.19% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.04% from other races, and 0.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 93.19% of the population.^[28]

There were 38,174 households out of which 50.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were married couples living together, 20.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.7% were non-families. 13.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.62 and the average family size was 3.99.

In the city the population was spread out with 34.6% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 17.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,468, and the median income for a family was $26,186. Males had a median income of $21,739 versus $17,116 for females.

Brownsville has been ranked the third "least brainy" city in the U.S.^[29]

History

Brownsville in 1857.

In 1845, construction of a fort on the Mexican border was commissioned, due to increased instability in the region. Before completion, the Mexican Army began the Siege of Fort Texas, during the first active campaign in the Mexican-American War, between 3–9 May 1846. The first battle of the war occurred on 8 May 1846, when General Zachary Taylor received word of the siege of the fort. They rushed to help, but were intercepted, resulting in the Battle of Palo Alto about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of present-day Brownsville. The next morning the Mexican forces had retreated, and Taylor's troops caught up with them, resulting in the Battle of Resaca de la Palma, which was fought within the present city limits. When Taylor finally arrived at the besieged Fort Texas, it was found that two soldiers had died, one of which was the fort's commander, Major Jacob Brown. In his honor, General Taylor renamed the fort Fort Brown. An old cannon at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College marks the spot where Major Brown was fatally wounded.

Contrary to popular belief, however, there is little, if any, evidence that the Fort was called "Fort Texas." In fact, most official correspondence from the time describes the fort as "camp near Matamoros."

The city of Brownsville was originally established late in 1848 by Charles Stillman, and was made the county seat of the new Cameron County on 13 January 1849. The city was originally incorporated by the state on 24 January 1850. This was repealed on 1 April 1852, due to a land ownership dispute between Stillman and the former owners. The state reincorporated the city on 7 February 1853, which remains in effect. The issue of ownership was not decided until 1879, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Stillman.

On July 13, 1859, the First Cortina War started. Juan Nepomuceno Cortina would become one of the most important historical figures of the area, and continued to exert a decisive influence in the local events until his arrest in 1875. The First Cortina War ended on December 27, 1859. In May 1861, the brief Second Cortina War took place.

During the Civil War Brownsville was used as a smuggling point for Confederate goods into Mexico, most importantly cotton smuggled to European ships waiting at the Mexican port of Bagdad. Fort Brown was controlled by the Confederates. In November 1863, Union troops landed at Port Isabel and marched for Brownsville to stop the smuggling. In the ensuing battle of Brownsville Confederate forces abandoned the fort, blowing it up with 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg) of explosives. In 1864, the town was reoccupied by the Confederates under John Salmon 'Rip' Ford. On May 15, 1865, a month after the surrender had been signed at Appomattox Court House, the Battle of Palmito Ranch was fought and won by the Confederates. Ulysses S. Grant sent Union General Frederick Steele to Brownsville to patrol the Mexican-American border after Civil War to aid the Juaristas with military supplies.

On 13 and 14 August 1906, Brownsville was the site of the Brownsville Affair. Racial tensions were high between white townsfolk and black infantrymen stationed at Fort Brown. On the night of 13 August, one white bartender was killed and a white police officer was wounded by rifle shots in the street. Townsfolk, including the mayor, accused the infantrymen as the murderers. Without a chance to defend themselves in a hearing, President Theodore Roosevelt dishonorably discharged the entire 167 member regiment due to their accused "conspiracy of silence". Further investigations in the 1970s found that they were not at fault, and the Nixon Administration reversed all dishonorable discharges.

On September 8, 1926, The Junior College of the Lower Rio Grande Valley (later known as Texas Southmost College) admitted its first class. In 1945 Fort Brown was decommissioned and in 1948 the City and College acquired the land. Between 1945 to 1970 Brownsville population continued to grow gradually, doubled from 25,000 to 52,000 people. In 1991 Brownsville received a University via the partnership between the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College.

Brownsville was declared an All-America City in the year 2001.

On December 25, 2004, Brownsville had its first instance of measurable snow in 109 years, with 1.5 inches (3.8 cm), and the first recorded White Christmas. This was part of the 2004 Christmas Eve Snowstorm. The snow was subsequently sold on eBay.^[30]

Economy

An important pillar of the economy is the Port of Brownsville. The port, located 2 miles (3.2 km) from the city, provides an important link between the road networks of nearby Mexico, and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway of Texas.^[31]

The port's Hinterland, from where it draws cargo, is Monterrey, Mexico, just 198 miles to the West, which is one of Latin America's largest industrial cities.

Top employers

According to Brownsville's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[32] the top employers in the city were:

Government

City government

Picture of Brownsville; on the right is the "Old Federal Courthouse", where city commission meetings are held.

Brownsville has a Council-Manager style of Government. The Mayor and six City Commissioners, two At-Large and four District, serve staggered four year terms. Elections are held for one At-Large and two District seats every two years. Municipal elections are held on the first Saturday of May in odd numbered years.

As of 2006, the members of the Commission are:

• Mayor: Antonio "Tony" Martinez (Since 2011)
• Commissioner At-Large "A": Estela Chavez-Vasquez(Since 2011)
• Commissioner At-Large "B": Dr. Rose M.Z. Gowen (Since 2009)
• Commissioner District 1: Ricardo Longoria Jr. (Since 2003)
• Commissioner District 2: Jessica Tetreau-Kalifa (Since 2011)
• Commissioner District 3: Melissa Zamora (Since 2009)
• Commissioner District 4: John Villarreal (Since 2011)

The next regular elections for the City will occur in the following years:

• Mayor: 2015
• At-Large "A": 2015
• At-Large "B": 2013
• District 1: 2015
• District 2: 2015
• District 3: 2013
• District 4: 2013

The City Commission appoints the City Manager. As of 2006, the City Manager is Charlie Cabler.

The City Commission also appoints a six member Public Utilities Board for a four-year term. Members are limited to two consecutive or non-consecutive terms. The Mayor is an ex-officio member of the Board.

Federal representation

The United States Postal Service operates post offices in Brownsville. The Brownsville Main Post Office is located at 1535 East Los Ebanos Boulevard.^[33] Downtown Brownsville is served by the Downtown Brownsville Post Office at 1001 East Elizabeth Street.^[34]

There is also a National Weather Service office and doppler radar site in Brownsville. They provide forecasts and radar coverage for Deep South Texas and the adjacent coastal waters.

Education

Universities and colleges

UT School of Public Health

• University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College
• The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health (UTSPH), Brownsville Regional Campus

The School of Public Health (UTSPH) opened in 2001 as part of the legislated Regional Academic Health Center program, or RAHC and is physically located on the campus of the University of Texas at Brownsville. UTSPH - Brownsville is a regional campus of the University of Texas School of Public Health statewide network which offer students a graduate certificate in public health and the Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) graduate degree. Starting in 2009, the Brownsville Regional Campus also began offering a PhD program in Epidemiology and a Doctorate in Public Health (DrPH) in Health Promotion, the only program's of their kind in South Texas. Major public health concerns of the faculty and researchers found here in the Lower Rio Grande Valley Texas include diabetes, tuberculosis, obesity, cardiovascular disease and hepatitis. Other areas of public health significance include physical activity, behavioral journalism, healthy living, diet and lifestyles activities. The Brownsville Regional Campus is also developing a strong research focus in genetics and its relationship to infectious and chronic disease.^[35]

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Most of Brownsville is served by Brownsville Independent School District. The BISD counted its total enrollment in the 2010-11 at 49,155 students in 57 schools. It is the 17th largest school district in Texas. A portion of northern Brownsville is served by the Los Fresnos Consolidated Independent School District.

In addition, Brownsville residents are allowed to apply to magnet schools operated by the South Texas Independent School District, as well as BISD magnet schools. Each BISD high school has a magnet school within the school (example, Gladys Porter High School, has the district's Technology and Engineering Professions magnet program).

State charter schools

• Raul Yzaguirre School For Success
• Sentry Technology Prep Charter High School
• IDEA Public Schools Frontier Academy and College Prep
• Harmony Science Academy-Brownsville (K–12)
• Math and Science Academy-UTB

Private and parochial schools

Grades 9-12:

• Livingway Christian School (grades K3-12)
• Saint Joseph Academy (grades 7 through 12)
• Valley Christian High School
• First Baptist High School

Grades 1-8:

• Brownsville SDA School
• Episcopal Day School
• First Baptist School
• Faith Christian Academy
• Guadalupe Regional Middle School
• Incarnate Word Academy
• Kenmont Montessori School
• St. Luke's Catholic School
• St. Mary's Catholic School

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville operates area Catholic schools.

Public libraries

The Brownsville Public Library System operates the Main Library and the Southmost Branch.^[36]

Transportation

U.S. Highway 77/83 overpass construction over Mcdavitt Blvd.

Mass transit

Established in mid-Brownsville in 1978, with expanding bus service to rapidly developing North Brownsville. The Brownsville Urban System (BUS) consists of 14 buses running 11 routes covering a large portion of Brownsville. [7]

Highways

Brownsville is served by the following U.S. Highways:

• U.S. Route 77 to Kingsville, Corpus Christi (U.S. 77 is a proposed part of the North American Free Trade Agreement's future Interstate 69)
• U.S. Route 83 to McAllen
• U.S. Route 281 to Edinburg

International bridges

Brownsville has three international bridges:

• The Brownsville & Matamoros International Bridge (B&M), known locally as the "Old Bridge".
  • The B&M International Bridge also serves as an international railway for Union Pacific
• Gateway International Bridge, known locally as the "new bridge" despite the fact that it's no longer the city's newest international bridge.
• The Veteran's International Bridge at Los Tomates, or locally simply known as the "Los Tomates" or "Veteran's" bridge.

Airport

Brownsville has its own city-owned airport, the Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport. The airport is used for general aviation and is served by United Airlines (service to Houston-Intercontinental) AeroMexico (service to Monterrey, NL, Mexico) and American Eagle Airlines (service to Dallas-Fort Worth).^[37]

Railroads

Art and culture

The Brownsville area is full of well-established art galleries and museums that represent not only art of the region and Mexico but feature traveling exhibits from around the world.^[38]

Sports

Each year, Brownsville hosts the Jackie Robinson World Series for nine-year-old baseball players.

In 1920 the St. Louis Cardinals held spring training in Brownsville.^[39]

Media and journalism

Television

The Brownsville area is served by numerous local television affiliates.

• XHRIO-TV 2 Fox - Matamoros, Tamaulipas
• KGBT-TV 4 CBS - Harlingen
• KRGV-TV 5 ABC - Weslaco
• XHAB 7 Televisa Regional Matamoros, Tamaulipas
• XERV 9 Canal de las Estrellas Matamoros, Tamaulipas
• XHOR 14 Azteca 7 Reynosa, Tamaulipas
• KVTF-CA 20 Telefutura - Brownsville
• KVEO-TV 23 NBC - Brownsville
• KMBH 38 PBS - Harlingen
• KTLM 40 Telemundo - McAllen
• KLUJ-TV 44 TBN - Harlingen
• KNVO-TV 48 Univision - McAllen
• KNWS-LP 64 Azteca America - Brownsville

Radio

• KVNS 1700 AM Classic Hits Radio
• KURV 710 AM News Talk
• KFRQ 94.5 FM Rock
• KKPS Que Pasa 99.5 99.5 FM Tejano
• KNVO 101.1 FM
• KVLY 107.9 FM MIX FM
• KBFM Wild 104 104.1 FM Hip-Hop, R&B, Pop, Reggeton
• KBNR 88.3 FM Radio Manantial (Spanish Christian)
• KTEX 100.3 FM Country
• ExaFm 91.3 FM Pop Latino
• Digital 101.5 FM Pop Latino
• KHKZ Kiss 106.3
• KVMV 96.9 FM Contemporary Christian
• KMBH/KHID 88.9 Public Radio 88 FM NPR and Performance Today
• KJAV 104.9 Jack FM Adult Hits

Newspapers

• The Brownsville Herald
• Valley Morning Star
• The Monitor
• Island Breeze
• The Collegian

Points of interest

A picture of the Brownsville Masonic Temple Rio Grande Masonic Lodge No. 81, constructed in 1882. It was the original Cameron County Courthouse.

Local attractions include the Gladys Porter Zoo, the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art, Camille Lightner Playhouse, a historical downtown with buildings over 150 years old, the Port of Brownsville, and the Children's Museum of Brownsville. There is also easy access to South Padre Island and the Mexican city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas.

Sunrise Mall is the largest shopping mall in the city of Brownsville. Since being remodeled in 2000 the mall has become the primary mall in the Brownsville-Harlingen metroplex. Brownsville previously had another shopping mall, Amigoland Mall by Simon, though the building has since been purchased by the University of Texas at Brownsville after many of its tenants moved from Amigoland to Sunrise.

Notable people

• Reynaldo G. Garza (1915–2004) Judge of Brownsville was first appointed to the United States District Court in 1961 by President Kennedy, and to the United States Court of Appeals by President Carter in 1978.

• Antonio Oscar Garza The former US Ambassador to Mexico

• James Carlos Blake, award-winning novelist, received his elementary education at Saint Joseph's Academy.

• Federico Peña: former U.S. Transportation Secretary, former U.S. Energy Secretary and former mayor of Denver, Colorado, was raised in Brownsville.

• Jaime Zapata (1979–2011): Notable U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent that was ambushed, shot, and killed by Los Zetas in San Luis Potosí, Mexico.^[40] He was returning from a meeting in Mexico City; Victor Avila, another agent that accompanied him, was wounded.^[41]

• Dr. Juliet V. García: the first Hispanic woman to serve as a college president and one of Time's "10 Best College Presidents," ^[42] was born in Brownsville, and is the current president of the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College.

• Americo Paredes: Mexican-American writer and author of George Washington Gomez, was born in Brownsville on 3 September 1915.^[43]

• Kris Kristofferson (1936-present): Actor and singer.

• Elka Walker (1978-present): best known for MTV's reality series The Real World

• Julian Schnabel Artist and director; spent his formative years and decided to become an artist in Brownsville.

• Shelbie Bruce (1992-present): Actress.

• Kristian Menchaca: soldier, Iraqi war casualty.

• Efren Saldivar: Serial killer.

Sister cities

• Heroica Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico (2009)
• Valle Hermoso, Tamaulipas, Mexico (2009)

See also

Texas portal

• List of museums in Brownsville, Texas
• List of museums in the Texas Gulf Coast
• Nuevo Santander
• Virreinato de Nueva España
• José de Escandón y Helguera, 1st Count of Sierra Gorda

References

External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Brownsville.

• City of Brownsville
• Brownsville Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Brownsville Chamber of Commerce
• Brownsville Public Library System
• The Handbook of Texas Online Brownsville, Texas
• National Weather Service - Brownsville
• WikiTravel.org Brownsville, Texas
• [8]

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