Welcome to the first Editorial Column written for www.myRGVguide.com. Since this is the inaugural column, I wanted to share the history of the site. I grew up in Elsa, TX and moved to San Antonio, TX after attending graduate school at The University of Texas Pan American. My experience in San Antonio was that of great success in my profession (Software Engineer) and in my personal life. Life in San Antonio was fulfilling since the area offered so much history, culture, entertainment, and career opportunities.
My job as a Software Engineer required constant travel. For the most part, my travels were to areas that were comparable to McAllen and Brownsville. It was on these travels that I grew an admiration, rather an appreciation, for the character a city exudes.
In 2005, I moved back to McAllen to start my next chapter in life. It was rather rough at first; mainly because of all the things I enjoyed doing in San Antonio were not accessible to me in McAllen. My friends and I enjoyed kayaking the rivers north of San Antonio, running on shaded parks that were intended to be used only for exercise, restaurants that were native to the area (we kept away from national chains and the big-box restaurants as much as we could), and festivals that went on for days. Needless to say, my first years back in the McAllen were tough to enjoy. And probably because I believed too much on what people were saying, "There is nothing to do down here."
As the years came and went, I began to realize that the problem wasn't with McAllen, the problem was with me. I called McAllen my home and not the Rio Grande Valley. As a whole, the Rio Grande Valley is a great place to live. Over 1.2 million people reside in the Valley; there are international airports located in Brownsville, Harlingen, and McAllen, one of the busiest malls in the country is in McAllen, a vibrant outlet mall in Mercedes, an arena that has hosted professional teams and legendary musicians in Hidalgo, one of the top vacation spots in South Padre Island, thousands of northerners relocate to cities all throughout the Valley to enjoy the perfect weather in the winter time, nine world birding centers throughout the Valley that attract millions from around the world, entry points into Mexican cities, world-class fishing and hunting is also found in the Valley, and many other great qualities.
If a survey is to be done to determine how many Valleyites have voluntarily visited a world birding center compared to how many Valleyites have visited an Olive Garden, I am positive that the numbers differ significantly. The era of "there is nothing to do down here" no longer exists. The Rio Grande Valley provides a wonderful place to live and to raise our families.
The sole purpose of this site is to educate the citizens and its visitors on the uniqueness and the beauty of this area. I hope you continue the journey with me as we explore every facet of the Rio Grande Valley.
Editorial Column - October 09
Wednesday, 28 October 2009 15:03 | 
| 2009 - October |
"The Rio Grande Valley as a Whole"
Welcome to the first Editorial Column written for www.myRGVguide.com. Since this is the inaugural column, I wanted to share the history of the site. I grew up in Elsa, TX and moved to San Antonio, TX after attending graduate school at The University of Texas Pan American. My experience in San Antonio was that of great success in my profession (Software Engineer) and in my personal life. Life in San Antonio was fulfilling since the area offered so much history, culture, entertainment, and career opportunities. My job as a Software Engineer required constant travel. For the most part, my travels were to areas that were comparable to McAllen and Brownsville. It was on these travels that I grew an admiration, rather an appreciation, for the character a city exudes.
In 2005, I moved back to McAllen to start my next chapter in life. It was rather rough at first; mainly because of all the things I enjoyed doing in San Antonio were not accessible to me in McAllen. My friends and I enjoyed kayaking the rivers north of San Antonio, running on shaded parks that were intended to be used only for exercise, restaurants that were native to the area (we kept away from national chains and the big-box restaurants as much as we could), and festivals that went on for days. Needless to say, my first years back in the McAllen were tough to enjoy. And probably because I believed too much on what people were saying, "There is nothing to do down here."
As the years came and went, I began to realize that the problem wasn't with McAllen, the problem was with me. I called McAllen my home and not the Rio Grande Valley. As a whole, the Rio Grande Valley is a great place to live. Over 1.2 million people reside in the Valley; there are international airports located in Brownsville, Harlingen, and McAllen, one of the busiest malls in the country is in McAllen, a vibrant outlet mall in Mercedes, an arena that has hosted professional teams and legendary musicians in Hidalgo, one of the top vacation spots in South Padre Island, thousands of northerners relocate to cities all throughout the Valley to enjoy the perfect weather in the winter time, nine world birding centers throughout the Valley that attract millions from around the world, entry points into Mexican cities, world-class fishing and hunting is also found in the Valley, and many other great qualities.
If a survey is to be done to determine how many Valleyites have voluntarily visited a world birding center compared to how many Valleyites have visited an Olive Garden, I am positive that the numbers differ significantly. The era of "there is nothing to do down here" no longer exists. The Rio Grande Valley provides a wonderful place to live and to raise our families.
The sole purpose of this site is to educate the citizens and its visitors on the uniqueness and the beauty of this area. I hope you continue the journey with me as we explore every facet of the Rio Grande Valley.
Last Updated (Thursday, 29 October 2009 04:09)
