There are few places more tropical in the continental United States than the lush Rio Grande Valley of deep South Texas. The call of the tropics are almost too much to resist. And why would you want to resist?

The Rio Grande Valley is an area located in the southernmost tip of Texas. It lies along the northern bank of the Rio Grande, which separates Mexico from the United States.

In reality, the Rio Grande Valley is not a valley, but a delta or floodplain. However, early settlers from Mexico felt that the term "Valley" sounded more inviting to tourists and northern investors than did "Delta." The Rio Grande Valley is also called "El valle", the Spanish translation of "the valley", by those who live there.

Its largest city is Brownsville, Texas. Other major cities include McAllen, and Harlingen

Lying just above the same latitude as the Florida Keys, winter temperatures are mild with an average low of 51 degrees. The 330 day growing period makes the area a major producer of truck crops, particularly citrus products. Orange and Grapefruit orchards line the highways of the Valley.

 

Discover The Island
Along the eastern boundary of what is known as the Lower Rio Grande Valley is South Padre Island, a resort community located on the tip of Texas' great barrier islands - South Padre, the southernmost tip of the United States. Five miles long on a 35-mile long stretch of sand dunes and palm trees, the island is situated about two miles offshore, separated from the mainline by the great Laguna Madre - a natural bay formed by the far-reaching island that skirts up the coast to Port Mansfield.