Pharr, Texas
Pharr is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 79,715,[6] and in 2022, the estimated population was 80,187.[7] Pharr is connected by bridge to the Mexican city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas. Pharr is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas.
Pharr, Texas
February 22, 1916[1]
Mayor Dr Ambrosio "Amos" Hernandez.
Michael Pacheco
Roberto "Bobby" Carrillo
Ramiro Caballero
Daniel Chavez
Ricardo Medina
Itza Flores
Anali Analis
23.65 sq mi (61.26 km2)
23.63 sq mi (61.19 km2)
0.03 sq mi (0.07 km2)
112 ft (34 m)
79,715
80,187
3,348.51/sq mi (1,292.85/km2)
UTC-5 (CDT)
48-57200[4]
1343930[5]
Pharr is located in southern Hidalgo County at 26°12′23″N 98°11′7″W / 26.20639°N 98.18528°W (26.206334, –98.185174).[8] It is bordered to the west by the city of McAllen, to the north by Edinburg, the county seat, to the east by San Juan, and to the southwest by Hidalgo. The Pharr city limits extend south in a narrow band to the Rio Grande and the Pharr–Reynosa International Bridge into Mexico.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Pharr has a total area of 23.4 square miles (60.7 km2), of which 0.03 square miles (0.07 km2), or 0.12%, is covered by water.
Communities:
History[edit]
The community was named after sugar planter Henry Newton Pharr.[9] For a number of years, centering around early 1900, Henry N. Pharr was director of the State National Bank of New Iberia, Louisiana, and was a former president of the Louisiana–Rio Grande Sugar Company and the Louisiana–Rio Grande Canal Company, which at one time owned 8,000 acres (32.4 km2) and which, in 1910, built the town of Pharr on this land. Pharr was the Republican nominee for Louisiana governor in 1908, as his father John Newton Pharr had been in 1896.
Pharr has grown rapidly since the late 20th century, from a population of 32,921 in 1990[10] to an estimated 77,320 in 2016[11] and 79,112 in 2019.
In 1987, Pharr annexed Las Milpas.[12]
In 2006, Pharr received "The All-America City" award.[13]
Climate[edit]
Pharr has a humid subtropical climate, similar to that of the Tampa Bay Area of Florida, but with less precipitation and slightly higher summer maximum temperatures. The average high in January is 68 °F (20 °C), and the average low is 47 °F (8 °C). In August, the average high is 100 °F (38 °C), and the average low is 80 °F (27 °C). The warm season is long, with average highs and lows similar to August's from June through September.
The average annual precipitation is 21.0 inches (530 mm). Most precipitation occurs in the warm season, with the least precipitation distinctly occurring in the cooler winter. As September is the peak of the north Atlantic hurricane season and tropical storms and hurricanes occasionally drop copious amounts of rainfall on the region, this month tends to be by far the wettest, averaging 3.6 inches (91 mm) of precipitation. The driest month is March, with 0.7 inches (18 mm) of precipitation.
Despite frequent temperatures above 100 °F (38 °C), occasionally as early as February and as late as the end of October, the highest temperature ever recorded in Pharr is 110 °F (43 °C), once in 1998 and once in 1999. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Pharr is 13 °F (−11 °C), on January 12, 1962, which is far lower than would be expected at the same latitude in Florida or on the west coast of North America, due to Pharr's location closer to the middle of the continent.
Government and infrastructure[edit]
Pharr City Hall is located at 118 S Cage Blvd, Pharr, Texas 78577. The Innovation and Technology Department operates its official website (http://pharr-tx.gov), as well as its local government television on Time Warner Cable channel 17.12. All current social media platforms are used to allow for interactive governmental operations.
The Pharr–Reynosa International Bridge is operated by the city of Pharr.[17]
The Texas Department of Transportation operates the Pharr District Office in Pharr.[18]
The United States Postal Service operates the Pharr Post Office in Pharr.[19]
Education[edit]
Primary and secondary schools[edit]
The majority of Pharr is served by the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District, which has five high schools in the city: PSJA North Early College High School, PSJA Southwest Early College High School, Thomas Jefferson TSTEM Early College High School, PSJA Sonia M. Sotomayor Early College High School, and Buell Central DAEP. Zoned PSJA ISD schools include PSJA North and PSJA Southwest.[20]
A small fringe portion of the city is a part of the Hidalgo Independent School District. Another small portion is a part of the Valley View Independent School District, which has one campus with around 2,000 students.[21]
In addition, residents are allowed to apply to magnet schools operated by the South Texas Independent School District.
