Community Profile

Located on the eastern edge of Hidalgo County, centered between McAllen to the west and Harlingen to the east. Seven miles north of the Mexican Border city of Nuevo Progreso.

Population

Year	1980	1990	2000	% Change 90-00	2005 (Census)
City	19,331	21,877	26,935	18.78	Estimate 30,416
County	283,229	383,545	569,463	32.6
State	14,229,000	17,045,000	20,851,820	18.25

Geographic Data

City Area:	13.1 sq. miles
Average elevation:	70.5 ft.
County area:	1,567 sq. miles
Miles of Street:	Graded 1.65 Paved 91.85

Climate

Average Annual
Rain:	23.34"
Snow:	0"
Temperature:	74 °
Seasonal Temperature:	January: 51 °, July 90°
Direction of Prevailing Wind:	Southeast

Municipal Services

Date of Incorporation: 1919
Date of Adoption of City Charter: December 14, 1927
Council of Governments Member: yes
Form of Local Government: Commission-Manager
Annual Budget: $29,302,216
Building Permits: 2005
Permits Issued: 1,084
Estimated Cost: $50,388,512

Police (Full-time): 75	Firemen (Full-time): 60
Number Employees 104	Number Employees 51
Number of Sub-stations 4	Numbers of Sub-stations 0
Number of Stations 1	Number of Stations 3

Number of pumper trucks: 5 and 1 ladder
Dive Rescue team and Hazard Material team
Fire Insurance Rate: Class 4
Fire Service Outside the City: yes
Ambulance Service: yes     Rescue Service: yes
Number of Ambulances: 5
City Zoning Regulated: yes
City Planning Commission: yes

Utilities

WATER

Supplier: Hidalgo County Water District #9
Water Source: Rio Grande River
Plant Capacity: 7.9 mgd     Avg. Daily Use: 5.214
Peak Use: 7.618 mgd
Basic Rate: $9.65
Cost/1,000 gallons over Basic Rate: $1.67
Elevated Storage: 1.03 mgal     Ground Storage: 1.85 mgal


SEWER

North Sewer Treatment Plant Treatment Type: Extended, Aeration racetrack
Plant Capacity: 3.0 mgd     Present Load: 2.3 mgd
Sanitary Sewer: yes
Complete Sanitary Sewer Coverage: 112 miles
Storm Sewer: yes     Storm Sewer Coverage: 50.94 miles
Flat Rate: $10.35     Cost/1,000 gallons over Basic Rate: 1.18
Solid Waste Disposal Type: City
Residential: yes     Commercial: yes     Industrial: yes

SOUTH WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT

Treatment Type: Extended, Aeration racetrack
Plant Capacity: 2.5 mgd    Present Load: 1.6
Sanitary Sewer: yes
Complete Sanitary Sewer Coverage: 101.27 miles

SERVICE SUPPLIERS

Electric Company:

• CPL Retail Energy
• First Choice Power, Inc.
• Entergy Solutions Ltd.
• Nueces Electric Co-Op Retail
• Gexa Energy, Gexa Green- 100% Pollution Free
• Starlight Electric
• Commerce Energy
• Green Mountain Energy Company
• Gexa Energy, Power Plan
• Cirro Energy, Residential Electric Service
• TXU Energy Services
• Green Mountain Energy Company
• Reliant Energy, Guaranteed Savings Plan
• ECONnergy Energy Company Inc.
• Amigo Energy

For questions on how to choose a Retail Electric Provider call 1-866-PWR-4-TEX. For questions about a particular REP’s offer or pricing, contact REP directly. (Source: www.powertochoose.org)

Natural Gas Company:
Texas Gas Service Company
1-800-700-2089
Harlingen, TX 78553
www.texasgasservice.com

Telephone Company:
Verizon
Residential Service 1-800-483-4400
Business Service 1-800-483-5000

Cable Providers:
Time Warner
(956) 425-7880
Harlingen, TX 78550
www.timewarnercable.com/riograndevalley

Transportation

HIGHWAY/INTERSTATE TRANSPORTATION

Nearest Interstate Hwy: I.H. 35     Distance: 100 miles
Nearest Major Highway: U.S. Hwy 83     Distance: 0
U.S. Highways: U.S. 83, U.S. 77, U.S. 281


MOTOR FREIGHT COMPANIES

• Major Freight Carriers:Nafta Motor Freight
• Overnite Transportation
• Central Freight
• Motor Express
• Roadway Express
• ABF Freight
• Yellow Freight
• FedEx
• UPS Store

AIR TRANSPORTATION

Name of General Aviation Airport: Weslaco Mid-Valley Airport
Length of Runway: 5,000 ft.     Surface Type: asphalt
Landing Lights: yes
Instrument Landing System: yes
Aircraft Storage: yes
Aircraft Maintenance: yes
Name of nearest Airport with Commercial Services:
Harlingen - 17 miles
McAllen - 17 miles
Commercial Air Freight Services: yes
Air Carriers: American, Southwest, Continental, Northwest, Alligent, Delta (Feb. 2006)


BUS AND RAILROAD

Providers: Valley Transit, Trailways, Rio Metro Transit
Rail Express: Rio Valley Switching, Union Pacific


SHIPPING

Nearest Deepwater Port: Port of Brownsville
Distance to Port: 40 miles
Channel Depth: first 15 m. are 42 ft., last 2 m. to turning basin are 36 ft.
Barge Service: yes
Nearest Water Access: Port of Harlingen
Distance to Water: 21 miles
Water Depth: 12 ft.-14 ft.

Tax Structure

Property Tax (Rate/$100 of assessed value)

	Rate	Assess. %
City of Weslaco:	.6995	100%
Hidalgo County:	.5900	100%
Weslaco ISD:	1.43	100%
South Texas ISD:	.0392	100%
Hidalgo Co. Drainage Dist. #1	.0435	100%
So. Texas Community College	.1589	100%
Total Effective Tax Rate: $2.9611

Sales Tax
City: 2 %	County: none	State: 6.25%

State Taxes
Corporate Income: none
Individual Income: none       Gasoline: $0.20
State Corporate Franchise Tax: 4.5%

Education

Number of School Districts: 1
Major Independent School District:Weslaco Independent School District
Number of Schools: 19 Total enrollment: 15,703
Enrollment in 12th Grade: 686
Avg SAT Score: 945       Avg ACT Score: 17.7
Number of Teachers: 1,024
Number of Private Schools: 4
Number of Colleges within 30 miles: 4
Number of Public Library Volumes: 80,000

Weslaco Independent School District

• Airport Drive Elementary School
• A.N. Tony Rico Elementary School
• Clecker-Heald Elementary School
• Dr. R. R. Margo Elementary School
  
• Rodolfo "Rudy" Silva, Jr. Elementary School
• Memorial Elementary School
• North Bridge Elementary School
• Justice Raul A. Gonzalez Elementary School
• Louise Black Elementary School
• Sam Houston Elementary School
• Beatriz G. Garza Middle School
• Central Middle School
• Dr. Armando Cuellar Middle School
• Mary Hoge Middle School
• Secondary Schools
• Weslaco East High School-Grades 9-11
• Weslaco High School Grades 9-12
• South Palm Gardens High School -Grades 10-12

Alternative Schools

• WISD Alternative School Grades 5-8
• Horton AEP Campus Grades 9-12

Other Schools

• Mid Valley Christian School PK3-12th Grade Private School
• San Martin de Porres Catholic School PK-6th Grade Private

South Texas Educational Technologies ISD

• Horizon Montessori II PK- 3rd Grade Public Charter School
• Technology Education Charter High School Grades 9-12 Public School

South Texas College
South Texas Vo-Tech
Valley Grande Institute for Academic Studies

Commercial/Industrial Services

Bank Branches: 13
Credit Unions: 4
Bank Deposits: $298,124,594 (September 2005)
Number of Daily Newspapers: 2
Major Newspaper in City: Mid Valley Town Crier
Circulation: 23,500
Number of Radio Stations: 3
TV Stations: 1
Cable TV Service Available: yes

Health Facilties

Number of Hospitals: 1       Total Beds: 233
Home Health Care Agencies: 11
Number of Doctors: 206
Number of Dentists: 9
Nearest Emergency Room:Knapp Medical Center Level 3 Trauma Facility, Heli-pad
Nursing Homes: 4
Pharmacies: 9
Number of Veterinarians: 1

Recreational Facilties

Golf Courses:2
Swimming Pools: 2
Lakes: 0
Tennis Courts: 6
Parks: 6
Hunting & Fishing Available: yes

Hotels & Churches

Number of Churches: 45
Number of Hotels & Motels: 9       Rooms: 608

Labor Market (December 2005)

Total Civilian Labor Force (MSA): 268,728
Total Civilian Labor Force (Weslaco): 13,046
Civilian Labor Force Unemployment Rate (MSA): 6.9%
Civilian Labor Force Unemployment Rate (Weslaco): 6.8%
Radius of Labor Drawing Area: 60 miles
Nearest MSA: McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
Distance to MSA: 15 miles
Wage and/or Labor Survey Available: yes

MAJOR AREA EMPLOYERS

Employer	Product	Employees
Barbee-Neuhaus Implement	Retail	85
Burton Auto Supply	Retail Auto Parts	56
City of Weslaco	Government-City	367
Foremost Paving Inc.	Contractor	150
H-E-B #1	Retail-Grocery	255
H-E-B #2	Retail-Grocery	186
Home Depot	Retail	92
John Knox Village	Retirement	110
Knapp Medical Center	Hospital	1,000
KRGV-TV Channel 5	TV Station	105
Payne Auto Group	Retail-Auto	246
Retama Manor	Nursing Home	90
South Texas College	Education	240
Texas A&M University-Kingsville	Research Center	180
Texas A&M	Experiment Station	64
Texas A&M	Extension Center	19
Texas A&M	Citrus Center	45
Torres-Espino Cabinets	Wood Finisher	120
US Border Patrol	Government	150
USDA	Research Center	123
Valley Grande Manor	Nursing Home	115
Wal-Mart	Retail-Dept. Store	500
Weslaco Holding	Manufacturing	150
Weslaco ISD	Education	2,276
WoodCrafters	Manufacturing	376

Economic Dev. Contact Information

Martha Noell Weslaco Area Chamber of Commerce Phone: 956/968-2102 Toll-Free: 888/968-2102 Fax: 956/968-6451 Email: chamber@weslaco.com Web Site: www.weslaco.com

Hernan Gonzalez Weslaco Economic Dev. Corp. Phone: 956/969-0838 Fax: 956/969-8611 Email: wdc02@acnet.net Web Site: www.weslacodc.com

(Profile updated 2/14/2006)