Pictures of the Rio Grande Valley

We hop you enjoy our pictures of the Rio Grande Valley. We hope to continue adding to our selection.

When you first drive over Queen Isabella’s Causeway, you come upon this sign. Its tropical look prepares you for a memorable time at the beach.

One of the great pastimes at south padre island is building sand castles. What you may not know is sand castles don't have to be in the shape of a castle. Quite often there are competitions. The can produce some really unique sculptures. 

This picture of the Boardwalk condo's is taken from the bridge. They are extremely nice. I wish our family still owned one. 

The Radisson is a popular Spring Break hot spot and gives direct access to our white sand beach. There are usually vendors during the crowded season to sell or rent amenities. 

This building was town down because it was build crocked. Nice going guys.

Here are some of the newer condos at the end of the South Padre Island. They are built past the first access point. You can tell the Island is prepped for further expansion because electric lines are extend way past this point. 

This is the end of the Road. After the last condos, there are 4 or 5 more access points to drive onto the beach. In addition, Hwy 100 goes on for a few more miles. Then it just ends. There is still miles and miles of beach left to do whatever.

You can go further if your daring. However, you can not drive to Corpus. The island does go that far but there is a break before you get there. 

The Island has changed alot since I lived there back in the 70 and 80s. It continues to grow and provide a place to escape for thousands of people every year. I still remember Blackbeards being a small little resteranut, Isla Blanca Park was still free, and the best concert ever was when Stevie Ray Vaughn played at there and temporarly lost power.

This water tower is right in the middle of one of the busiest sections of McAllen. They did a good job with landscaping and adding a fountain to spruce it up. The Mustangs are the High School football team for McAllen Memorial High School. 

The McAllen Officers' Peace Memorial is located on 18th St. next to the public pool, park and the McAllen Bulldog's stadium. If memory service correctly, they played the Orange Bowl there one year.

The Picture above and below are of La Plaza Mall. It boost some crazy number. Something like 17 million shoppers a year. 

I took this picture from the overpass on Hwy 83 that pass over 10th St. That's the old convention center on the left. You can see a picture of the new one on the Pictures of the RGV page. You can also see the Chase tower in the background. 

495 Technology park is one of the newest commercial areas to be built in McAllen. You can see another project being built on the right hand side. Even though the McAllen area no longer has 3rd fastest growing population in the country, it is currently leading the way with the fastest growth rate for jobs. 

McAllen has recently finished building this state of the art Convention Center. It is located just North of Ware Rd. and the Expressway. 

The Iwo Jima Memorial is located in the parade grounds of the Marine Military Academy. There is even a small museum across that path that you can visit. One of the soldiers that raised the flag at Iowa Jima is from Weslaco, Texas.

This is a random  photo.

Texas Travel Information Center is located under the intersection of Hwy 83 and Hwy 77. The offer free video of the area and some maps incase you need to find your way around. They can also give tips on finding some of the best food and lodging establishments in the area.

This piece of landscape can be seen right across from the La Plaza Mall and the Miller International Airport. 

Harlingen Public library. Sometimes they have shows for kids. There are two rooms you can rent out and they have free internet access.

Harlingen's city lake is right across from the library and it's one of the more popular places to walk or run.

The Wilson Sport Complex has baseball fields, soccer fields, a basketball court, a running trail, and a playground. 

Ramsey Park is a great place to walk for nature lovers and not such much if your not into nature. This is also a big spot for bird watchers. 

A random picture of the back side of Treasure Hills

The Rio Grande Valley has many visual gems. Because of the growth spurt in the 1990s, many new houses, office buildings, churches, and hospitals have been built. This gives large sections of the Rio Grande Valley a very modern look. A prime example would be the McAllen Convention Center shown below.

While living in the Boston area I found that most houses fit into 3 or 4 styles. Here in the valley their is a wide selection of styles. The variety of housing gives neighborhoods their own unique personalities. My Favorite houses are brick with Spanish tiles.

The landscape is somewhere between green and dessert. There is no shortage of trees. However, large trees are not that common. The grass is usually patchy unless someone pays a substantial price in time or money. The best part of the landscape is the sun and the moon. We have terrific sunrises and sunsets. Many times the sun or the moon hand in the sky at unbelievable sizes. Harlingen has an official population just under 68,000. It is considered to be the halfway point from McAllen to Brownsville. Although, Brownsville is about 20 minutes closer. Harlingen has a wide variety of events, historical sites, and nature attractions.

 Harlingen has an official population just under 68,000. It is considered to be the halfway point from McAllen to Brownsville. Although, Brownsville is about 20 minutes closer. Harlingen has a wide variety of events, historical sites, and nature attractions.

For the size, Harlingen does a good work in providing events to the community. On any given week you can find many things to do. They hold a “Jackson Street Market Day” on the first Saturday of every month.  They shut down Jackson Street to traffic and many of the local vendors come out to sell their crafts. During the summer they hold “Blues on the Hill.” They bring in bands for the public to listen to for free on Saturday night at Mckelvey Park. Other events to be found can be musicals, Minor League Baseball games, fairs, car shows, and business seminars. Jackson Street can also be considered a historical site. While the rest of the city updates, Jackson Street has been preserved to bring back the history. It is well known for antique shopping. There are a few small museums around the area like the Harlingen Arts and Heritage Museum. There is also the Paso Real Stagecoach Inn that was built during the Civil War.

For nature lovers there are a few nature trails that are worth exploring. There is the Ramsey Nature Park on Loop 499. Then there is also the walk along the Arroyo River. The river runs by McKelvey Park and is well designed. It is also a good place for mountain bikers. One the more famous trails is the walking path around the city reservoir.