ZIP Code 78537

Donna is in southeastern Hidalgo County, 11 miles (18 km) east of McAllen. The first known Anglo-American settler was John F. Webber, who, accompanied by his wife Sylvia (Hector), a former slave, settled in the area in 1839. In 1907 the town received a depot and was named "Donna" in honor of Donna Fletcher, who was postmistress when the Donna post office opened in 1908. In 1915 Donna had a population of 1,500, a bank, a hotel, four churches, two cotton gins, the sugar mill, and a weekly newspaper named the Donna Dispatch. The American Legion Hall, Donna Border Post No. 107, was dedicated in 1920. From 1920 through mid-1960s Donna had segregated schools for migrant students. In 1964 Donna reported 110 businesses (including eight manufacturers), ten churches, a library and a newspaper. After the economy crashed in the 1970s, Donna had 8,982 businesses and 122,2 residents. The population of Donna was 16,797 at the 2020 census. The city's motto is "The City with a Heart in the Heart of the Rio Grande Valley" The city is located in the Lower Rio Grande valley of the Texas Rio Grande River. It is one of the largest cities in the state of Texas, with an estimated population of 4,712. Donna was founded in 1904, when the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway reached the site in July 1904.

History

Donna is in southeastern Hidalgo County, 11 miles (18 km) east of McAllen. The first known Anglo-American settler was John F. Webber, who, accompanied by his wife Sylvia (Hector), a former slave, settled in the area in 1839. The Cabazos family inhabited the area for at least twenty years after taking possession of the land, and their descendants continued to live there into the twentieth century. Several families from northern states, including the Ruthven, Champion, and Hooks families, settled the area. The town was named "Donna" in honor of Donna Fletcher, who was postmistress when the Donna post office opened in 1908. The American Legion Hall, Donna Border Post No. 107, was dedicated in 1920. Donna had an estimated population of 1,579 in 1925. By 1936 it had a population of 4,103, a railroad stop, multiple dwellings, and 110 businesses. In 1967 Donna reported ten churches, eight manufacturers, a bank, a library, a newspaper, and a school for migrant children. Donna was designated a historical landmark in 1964. After the mid-1960s, the economy in Donna continued to be based on fruits, vegetables, and the tourist trade. In 2000, Donna had 14,768 people, and had a separate campus for migrant students in the third to eighth grade and a separate school for third- to eighth-grade students in operation through 1970s. The city's motto is "The City with a Heart in the Heart of the Rio Grande Valley".

Geography

Donna is located in southern Texas at 26°1013N 98°257W (26.170336, 98.049037). It is bordered on the east by the city of Weslaco and on the west by Alamo. The southern boundary of Donna is a few miles north of the Rio Grande, the international border between the United States and Mexico. The city can be classified as a hot semiarid climate (Köppen: BSh) similar to that found in southwest Texas and northwest Mexico. It is 244 miles (393 km) south of San Antonio. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.3 square miles (21.5 km²), of which 0.01 square mile (0.03 km²) or 0.13% are water. It can be considered the easternmost city with a semi-aridclimate in the eastern United States, not far from a humid subtropical climate due to the greater proximity of the coast, which probably limits the group B of Köppens further east of the state.

Demographics

Donna is part of the McAllenEdinburgMission and ReynosaMcAllen metropolitan areas. As of the 2020 U.S. census, there were 16,797 people, 4,887 households, and 3,630 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 76.06% European American, 0.37% African American, 0.60% Native American, 20.40% from other races, and 2.40%. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 87.26% of the population. The median income for a household in theCity was $22,800. The per capita income for the city is about $10,000. About 32.6% of families and 37.8% of people were below the poverty line, including 48.1% of those under age 18 and 25.5% ofThose age 65 or over. The city has a population of 14,768, with 5,734 housing units, and a population density of 2,929.5 people per square mile (1,131.3/km²), as of the census of 2000. The average household size was 3.54 and the average family size was3.91. The population was spread out, with 34.1%. under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 17.1. from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there are 92.0 males.

Government

The U.S. Postal Service operates the Donna Post Office. Donna is located on the outskirts of the town of Donna, New Mexico. The Post Office is open seven days a week from 7am to 7pm. The post office is open until 9pm on weekdays and 6am on weekends. The postal service operates the Post Office for the Donna area. The Donna Post office is located in Donna's downtown area, on the corner of Donna Road and Donna Avenue. The USPS operates the post office in Donna for the rest of New Mexico, New Hampshire, and Colorado. It is also open in Colorado and Wyoming. It was established in 1872 by the United States Post Office Act of 1872. It opened in Donna in 1874. It has a post office that opened in 1875. It closed in 1881. It reopened in 1883. It's still open in Donna today, with a new post office building built in the 1970s. It also has an office in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which opened in the 1990s. The Postal Service is based in Donna. It operates a number of other post offices in the town, including one in Pueblo, Colorado and one in Elkhart, Colorado. The town's name is Donna, which means "donor" in Spanish and "post office" or "postal office" in English. The city's name also means "town of Donna" in the Spanish language, and "donate" in Italian.

Education

Donna is served by the Donna Independent School District. In 1998, IDEA Academy & College Preparatory opened their doors in Donna as a public charter school. In 2010-2012, Donna ISD received an $850,000 Connections Grant from the Texas Education Agency to provide technology staff development, as well as introduce a 1:1 laptop initiative to specific campuses. In 1913 the first graduating class of four graduated from Donna High School. The Donna Public Library is located in Donna. In 2012, Donna received a $1.2 million grant from the state of Texas to improve its technology infrastructure. The first teacher in Donna was Paciana Guerra of Mier, Tamaulipas, hired in 1911 by Severiano Avila, Apolonio Ballí, and Bentura Bentiz to instruct their children. At that time the Donna school district encompassed all of Weslaco and reached to the Mercedes corporate boundary. In 2013, Donna is home to 13 elementary schools, four middle schools, and two high schools. In addition, South Texas Independent school District operates magnet schools that serve the community in the area. In 2014, Donna was named one of the top cities in the state by the Texas Department of Education for its quality of schools and student achievement. In 2015, Donna won the state's "Best School District" award for the second time in three years. The school district also won the "Outstanding School District of the Year" award in the 2010-11 school year.

Recreation

The 12,500-capacity Bennie La Prade Stadium is located in Donna. A bridge across the Rio Grande is being constructed to link Donna to the city of Río Bravo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. The Rio Grande Valley is recognized as one of the best birding areas in the United States. "Winter Texans" flock to the area during winter months to enjoy the generally mild weather. Some locations near Donna include: Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge to the south and La Sal del Rey tract of the Lower Rio Grande valley National Wildlife refuge to the north. The city of Donna has a population of approximately 150,000. It is located on the Texas-Mexico border and is located near the town of Donna, Texas. The town is home to a number of charities, including the Donna Foundation and the Donna-Rio Grande Chamber of Commerce, which promotes the arts and culture of Donna and its surrounding areas. It also hosts the Donna High School, which was founded in the early 1900s. The Donna Airport, which opened in 1929, is also located in the city. It was the first airport in the state of Texas, and is now the second busiest airport in Texas, after the San Antonio International Airport. The airport has a capacity of 1.5 million people. It has been the site of the U.S. Air Force Academy and the Texas Air National Guard, which has a presence of more than 2,000 personnel. The Dona River runs through the city and is a popular tourist destination.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Donna, Hidalgo County, Texas = 78.6. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 60. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 99. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Donna = 6.1 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 16,797 individuals with a median age of 28.1 age the population grows by 18.74% in Donna, Hidalgo County, Texas population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,000 residents per square mile of area (780/km²). There are average 3.41 people per household in the 5,147 households with an average household income of $26,806 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 11.20% of the available work force and has growths 0.91% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 30.62%. The number of physicians in Donna per 100,000 population = 104.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Donna = 23.7 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 64. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 227. 96 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 49.8 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 18, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Donna, Hidalgo County, Texas which are owned by the occupant = 51.46%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 20 years with median home cost = $60,090 and home appreciation of -15.05%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $16.93 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,427 per student. There are 15.8 students for each teacher in the school, 367 students for each Librarian and 363 students for each Counselor. 2.07% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 6.70% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 2.91% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).