GULF COAST REGION: HARLINGEN TEXAS

HARLINGEN TEXAS

Map of the Harlingen Area & Additional Harlingen Information

Welcome to Harlingen Texas downtown mural Harlingen is in Cameron County in the Rio Grande Valley about 30 miles west of the Gulf of Mexico coast.

Harlingen is a relatively young Texas town. A lawyer named Lon C. Hill visited the Lower Rio Grande Valley in 1900. He liked the area so much that in 1903 he gave up his law practice and began the settlement of what today is Harlingen. Hall picked the town's name from a map of Holland, because he thought the area's irrigation canals must look like their Dutch counterparts.

By 1910 Harlingen had become an incorporated town with the nickname "Six Shooter Junction" due to the town's reputation for being a wild bandit hangout. It took the National Guard and the Texas Rangers to bring peace and quiet to Harlingen.

Modern day Harlingen in a thriving agricultural center for the Lower Rio Grande Valley, rich in fruit orchards and vegetable farms.

In the Rio Grande Valley Museum Complex you will find the 1905 house of town founder, Lon C. Hill. Hill created more than 26 miles of irrigation canals.

At Harlingen's Iwo Jima Memorial and Museum you will see the original model used to cast the famous bronze memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. The museum features U.S. Marine Corps memorbilia and a veteran's Hall of Fame.

Harlingen is the Mural Capital of Texas with more than 30 colorful murals at locations all over the city. You can get a Harlingen Mural Guide at the Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce.

Visit Sugar Tree Farms to taste and buy what the Rio Grande Valley produces. You will find Sugar Tree Farms on Bass Boulevard of US 83 west.

Harlingen is the location of one of the 12 Texas Travel Information Centers. There you will find all information and advice you need make the most of your visit to Harlingen and the Rio Grande Valley.

At Forever Aloe Plantations you will learn that the Rio Grande Valley is the aloe vera capital of the United States. A 15 minute video in the visitor center will tell you all you could possibly want to know about aloe vera.

WHERE TO STAY IN HARLINGEN

You will find plenty of lodging options in Harlingen, including Hudson House Motel, a Marriot Courtyard, Ross Haus B & B and Vieh's B & B, which is out in the country and caters to birders. The 15 acres property is a prepared habitat with walking trails and a lake.

WHERE TO EAT IN HARLINGEN

At The Lone Star Restaurant you will find a lot of barbecue. Vannie Tilden Bakery is a long time Harlingen staple.

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