Brownsville

Understand

Brownsville sits in the southernmost tip of Texas, is a border town and is also bordered by the Gulf Coast. These qualities make Brownsville a thriving city in the manufacturing industry. For this reason, Brownsville adopted the motto, "On the Border, By the Sea" in 1966. Since the early 1990s, the city has experienced a steel boom, leading to fast population growth. The area had around 98,000 residents in 1990, and has grown to 183,000 as of 2016. Despite being in Texas, Brownsville doesn't live up to the common stereotypes of most Texas cities (western, rural). Instead, it has its own distinct culture. One common thing to notice about Brownsville is that it is influenced by the behavior of South Padre Island residents (laid-back, casual). The presence of an island so near to Brownsville has rubbed off on the locals. Culturally, Brownsville's residents are predominantly Hispanic. It's common to hear people mix Spanish and English in their speech given the presence of Mexico being so close to Brownsville. For this reason, the city holds many festivals and parades celebrating the traditions from Mexico that have been integrated into American culture. As you make the drive from Kingsville, you will start to see an abundance in palm trees. The area is known to tourists as "The Green City" for having more lush, green vegetation and plants than other cities in the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas. Sabal palms are dotted all around the city. The city has a strong focus on greener resources. Wind turbines, bike trails and solar panels are becoming more common in the Brownsville area. The sunrises and sunsets in Brownsville are quite exquisite. Be sure to grab your camera and snap photos of these events. The area is known colloquially as the "Sunrise Capital of South Texas".

History What many do not know about Brownsville is how rich in history the city actually is. It has been named the second-most historic city in the state of Texas, after San Antonio. Brownsville was

Getting there

By plane 1 Brownsville/South Padre Island Airport (BRO IATA), 700 Emilia Earhart Dr, ☏ +1 956 542-4373. It is served by the following airlines:* American Eagle (non-stop service between Dallas and Brownsville)* Avelo (Burbank, Orlando)* United Express (non-stop passenger service from Houston)The city have already replaced the terminal at the end of 2020. (updated Oct 2020) The next nearest commercial airport in the US with Delta (to Minneapolis St Paul), Southwest Airlines, and Sun Country is Harlingen Valley International Airport, 35 min northwest on I-69E & Loop 499 (S Ed Carey Dr). Both United & American/American Eagle serve the area via Valley International Airport, McAllen International Airport and Brownsville from their respective hubs in Houston and Dallas-Ft Worth. The nearest airports for onward flights into Mexico are in Matamoros or further east from Harlingen in McAllen and Reynosa.

By bus The main bus station for local public transportation and intercity buses is at the 2 La Plaza Brownsville Terminal at 755 International Blvd which is along International Blvd & S Adams in downtown:

Intercity bus services El Expreso, Tornado, 755 International Blvd, ☏ +1 713 325-8010, toll-free: +1 800 601-6559. Connects Matamoros/Brownsville to Houston and Dallas (updated Mar 2018) Greyhound, Autobus Americanos and Valley Transit Co (VTC), 755 International Blvd, ☏ +1 956 546-2264, toll-free: +1-800-231-2222. They have an additional location 215 E Monroe St in Harlingen. Goes up towards San Antonio via Harlingen, McAllen and Falfurrias. Some variations of the route continue north towards Dallas-Ft Worth from San Antonio via Austin. Another route goes up towards Houston through Harlingen, Raymondville, Riviera, Kingsville, Robstown, Corpus Christi, Odem Sinton, Refugio, Victoria, El Campo, Wharton, Rosenberg and SW Houston. Some of their buses going towards Houston may make fewer stops. (updated Mar 2018) Omnibus Express, toll-free: +1-800-923-1799. Goes

Getting around

By car The best way to get around Brownsville is by car. If you don't have a car, there are multiple rental car agencies dotted around the city.

By bus Brownsville Metro (B-Metro) - Main bus service providing rides within thirteen different routes throughout the city's major arteries. The system operates M-Sa 6AM-8PM. The terminal center, called La Plaza at Brownsville, is at 755 International Blvd close to the Gateway International Bridge. The center was completed in 2013 and also provides several restaurants with both indoor and outdoor seating.

By taxi There are several taxi services provided right outside of the Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport. They are easily accessible once arriving here (by plane). Prices depend on type of cab service.

City Taxi, 1135 E Adams St, ☏ +1 956 544-3030. 24 hours. Only accepts cash, no debit cards. Also known as Brownsville Cab. Yellow Express Taxi, 2370 North Expy Ste 1, ☏ +1 956 320-8294. 24 hours. Provides taxi service to Los Fresnos, Rancho Viejo and across the border to Matamoros, Tamaulipas. Accepts payments in Visa, Mastercard.

By foot or bicycle The city is known as the "Bicycling Capital of the Rio Grande Valley" so there will be several trails spanning long distances of the city. They connect to major arteries and other commercial areas. There are seven bike trails you can take to explore Brownsville (listed in the Do section of the article). A BikeShare Program by Zagster has six bike stations around Brownsville, including several in the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Other locations include La Plaza Terminal, CityPlaza, Linear Park, Washington Park, Dean Porter Park and the Belden Connect. Membership for the program costs $35 per year, $15 per month and $2 an hour. Brownsville and nine other cities in Cameron County have developed a hike-and-bike network plan to connecting these cities with one another. Paddle trails will be included connecting Brownsville to other cities nea

See

Brownsville is home to many historic homes, battlefield sites, state parks, museums, art galleries and even a zoo. The presence of SpaceX has pushed the area to focus more on educating the public on the aerospace industry, which has dedicated several sites for locals to use to heighten their knowledge on rockets and space exploration. Battlefield sites are sporadic in the city: you will find some to be in the outskirts and others in the center of highly commercial areas. These locations blend in with its surrounding areas.

The state parks are included here because they are preserved by the state of Texas, thereby restricting major developments from occurring in the area. They also resemble sanctuaries for endangered wildlife and marine life that are only common in Brownsville.

Aerospace facilities 1 SpaceX South Texas Launch Site (Starbase), 54298 Boca Chica Blvd (get off ramp on Boca Chica Blvd, drive straight until reaching the end of the street, which meets several feet near the