Hidalgo

Formed January 5, 1852 (92^nd county)

Hidalgo County (774,769), Edinburg (77,100), McAllen (129,877)

The Modern courthouse was built in 2021 and sits at the intersection of University Drive (Texas State Highway 107) and Closner Boulevard (United States Highway 218 Business.)  R. Newell Waters designed the masonry building.  The original county seat was Hidalgo from the county’s January 5, 1852 formation until 1908 when it moved to Chapin (renamed to Edinburg).  Edinburg has had the other two courthouses.  The county was formed from Cameron County as the 92^nd county.  Hidalgo is named for Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, leader of Mexican independence.  He is also the namesake of Goliad County and its county seat.  Edinburg gets its name from John Young from Edinburg, Scotland, who began the community. 

Hidalgo County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners.  Eleven District Court Judges and Nine County Court Judges serve Hidalgo County.  The county is located in the far south part of Texas along the Rio Grande.  Hidalgo County shares its southern border with Mexico.  Brownsville, Texas lies to the southeast.  The county center is 17.9 miles Northwest of Edinburg nearer McCook.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Brooks, Kenedy, Willacy, and Cameron counties and Mexico and Starr County. 

The area of the county is 1583 square miles.  It is 18 out of 254 in the state.  It ranks 8 out of 254 in population in the state.  It has a density of 489.43 persons per square mile making it 11 out of 254 in the state.  Hidalgo County has 69.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 83 crosses east to west, Cameron County to Starr County.  United States Highway 281 comes in from the Brooks County on the north and goes to Cameron County on the east.  The county is relatively flat and shaped like a tall rectangle tilted to the east.  Edinburg, like the majority of the population, is located in the southern third of the county.  McAllen is in the southwest quarter of the county.  Edinburg is the county seat and McAllen is the largest city.  Edinburg is 10.0% of the county population while McAllen is 16.8% of the county population.  The county is pronounced HI (short I)-DAL-GOE.  This county is in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Metropolitan Statistical Area.

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