Now Accepting Input for This Destination!

Use the left menu to submit listings, photos & travel tips.

Harlingen, Texas is a friendly retirement community and senior vacation area in the Rio Grande Valley.

Harlingen TX History

In 1902, Lon C. Hill purchased 11,007 acres of public land out of original Spanish grants for $13,837. Hill also purchased a small part of the famous King Ranch from Mrs. Henrietta M. King for $2.50 per acre. In 1905, the Hill family moved from Brownsville into the first home built in Harlingen.

Lon Hill brought together investors in 1903 to create a company to develop the agriculture potential of the area. In 1907, Hill began work on an extensive irrigation system. In less than two years, 26 miles of canals were in operation and approximately 75,000 acres were in irrigation or ready to be irrigated.

Hill persuaded his friend B.F. Yoakum, of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, to build a railroad with a branch line traversing the "Valley". Harlingen was located at this railroad junction. The town was originally called "Six-Shooter Junction" because its first population consisted mostly of Texas Rangers and Border Patrolmen. Hill built a house, barn and corrals for the Texas Ranger headquarters. Company A of the force then moved to Harlingen to take up the job of making the "Valley" a safe place for families to live. By 1910, Harlingen was officially a town.

Harlingen Texas – The Travel Hub of the Rio Grande Valley

Today, Harlingen Texas is a popular area for retirees and senior tourists. It is renowned as the logistics, medical, and travel hub of the Rio Grande Valley.