Edinburg, Texas
| Edinburg, Texas | |
|---|---|
| City | |
| City of Edinburg | |
The Hidalgo County Courthouse as seen from University Drive in late 2002.
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| Nickname(s): "Gateway City to the Rio Grande Valley" | |
 Location of Edinburg, Texas |
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| Coordinates: 26°18′15″N 98°9′50″W / 26.30417°N 98.16389°WCoordinates: 26°18′15″N 98°9′50″W / 26.30417°N 98.16389°W | |
| Country |  United States of America |
| State |
 Texas
|
| County |
 Hidalgo
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| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • City Council |
Mayor Richard Garcia Richard Molina J.R. Betancourt Homero Jasso David Torres |
| • City Manager | Richard M. Hinojosa |
| Area | |
| • Total | 37.4 sq mi (96.9 km2) |
| • Land | 37.4 sq mi (96.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 95 ft (29 m) |
| Population (2012 Census Estimate) | |
| • Total | 81,029 |
| • Density | 1,296.9/sq mi (500.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 78539-78541 |
| Area code(s) | 956 |
| FIPS code | 48-22660 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1335095 |
| Website | CityOfEdinburg.com |
Edinburg (/ˈɛdᵻnbərɡ/ EDD-in-berg) is a city in and the county seat of Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 81,029 according to the 2012 census estimate.
Edinburg is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas.
In 1908, John Closner, William Briggs, Argyle McAllen, Plutarco de la Viña and Dennis B. Chapin developed a new community (the town square of which is now located at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 281 and State Highway 107). The town was named Chapin in honor of one of the developers. It is a local myth that Edinburg became the county seat of Hidalgo County in a dramatic, nighttime covert operation in which the county records were removed from the previous county seat. However, historical records show more practical reasons. The original Hidalgo County Courthouse in the City of Hidalgo was under frequent danger of flooding because of the town's proximity to the Rio Grande, which sometimes encroached on the building. Additionally, Texas law required that the courthouse be close to the geographic center of the county. When Dennis Chapin was involved in the shooting death of Oscar J. Rountree at the Dan Breen Saloon in San Antonio, Texas, the community changed its name to Edinburg to honor John Young, a prominent businessman who was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. The town was officially named in 1911 and incorporated in 1919.
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