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McAllen, Texas is a resort and senior vacation community in the lush Rio Grande Valley.

McAllen TX History

In 1519, Alonso Alvarez de Pineda conducted the first recorded survey of the general area. Jose de Escandon established the first organized settlements in the Lower Rio Grande area in 1740. In 1767, The Spanish crown gave two land grants that later became the City of McAllen.

In 1797, Jose Manuel Gomez received a large land grant from the Spanish crown and established the Santa Anita Ranch. John Young married Salome Balli Dominguez in 1853. Salome was the great granddaughter of Jose Gomez and had inherited the Santa Anita Ranch. In 1857, Young’s livestock holdings recorded over 5,000 head of cattle and even more sheep.

Meanwhile, John McAllen arrived in the Rio Grande Valley in the early 1850’s. He started as a clerk in one of John Young’s stores and eventually became a business associate with Mr. Young, dealing with land acquisitions. In 1862, John Young died and John McAllen married his widow, Salome Balli Dominguez Young.

By 1904, the McAllens owned more than 80,000 acres of land. That year, the railroad reached the Santa Anitas ranch and McAllen decided to establish a townsite on the rail line. The town incorporated in 1911.

McAllen Texas – The City of Palms

Today, McAllen Texas is a winter resort town popular with senior tourists and retirees, and known as the City of Palms, since 40 varieties of palms flourish here.