The city of McAllen is situated 5 miles from the Mexican border within the Rio Grande Valley. The Valley is connected to West Texas by Route 83. Texas State Highway 107 and U.S. Route 281 are two other major highways that serve the area. The Miller International Airport is the nearest airport to the city, that provides flights to Dallas City, Mexico City and Houston, and several other places in the region.
The city was first established as West McAllen by John McAllen in the year 1904. Another group of developers established the city of East McAllen shortly after and they joined together in 1911 when the City of McAllen was incorporated. The Free Trade Zone which was implicated in the 1970's led to the rapid growth of industrial manufacturing and trade. A lot more jobs were created in the 1990's when the North American Free Trade Agreement passed. McAllen City has become home to a few national businesses over the last three decades and is considered the regional leader in government and commerce.
The International Museum of Art and Science within McAllen is amongst the most interesting facilities in the city. There are lots of different exhibits that are held annually in McAllen City, such as within the North Gallery, a Mexican arts and crafts exhibit, and a long term exhibit of dinosaur tracts at the Earth Science Gallery, which also has a working meteorological display. Situated at the Museum of South Texas History are several exhibits are artifacts cataloging the complete history of Southern Texas, including Spanish exploration and colonization, the Mexican War, Rio Grande steamboat era, and early farming and ranching. The Quinta Mazatlan, the McAllen Wing of the World Birding Center, caters to people who love nature. Their only mission is to protect the 1930's adobe estate and the native plants and animals from the area. The Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge houses several birds, animals, and waterfowl from around the Rio Grande Valley. The Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park provides more than 500 acres of woodlands for ambitious campers, picnickers and hikers.
In the Rio Grande Valley, there are three regional sports teams located here. The Edinburg Coyotes are an independent minor league baseball team based out of Edinburg. From Hidalgo comes the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, a professional ice hockey team. Likewise from Hidalgo is a professional football team, the Rio Grande Valley Dorados.