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Edinburg, TX

Edinburg, Texas
City
City of Edinburg
The Hidalgo County Courthouse as seen from University Drive in late 2002.
The Hidalgo County Courthouse as seen from University Drive in late 2002.
Nickname(s): "Gateway City to the Rio Grande Valley"
Location of Edinburg, Texas
Location of Edinburg, Texas
Coordinates: 26°18′15″N 98°9′50″W / 26.30417°N 98.16389°W / 26.30417; -98.16389Coordinates: 26°18′15″N 98°9′50″W / 26.30417°N 98.16389°W / 26.30417; -98.16389
Country  United States of America
State  Texas
County Hidalgo
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 (/ˈɛdnbərɡ/ 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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