Business View Magazine | September 2019

286 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2019 TEXAS K nown as “The Queen City of the Valley,” Mercedes, Texas was founded by the American Rio Grande Land & Irrigation Company in 1907 and is one of the oldest towns in the Rio Grande Valley. Mercedes takes full advantage of its ideal location in Hidalgo County, part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas and only four miles from the Progreso International Bridge. This proximity to a major port of entry, along with air, rail, and freight services – and a pro-business attitude – enhances the city’s appeal to a wealth of industries, suppliers, tourists, and retail centers. Sergio Zavala, Mercedes City Manager, reports, “In a city this size (just under 19,000 people), we regularly have to assess infrastructural needs that have to be upgraded or replaced. That assessment happened last year and with the help of the City Commission, we secured Certificates of Obligation so we could go ahead and get some of those needs done. One thing we did was to extend our water line to the adjoining City of Weslaco’s water system – we refer to it as the Water Line Interconnect. What that means is, there was a component of Mercedes along a major commercial street that did not have potable water A PRO-BUSINESS ATTITUDE AT A GLANCE MERCEDES, TEXAS WHAT: Friendly, pro-business city in the Rio Grande Valley; pop. approx. 18,500 WHERE: Hidalgo County, Texas WEBSITE: www.cityofmercedes.com