ZIP Code 78570

Mercedes is located in southeastern Hidalgo County at 26°858N 97°557W (26.149315, 97.918675). It is bordered to the west by Weslaco and to the east, in Cameron County, by La Feria. The city 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. Mercedes is known as "The Queen City of the Valley" or "La Reina del Valle" (Spanish for "the queen of the valley"). It is part of the McAllenEdinburgMission and ReynosaMcAllen metropolitan areas. The Interstate 2/U.S. Route 83 freeway passes through the northern side of Mercedes, leading west 21 miles (34km) to McAllen and east 14 miles (23 km) to Harlingen. Mercedes has a total area of 11.5 square miles (29.8 km²), of which 11.4 square miles(29.6 km²) are land and 0.1 square miles ("0.2 km²") is water. The population was 15,570 at the 2010 census. The 2020 census will be conducted at the same time as the 2020 United States census, at which time there will be 16,258 people living in the city. In the 2000 census, there were 13,649 people, 4,170 households and 3,348 families residing in theCity.

Geography

Mercedes is located in southeastern Hidalgo County at 26°858N 97°557W (26.149315, 97.918675). It is bordered to the west by Weslaco and to the east, in Cameron County, by La Feria. The Interstate 2/U.S. Route 83 freeway passes through the northern side of Mercedes, leading west 21 miles (34 km) to McAllen and east 14 miles (23km) to Harlingen. According to the United States Census Bureau, Mercedes has a total area of 11.5 square miles (29.8 km²) of which 11.4 square miles are land and 0.1 square miles, or 0.55%, are water. Mercedes is 9 miles (14 km) north of the ProgresoNuevo ProgresO International Bridge over the Rio Grande, connecting Texas with the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It is located at 26.858 N 97.557W, and has a population of 1,816. It has a latitude of 26.1458 N and a longitude of 97.186 W. It was named after Mercedes, Texas, where the town of Mercedes was founded in the 18th century. The town is located on the banks of the Brazos River, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The city's name is derived from the Spanish word "Mercedes", which means "beautiful" or "dignified".

History

Mercedes is one of the oldest cities in the United States. It was founded on September 15, 1909, by the American Rio Grande Land & Irrigation Company. The city was named after the first president of Mexico, Porfirio Diaz. It is located on the banks of the Rio Grande, near the town of Pancho Villa, in the state of Sinaloa. The town was once known as the "Pear Orchard" because of the large number of prickly pear trees in the area. The name was changed to "Mercedes" in honor of the president's wife, who was also named Porfiero Diaz, after the city's first mayor, who died in 1910. The current name was adopted in the 1930s, when the city became known as "The Queen City of the Valley" The city's name is still used to refer to the city, but it is no longer known by that name, as it is now called "The City of Mercedes" or "The city of Mercedes-La Reina del Valle" It is also known as 'The Queen's City' because it was the first city to be named after a woman, not a man, as the city was originally called 'Mercedes-La-Reina' by the city council. It has been called 'the Queen's Town' since it was first named by the townspeople in the early 1900s, and 'The King's Town', after the king's son.

Demographics

As of the 2020 U.S. census, there were 16,258 people, 4,834 households, and 3,726 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 79.42% White, 0.36% African American, 0.89% Native American. The median household income was $23,064 and the median family income was$25,339. The per capita income for theCity was $8,658. About 30.4% of families and 36.4%. of the population were below the poverty line, including 49.4 per cent of those under age 18 and 30.3% of those age 65 or over. The city is located on the Mississippi River, which runs through the center of the town. The Mississippi River is a tributary of the Red River. The Red River flows through the city, which is located in the middle of the Mississippi Valley. The river is one of the few places in the United States where it is possible to cross the river on foot. It is also the only place in the state where the river passes through the town's downtown area. The population of the City is about 13,649, with 5,455 housing units, and 4,170 households. The average household size is 3.27, with the average family size being 3.75. For every 100 females, there are 88.6 males, and for every 100 males there are 82.3 males. The City is home to the University of Mississippi.

Shopping

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 Interstate 2/U.S. Highway 83, which connects the major urban centers of McAllen, Brownsville and Harlingen. It is located near a major MexicoUnited States border crossing making it accessible to the growing middle class population of Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. It has one of the largest shopping malls in the United States, with more than 1,000 stores and more than 2,000 restaurants. It also has the largest airport in the U.S., with a population of more than 3 million people. It was the first city in Texas to open an outlet mall in the late 1990s. It opened its doors to the public in 2006, and has since become a major shopping destination in the area. The mall is located in the city of Brownsville, Texas, which is about 60 miles south of the city. The outlet mall opened in 2006 and is the largest in the state, with 1,200 stores and 2,500 restaurants. The shopping mall is the second largest mall in Texas, after the one in Brownsville. It will open a second outlet mall, in San Antonio, in the fall of 2013. It's located on the Texas-Mexico border, near the border town of Ciudad Hidalgo.

Government and infrastructure

The United States Postal Service operates the Mercedes Post Office. Current elected city officials (2019): Henry Hinojosa, Mayor, Jacob Howell, Leonel Benavidez, Joe Martinez, Jose M. Gomez, Sergio Zavala. Police department: Dagoberto Chavez, Asst. City Mngr/Chief of Police. City Manager: Sergio Zvala. City Treasurer: Jose Martinez. City Clerk: Jose Gomez. City Planner: Jacob Howell. City Councilman: Jose M.-Gonzalez. City Administrator: Jose Gonzalez. Mayor: Henry Hinosa. City Attorney: Jose Gonzales. City Controller: Jose Hernandez. City Secretary: Jose Lopez. Mayor's office: Jose L. Lopez. Councilman's Office: Jose Gómez. Council Member's Office. Council member's office. Councilmember's office; council member's position: mayor's office, councilman's position, councilmember's position. City attorney: Jose Sanchez. City clerk: Jose Rodriguez. City manager: Jose Zvalla. City treasurer: Jose J. Gonzalez. City secretary: Jose R. Lopez, council member: Jose S. Gomez. mayor: Jose P. Gonzalez, city council member; city manager: Sergio Zevala. city attorney: S. Zvula. city planner: Jose T. Lopez; city clerk: José T. Gonzalez; city administrator: Jose A. Lopez, city manager, city treasurer, city planner, city secretary, city attorney, city clerk, mayor, city manager.

Education

Mercedes is a city in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, United States. The city is divided between two school districts. The Science Academy of South Texas and South Texas High School for Health Professions, schools of STISD, are in Mercedes. In 2015, the city joined other cities in south Texas in support of the newly formed University of Texas. August 31 is declared UTRGV day in the city, and the city hall has a boot with the university logos right across the municipal city hall. Dr Hector P Garcia Library is the city's public library, serving the city of Mercedes and its surrounding communities. It is located on the east side of the city and is located near the town of Weslaco, on the west side. It was built in the early 1900s and is one of the oldest public libraries in the state. It has been named after Dr Hector Garcia, who is a former mayor of Mercedes. It also has a public library in the western part of the town, located at the base of a hill called the "Mercedes Peaks" It is also home to the "Weslaco Independent School District", which serves the western half of the county. The district is headquartered in Mercedes and serves many Rio Grande valley communities, including the city. The school district also serves magnet students in many communities, such as Mercedes. The town has two high schools: Mercedes High School and Weslac East High School. The high school is zoned to Mercedes, while western Mercedes is in the Weslco Independent School district.

Public arts

Mercedes is home to a unique public art project: there are 30 handcrafted 5+12-foot-tall (1.7 m) cowboy boots dispersed throughout the city. Each boot is painted with the insignia of different colleges from around the state, country and even Mexico. People who are passionate about their alma mater come from all over to take a picture with their boot. The boots are on display until the end of the school year on May 31, 2014.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Mercedes, 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 Mercedes = 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 2,535 individuals with a median age of 28.8 age the population grows by 8.59% in Mercedes, Hidalgo County, Texas population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,407.24 residents per square mile of area (543.34/km²). There are average 3.17 people per household in the 4,673 households with an average household income of $29,596 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 Mercedes per 100,000 population = 104.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Mercedes = 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 = 223. 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 Mercedes, Hidalgo County, Texas which are owned by the occupant = 48.34%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 26 years with median home cost = $43,060 and home appreciation of -26.29%. 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 $5,434 per student. There are 14.8 students for each teacher in the school, 267 students for each Librarian and 292 students for each Counselor. 2.46% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 6.78% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 3.19% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).