The city of McAllen is located in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, and it is the largest city in Hidalgo County. Established in 1904, McAllen was named after a landowner who donated property to the railroad to ensure that the new freight lines would pass through his region. In its early years, the city's economy was largely based on its farming activities. Corn, cotton, alfalfa, figs and a variety of citrus fruits are some of the crops that were cultivated in the area. Today, many of these products are still grown in the Rio Grande Valley, but McAllen's economy now relies heavily on other industries such as tourism, healthcare and NAFTA-driven international trade. Surprisingly, McAllen, which has strong agricultural roots, is now considered a potential “food desert” by state government leaders. Food deserts refer to urban or suburban environments where real food such as fresh produce is not widely available. This phenomenon has been blamed for the higher-than-average rates of obesity and diabetes that plague McAllen residents.
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Many McAllen attractions thoughtfully focus on growing the city's tourism industry while combating the marked health issues of the city's population. For example, the mid-sized town has a roller-skating rink that is great for visitors who are looking for a family-friendly outing. A trip to Fantasyland Skate Center gives locals the opportunity to exercise without suffering from heat stroke in the Texas sun. McAllen locals and visitors can also head over to Earth Born Market, which used to be the family-operated Klement's Grove, for fresh citrus fruit and cold-pressed vegetable and fruit juices. Those who make Earth Born Market a frequent stop on their itineraries are on the right track. The company specializes in delivering locally grown, organic fruit and cold-pressed, specialty juice products to customers who share their values of eating clean and living sustainably.
Besides the town's contagious attitude for making positive quality of life changes, visitors are often attracted to the area's low cost of living and its inventory of nice-looking, reasonably priced homes. Residential architecture varies throughout McAllen, but the Spanish Colonial Revival design remains popular. When McAllen residents are ready to accessorize Spanish-inspired dwellings or updated, brick French Provincial homes, they need look no further than the natural beauty and strength of iron. Pinky's Iron Doors has one of the largest collections of premium iron doors, window grilles, gates and ironwork hardware in the region. McAllen residents can take the first step toward refreshing the look of their homes or businesses by using our easy, online-ordering process and nationwide delivery service.
Photo Credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McAllen,_Texas