H.R. No. 229

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Residents of the city of McAllen are gathering at
	the State Capitol on February 10, 2009, to celebrate their
	community's contributions to the vitality of the Lone Star State;
	and
	WHEREAS, Located in southern Hidalgo County, the site of
	present-day McAllen was developed by Spanish settler Jose Manuel
	Gomez, who founded the Santa Anita Ranch in 1797; the ranch grew in
	size and passed through the hands of several heirs of his
	great-granddaughter, Salome Balli, who married John McAllen;
	together they continued to add to the property and renamed it
	McAllen Ranch; and
	WHEREAS, In 1904, Mr. McAllen and other early settlers
	established a town site called West McAllen, where the St. Louis,
	Brownsville & Mexico Railroad arrived a year later; additional
	developers founded East McAllen in 1907, and the two towns
	eventually merged and welcomed several businesses, churches, and
	residences and a newspaper; by 1920, the city's population exceeded
	5,000 and continued to grow steadily; and
	WHEREAS, In the last three decades, McAllen has become a
	center for business, commerce, and government in the Valley; ranked
	number one in the nation in job growth in 2008, McAllen has the
	strongest housing market in the country, according to Forbes
	magazine, and it was named the number-one fastest-growing real
	estate market in the country by CNNMoney.com; in addition, the city
	is home to South Texas College, one of the fastest-growing
	community colleges in the nation; and
	WHEREAS, The unique landscape of the Rio Grande Valley
	provides promising soil for farming and produces a hospitable
	environment for cultivating citrus fruits, cotton, sugarcane, and
	many other crops and vegetables; a variety of ecosystems also
	nurtures many unusual flora and fauna specific to this region of the
	country; and
	WHEREAS, A center for cultural activities, McAllen is home to
	the International Museum of Art and Science, which serves as a
	showcase for traveling exhibitors, loaned works from the
	Smithsonian Institution, and an extensive collection of Latin
	American folk art; tourists and residents alike enjoy festive
	annual events, including the Candlelight Posada, the Fourth of July
	Celebration and Parade, Palmfest Fajita Cook-off, International
	Friendship Run, and McAllen New Year's Eve Celebration; and
	WHEREAS, Led by Mayor Richard Cortez, District 1 Council
	Member Scott Crane, District 2 Council Member Marcus Barrera,
	District 3 Council Member Hilda Salinas, District 4 Council Member
	Aida Ramirez, District 5 Council Member John Ingram, and District 6
	Council Member James "Jim" Darling, the citizens of McAllen are
	justifiably proud of their city, which has played a significant
	role in the annals of Texas history, and it is a pleasure to pay
	tribute to them on this special day; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
	Legislature hereby recognize February 10, 2009, as McAllen Day at
	the State Capitol and extend to all those McAllen residents who are
	present on this day sincere best wishes for a memorable visit to
	Austin.
	Gonzales
	Pena
	Flores
	Straus Gattis Menendez
	Allen Geren Merritt
	Alonzo Giddings Miklos
	Alvarado Gonzales Miller of Comal
	Anchia Gonzalez Toureilles Miller of Erath
	Anderson Guillen Moody
	Aycock Gutierrez Morrison
	Berman Hamilton Naishtat
	Bohac Hancock Oliveira
	Bolton Hardcastle Olivo
	Bonnen Harless Orr
	Branch Harper-Brown Ortiz, Jr.
	Brown of Kaufman Hartnett Otto
	Brown of Brazos Heflin Parker
	Burnam Hernandez Patrick
	Button Herrero Paxton
	Callegari Hilderbran Pena
	Castro Hochberg Phillips
	Chavez Hodge Pickett
	Chisum Homer Pierson
	Christian Hopson Pitts
	Cohen Howard of Fort Bend Quintanilla
	Coleman Howard of Travis Raymond
	Cook Hughes Riddle
	Corte Hunter Rios Ybarra
	Crabb Isett Ritter
	Craddick Jackson Rodriguez
	Creighton Jones Rose
	Crownover Keffer Sheffield
	Darby Kent Shelton
	Davis of Harris King of Parker Smith of Tarrant
	Davis of Dallas King of Taylor Smith of Harris
	Deshotel King of Zavala Smithee
	Driver Kleinschmidt Solomons
	Dukes Kolkhorst Strama
	Dunnam Kuempel Swinford
	Dutton Laubenberg Taylor
	Edwards Legler Thibaut
	Eiland Leibowitz Thompson
	Eissler Lewis Truitt
	Elkins Lucio III Turner of Tarrant
	England Madden Turner of Harris
	Farabee Maldonado Vaught
	Farias Mallory Caraway Veasey
	Farrar Marquez Villarreal
	Fletcher Martinez Vo
	Flores Martinez Fischer Walle
	Flynn McCall Weber
	Frost McClendon Woolley
	Gallego McReynolds Zerwas
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 229 was adopted by the House on
	February 10, 2009, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House