July 5, 2007, 12:13AM
Border has the right mix for growth
Leaders say immigration, trade and birth rate are sparking the area's boom


By JAMES PINKERTON
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

POPULATION BOOM


Brownsville
• 2006 population: 172,437

• 2000 population: 142,120

• Percent increase: 21%


Laredo
• 2006 population: 215,484

• 2000 population: 177,622

• Percent increase: 21%


McAllen
• 2006 population: 126,411

• 2000 population: 106,451

• Percent increase: 19%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
It's all about location, say leaders in Texas border communities where trade and immigration from Mexico have supercharged growth rates.

From 2000 to July 2006 Brownsville and Laredo each grew by 21 percent, while McAllen followed with nearly 19 percent, according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates released last week. They were among the 19 Texas cities ranked in the 100 fastest-growing U.S. cities with population of more than 100,000, according to the Census Bureau.

"Location and cross-border trade is driving what's happening from El Paso to Brownsville," said Steve Ahlenius, president of the McAllen Chamber of Commerce.

Besides international trade, the high birth rates among Hispanics and continuing immigration from Latin America are fueling growth, leaders say.

"It's a booming place, both economically and population-wise," Ahlenius said about McAllen. "You have a young Hispanic population that typically has more kids than Anglo families, and ... we have newly arrived immigrants from Mexico and Central America."

Over the last year, Ahlenius said, more than 5,000 new jobs were created in medical and construction fields in McAllen, as well as government jobs related to ongoing Border Patrol expansion.

"Our city is booming because there is so much opportunity for business, especially international trade," said Laredo Mayor Raul G. Salinas, noting the border town is the nation's largest inland port of entry.

Laredo and Webb County leaders are developing a new international bridge for cars, in addition to a second railroad bridge to handle anticipated container ship cargo from Mexico's Pacific coast, Salinas said. That would boost Laredo's international bridges to seven, which the mayor said is needed in a city that last year saw more than 1 million commercial trucks come in from Mexico.

Revenues from sales taxes grew in Laredo by 13 percent to $30.5 million last year, officials say.

In addition to trade with Mexico, the mayor said educational facilities in Laredo have tailored instruction to train more skilled workers that lure new industries. A Mexican-owned copper pipe company has broken ground on a $100 million plant, a facility expected to bring 250 jobs paying up to $20 an hour, the mayor said.

In Brownsville, development officials boast a number of key indicators: More than 100 new homes are built each month. An unemployment rate that has dipped from double digits to 5.3 percent. A 25 percent growth in retail stores.

"The Mexican economy ... is a key component to development and growth of Brownsville and the whole border region," said Jason Hilts, president of the Brownsville Economic Development Council.

He said that in the last month, two companies agreed to open call centers in Brownsville to handle customer service. The two centers are expected to create 1,700 jobs.

Brownsville's rapid growth is attributed, in part, to expanded trade with Mexico, including a resurgence in the maquiladoras industry across the Rio Grande. These U.S. and foreign-owned plants employ Mexican workers to assemble component parts into a wide array of products.

"And there's a lot of internal growth of the community," Hilts noted. "We're still a very young population, and we tend to have a lot of babies down here."

McAllen officials, including Ahlenius, say rapid growth brings challenges.

"When you have that type of growth, how do you keep up with the infrastructure — the roads, schools, water and sewer service," he said, noting that McAllen voters passed a $98 million bond issue two years ago and has been aggressive in purchasing water rights.

"What is really a challenge is the population," he said. "Obviously, when you have high birth rates and in-migration coming in, keeping that work force trained and educated is a big challenge."

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