Mercedes is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 17,649 at the 2000 census. It is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Mercedes is located at 26°8′58″N 97°55′7″W / 26.14944°N 97.91861°W / 26.14944; -97.91861 (26.149315, -97.918675)[3].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.6 square miles (22.4 km²), of which, 8.6 square miles (22.2 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.69%) is water.
History
Mercedes is known as the "The Queen City of the Valley" or "La Reina del Valle." The city of Mercedes was founded September 15, 1907 by the American Rio Grande Land & Irrigation Company, and was incorporated March 8, 1909. It is one of the oldest towns in the Rio Grande Valley, and the city celebrated its centennial in 2007.
The city was located in Capisallo Pasture, part of Capisallo Ranch owned by Jim Welles. This location was known as the Pear Orchard owing to the vast numbers of prickly pear cactus growing there at that time.
Some sources state that the original name given to the city was Diaz in honor of Porfirio Diaz, then president of Mexico. Later it was renamed Mercedes Diaz in honor of the president's wife and from that, Mercedes became the Queen City. This story, however, is historically inaccurate, given that neither of Diaz's two wives were named Mercedes.
General Zachary Taylor's headquarters was to the southeast of Mercedes near the river. There the old Rabb Ranch was famous for its stagecoach stop and riverboat landing for the riverboats that plied up and down the Rio Grande River carrying supplies to the settlements and military installations.
The old Toluca Ranch still stands east of the International Bridge at Progreso, the sister city to the south. This Ranch was close to the river and a prized target for the bandidos during the days of Pancho Villa. It was built with many secret rooms and passages and heavy wooden shutters on the windows to protect its residents.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 13,649 people, 4,170 households, and 3,348 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,591.2 people per square mile (614.2/km²). There were 5,455 housing units at an average density of 636.0/sq mi (245.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.42% White, 0.36% African American, 0.89% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 16.95% from other races, and 2.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 90.01% of the population.
There were 4,170 households out of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 21.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.7% were non-families. 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.27 and the average family size was 3.75.
In the city the population was spread out with 32.9% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,064, and the median income for a family was $25,339. Males had a median income of $19,945 versus $18,387 for females. The per capita income for the city was $8,658. About 30.4% of families and 36.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 49.4% of those under age 18 and 30.3% of those age 65 or over.
Shopping
The Rio Grande Valley Premium Outlets owned by Chelsea Property Group which is a brand of Simon Property Group opened in November 2006. The city is roughly the geographical center of the Rio Grande Valley urban agglomeration and is located on U.S. Highway 83, which connects the major urban centers of Brownsville, McAllen and Harlingen. (2) The city is located near a major U.S.–Mexican border crossing making it accessible to the growing middle class population of Nuevo León and Tamaulipas.
Education
Mercedes is divided between two school districts.
Eastern Mercedes is in the Mercedes Independent School District. Western Mercedes is in the Weslaco Independent School District.
In addition, South Texas Independent School District serves magnet students in many Rio Grande Valley communities, including Mercedes.
The Science Academy of South Texas and South Texas High School for Health Professions, schools of STISD, are in Mercedes.
Radio Stations
- KFRQ 94.5FM
- KKPS 99.5FM
- KNVO 101.1FM
- KVLY 107.9FM
- KTEX 100.3FM
- KHKZ 106.3FM
- KJAV 104.9FM
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
