Texas Border Business
By Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15)
Making a successful city is never a simple task. Towns can easily dwell in isolation or suffer in silence, drowned out by the roar of the rest of the country. However, McAllen, Texas is not one of those cities. Since its settlement in 1904, McAllen has risen to become one of the top ten boomtowns in the nation. This momentous achievement could not have been accomplished without the hard work and dedication of its people.
McAllen has outranked cities like Houston and San Francisco in MagnifyMoney’s study on America’s growing cities. From July of 2017 to July of 2018, the unemployment rate has dropped from 5.4 to 4.9 percent, making it the only city in the Rio Grande Valley to have unemployment under 5 percent for July of 2018. As more businesses and more people see what McAllen has to offer, our city — and our region — will continue to flourish. As McAllen continues to thrive, it will uplift residents across the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, and the U.S.
Among the factors that contributed to the success of McAllen are the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which attracted investment and increased cross-border trade, tourism and retail. Now that we have an updated agreement, now known as the U.S. — Mexico — Canada Agreement, I look forward to reviewing the text and working with my colleagues in congress to keep moving our city forward.
If we want South Texas to keep growing, we must maintain our partnerships across the border and continue to invest in local communities. I am proud to represent McAllen, and I am proud to help the people of this city, and the entire 15th District of Texas, in whatever way I can.
