About Harlingen
Harlingen is a city of about 72,000 people in Cameron County in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, about 25 miles north of the Mexican border at Brownsville. Founded in the early 1900s by Lon C. Hill as the railroad arrived, it grew as a center for citrus and vegetable farming and remains a crossroads for the Valley, with year-round warm weather that draws many winter visitors.
The city's best-known landmark is the Iwo Jima Monument on the grounds of the Marine Military Academy, the original full-size working model from which the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington was cast. The restored Jackson Street historic district downtown holds shops, cafes and monthly market days, and the Harlingen Arts and Heritage Museum covers local history and art.
Harlingen is also part of the World Birding Center network. Hugh Ramsey Nature Park and the Harlingen Arroyo Colorado site attract green jays, kiskadees, chachalacas and many migrants, and Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, home of the rare ocelot, lies to the east. South Padre Island's beaches are about 45 minutes away.
Best seasonNovember to April for mild weather and peak birding; summers are very hot.
Ideal stayOne to two days, combined with birding sites and a trip to South Padre Island.
ArrivingValley International Airport is in Harlingen, with flights to Houston and other Texas cities.
