Bill Text: TX HR305 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Recognizing February 5, 2013, as McAllen Day at the State Capitol.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Passed) 2013-02-05 - Reported enrolled [HR305 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-HR305-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 305 |
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WHEREAS, Residents of McAllen are gathering at the State | ||
Capitol on February 5, 2013, to celebrate their community's | ||
contributions to the vitality of the Lone Star State; and | ||
WHEREAS, The development of present-day McAllen began in 1797 | ||
when Spanish settler Jose Manuel Gomez founded the Santa Anita | ||
Ranch in what is now southern Hidalgo County; the ranch grew in size | ||
and was eventually inherited by Mr. Gomez's 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, the St. Louis, Brownsville, and Mexico | ||
Railroad arrived, and that same year, Mr. McAllen and other early | ||
settlers established the McAllen Townsite Company, along with a | ||
community named for John McAllen; other developers founded East | ||
McAllen in 1907, and the two towns eventually merged and became home | ||
to several businesses, churches, residences, and a newspaper; by | ||
1920, the city was home to some 6,000 residents; and | ||
WHEREAS, Over the last four decades, McAllen has grown into a | ||
center for business, commerce, and government in the Rio Grande | ||
Valley, and it is part of one of the fastest-growing metropolitan | ||
statistical areas in the country; in 2012, Forbes magazine ranked | ||
McAllen as one of the top three mid-sized cities in the nation for | ||
jobs; CNNMoney.com has listed McAllen as one of the fastest-growing | ||
U.S. cities, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ranked the city | ||
number one for job growth for 2012; such designations continue a | ||
trend of recognition for McAllen dating back to at least 1996, when | ||
it was named an All-America City; and | ||
WHEREAS, A vibrant cultural center, McAllen is home to the | ||
International Museum of Art and Science, which serves as a showcase | ||
for traveling exhibitions, loaned works from the Smithsonian | ||
Institution, and an extensive collection of Latin American folk | ||
art; the city's newly created Arts District holds regular art | ||
walks, drawing thousands of art enthusiasts monthly; McAllen is | ||
also a regional hub for banking, shopping, and conventions, thanks | ||
to La Plaza Mall and a $75 million convention center; moreover, the | ||
recently completed 123,000-square-foot new Main Library is one of | ||
the largest single-floor public libraries in the nation; and | ||
WHEREAS, Visitors and residents alike enjoy such festive | ||
annual events as the Candlelight Posada, the Fourth of July | ||
Celebration, and PalmFest, and in 2012, the city celebrated its | ||
fifth annual New Year's Eve bash, a free, community-wide event; and | ||
WHEREAS, During 2013, the citizens of McAllen are celebrating | ||
the city's 102nd anniversary as a municipality, and they may indeed | ||
take great pride in their city, which has played a significant role | ||
in the annals of Texas history; now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas | ||
Legislature hereby recognize February 5, 2013, as McAllen Day at | ||
the State Capitol and extend to all McAllen residents who are | ||
present on this day sincere best wishes for a memorable visit to | ||
Austin. | ||
Guerra | ||
Munoz, Jr. | ||
Canales | ||
Longoria | ||
Martinez | ||
______________________________ | ||
Speaker of the House | ||
I certify that H.R. No. 305 was adopted by the House on | ||
February 5, 2013, by a non-record vote. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||