Edinburg

History

In 1908, John Closner, William Briggs, Argyle McAllen, Plutarco de la Viña, and Dennis B. Chapin began to develop a new community at this site. The town square was located at the current crossroads of U.S. Highway 281 and State Highway 107. The town was named "Chapin" in honor of one of the developers. A local myth relates that Edinburg became the county seat of Hidalgo County in a dramatic, nighttime covert operation in which the county records were removed from the previous county seat. However, historical records show more practical reasons. The 1886 Hidalgo County Courthouse in the city of Hidalgo was under frequent danger of flooding because it stood just a few yards away from the banks of the Rio Grande. Additionally, the county was over long at this time, and state law required that the courthouse be close to the geographic center of a county. A wood-frame courthouse was designed and built beside the Chapin courthouse square in 1908; construction on a grand courthouse within the square began in 1910 under the supervision of San Antonio builders and a partnership of San Antonio architects. When Dennis Chapin was involved in the shooting death of Oscar J. Rountree at the Dan Breen Saloon in San Antonio, the community changed its name to "Edinburg" to honor John Young, a prominent businessman who was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. The town was officially renamed in 1911 and incorporated in 1919. As they grew in the 1920's in popularity the city of Edinburg was called "Gateway to the Valley" by many to attract tourists. In 2013, the city council voted to annex about of area into the city limits.

Geography

Edinburg is located in south-central Hidalgo County at (26.304225, –98.163751). It is bordered to the south by Pharr and to the southwest by McAllen, the largest city in the county. U.S. Route 281 (Interstate 69C) runs through the east side of Edinburg. US 281 leads north to Alice and to San Antonio. Downtown McAllen is to the south and west. According to the United States Census Bureau, Edinburg has a total area of , of which , or 0.16%, is covered by water. Edinburg has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh), bordering a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), characterised by hot to sweltering summers and warm winters, typical of South Texas. The all-time record high is 108 °F (42 °C) on June 22, 2023 and on May 10, 2024. Conversely, the all-time record low is 20 °F (-7 °C) on February 16, 2021 during the February 2021 North American cold wave. The average date of first frost is December 11, while the average date of last frost is January 25. Edinburg falls into the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 10a.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• ECONOMEDES H S
  High · EDINBURG · 2,762 students · 15.6:1 ratio
• EDINBURG NORTH H S
  High · EDINBURG · 2,672 students · 13.8:1 ratio
• PSJA EARLY COLLEGE H S
  High · SAN JUAN · 2,459 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• EDINBURG H S
  High · EDINBURG · 2,433 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• ROBERT R VELA H S
  High · EDINBURG · 2,189 students · 14:1 ratio
• PSJA NORTH EARLY COLLEGE H S
  High · PHARR · 2,176 students · 15:1 ratio
• MCALLEN H S
  High · MCALLEN · 2,133 students · 12.1:1 ratio
• DONNA NORTH H S
  High · DONNA · 2,091 students · 14.2:1 ratio