Hidalgo County, Texas

County

County of Hidalgo

The Hidalgo County Courthouse at Edinburg in 2002.

Flag

Seal

Location in the U.S. state of Texas

Texas's location in the U.S.

Founded

1852

Named for

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla

Seat

Edinburg

Largest city

McAllen

Area

• Total

1,583 sq mi (4,100 km²)

• Land

1,571 sq mi (4,069 km²)

• Water

12 sq mi (31 km²), 0.8%

Population

• (2010)

774,769

• Density

493/sq mi (190/km²)

Congressional districts

15th, 28th, 34th

Time zone

Central: UTC-6/-5

Website

www.co.hidalgo.tx.us

Hidalgo County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 774,769, making it the eighth-most populous county in Texas. The county seat is Edinburg, while the largest city is McAllen. The county is named for Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the priest who raised the call for Mexico's independence from Spain.

Hidalgo County is also designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas and is one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,583 square miles (4,100 km²), of which 1,571 square miles (4,070 km²) is land and 12 square miles (31 km²) (0.8%) is water. The northern part of the county has sandy and light loamy soils over deep reddish or mottled, clayey subsoils. In some areas limestone lies within forty inches of the surface. The southern part of the county has moderately deep to deep loamy surfaces over clayey subsoils. Along the Rio Grande brown to red clays occur. Hidalgo County is in the South Texas Plains vegetation area, which features grasses, mesquite, live oaks, and chaparral. Native plants, reduced in recent years by extensive farming, include chapote, guayacan, ebony, huisache, brasil, and yucca.

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