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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Residents of McAllen are gathering at the State |
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Capitol on February 5, 2013, to celebrate their community's |
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contributions to the vitality of the Lone Star State; and |
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WHEREAS, The development of present-day McAllen began in 1797 |
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when Spanish settler Jose Manuel Gomez founded the Santa Anita |
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Ranch in what is now southern Hidalgo County; the ranch grew in size |
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and was eventually inherited by Mr. Gomez's great-granddaughter, |
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Salome Balli, who married John McAllen; together they continued to |
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add to the property and renamed it McAllen Ranch; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1904, the St. Louis, Brownsville, and Mexico |
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Railroad arrived, and that same year, Mr. McAllen and other early |
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settlers established the McAllen Townsite Company, along with a |
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community named for John McAllen; other developers founded East |
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McAllen in 1907, and the two towns eventually merged and became home |
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to several businesses, churches, residences, and a newspaper; by |
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1920, the city was home to some 6,000 residents; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the last four decades, McAllen has grown into a |
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center for business, commerce, and government in the Rio Grande |
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Valley, and it is part of one of the fastest-growing metropolitan |
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statistical areas in the country; in 2012, Forbes magazine ranked |
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McAllen as one of the top three mid-sized cities in the nation for |
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jobs; CNNMoney.com has listed McAllen as one of the fastest-growing |
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U.S. cities, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ranked the city |
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number one for job growth for 2012; such designations continue a |
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trend of recognition for McAllen dating back to at least 1996, when |
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it was named an All-America City; and |
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WHEREAS, A vibrant cultural center, McAllen is home to the |
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International Museum of Art and Science, which serves as a showcase |
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for traveling exhibitions, loaned works from the Smithsonian |
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Institution, and an extensive collection of Latin American folk |
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art; the city's newly created Arts District holds regular art |
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walks, drawing thousands of art enthusiasts monthly; McAllen is |
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also a regional hub for banking, shopping, and conventions, thanks |
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to La Plaza Mall and a $75 million convention center; moreover, the |
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recently completed 123,000-square-foot new Main Library is one of |
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the largest single-floor public libraries in the nation; and |
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WHEREAS, Visitors and residents alike enjoy such festive |
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annual events as the Candlelight Posada, the Fourth of July |
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Celebration, and PalmFest, and in 2012, the city celebrated its |
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fifth annual New Year's Eve bash, a free, community-wide event; and |
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WHEREAS, During 2013, the citizens of McAllen are celebrating |
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the city's 102nd anniversary as a municipality, and they may indeed |
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take great pride in their city, which has played a significant role |
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in the annals of Texas history; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize February 5, 2013, as McAllen Day at |
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the State Capitol and extend to all McAllen residents who are |
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present on this day sincere best wishes for a memorable visit to |
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Austin. |