Past, Present and Future of Harlingen

Harlingen once nicknamed Six Shooter Junction, had one school, one church, a small post office, a railroad and a population of less than 1000 when it was incorporated in 1910. Surrounded by cactus and coyotes, it had no sewage, lights or water system. What it did have was a vision of what it could become.

In 1925, Valley Baptist Hospital, a new 36-bed facility opened in Harlingen. Actually, this was not Harlingen’s first hospital – the first one was a converted frame house, with 10 beds and was located just up the street. You can find Harlingen’s original hospital and other beautifully restored historical structures, including the original home of Harlingen's founder, Lon C. Hill, and the Paso Real Stagecoach Inn; All nestled in the serene and tropical courtyard of the Harlingen Arts and Heritage Museum.

Today, Harlingen is known as the Health Care Heart of the Rio Grande Valley. In addition to Valley Baptist Medical Center, Harlingen Medical Center, opened its doors in 2002.

Harlingen’s medical district is also home to the Regional Academic Health Center, which educates third and fourth year medical students, Su Clinica Familiar, Ronald McDonald House, and the South Texas Veterans Healthcare Center Harlingen, located right next door to the RAHC.

Today, the Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District has 24 campuses, two high schools, five middle schools and 17 elementary schools. In addition, Harlingen also has 10 private schools and 66 places of worship.

With a population of approximately 76,000, there are an estimated three million people living within a 50-mile radius of Harlingen. Harlingen is located right in the center of the Rio Grande Valley, at the crossroads of Expressway 77 and 83, and with a railroad, regional airport, international bridge and a port, is truly a transportation mecca.

Harlingen is also home to Texas State Technical College, which, in addition to offering a core curriculum with transferable college hours, offers advanced or emerging technical programs not offered by many public two year colleges.

The Marine Military Academy, located on the former Harlingen Air Force Base, opened its doors in 1965 and is home to more than 300 students, grades eight through twelve.

The original model of the flag-raising atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima stands on the grounds of the Marine Military Academy in Harlingen. The original full-sized mold used to cast the monument located in the Arlington Cemetery in Washington DC was donated to the Academy over 25 years ago by the monument’s sculptor, Felix de Weldon.

Now, 100 years later, Harlingen is busily preparing for the “Party of the Century,” our centennial celebration, beginning in January 2010. Committees throughout our community have been feverishly working on this year long event, but special community-wide celebrations and events will be saved for the week of April ____, and will culminate on the date Harlingen was incorporated, April 15, 1910.