Anyone live near Brownsville, TX?

[Fermion]

Just saw that Musk was donating $30 million to the county/city to improve things in Brownsville as he builds out his spaceport.

I am curious what is it like down in that area?

 

[REWahoo]

I am curious what is it like down in that area?

Flat, hot and very humid.

 

[audreyh1]

Yes, very nice donation and much needed in a poor TX county.

Awesome beaches nearby (South Padre Island).

South Texas indeed gets very hot. And being in a major river delta is extremely flat. Nice winter weather though.

 

[corn18]

Don't forget windy.

 

[Fermion]

Nice, I may have to drive down there next winter and spend a few days gawking. Currently enjoying the 60 degree sunny days here in Washington though

 

[audreyh1]

Don't forget windy.

Oh yeah! Very windy much of the time.

I forget that because I’m so used to it.

We live one county inland. Much less humid here. We don’t get the salty air either and we’re much farther from hurricane hazards. But it does get hotter here in the summer!

 

[Fermion]

Oh yeah! Very windy much of the time.

I forget that because I’m so used to it.

We live one county inland. Much less humid here. We don’t get the salty air either and we’re much farther from hurricane hazards. But it does get hotter here in the summer!

Have you seen a launch down there yet?

 

[Nemo2]

Flat, hot and very humid.

And, if you're a dog owner, ticks abound.

 

[Fermion]

And, if you're a dog owner, ticks abound.

Ticks? Isn't it mostly cactus and desert?

 

[Nemo2]

Ticks? Isn't it mostly cactus and desert?

Tick Borne Diseases? Yes, Even In The Deserts – Desert Report

 

[REWahoo]

Isn't it mostly cactus and desert?

Not in that part of the state.

Here's a screen shot of what it looks like on the road from Brownsville to Boca Chica. Lots of farmland and what we in TX call "brush country".

 

[Chuckanut]

SpaceX is doing a lot of hiring for their site in Brownsville.

Most likely the next generation rocket (the Starship) will be built in Texas. After they figure out how to land it without blowing it up. Which they probably will, and uncomfortably soon for their competitors.

 

[corn18]

And the King Ranch casserole is a tasty treat! I spent a year in Kingsville learning how to fly jets in the Navy.

 

[Nemo2]

! I spent a year in Kingsville learning how to fly jets in the Navy.

My first ever night in Kingsville they were doing touch-and-goes all &%$# night......made up for it though when I toured the Naval Air Station and got to play with one of the Marine dogs, a Belgian Shepherd.

 

[audreyh1]

Have you seen a launch down there yet?

No. Timing is too tricky. We live about 80 miles away. Not much notice. I expect a launch can be seen from South Padre Island. Boca Chica area is closed during launches.

 

[audreyh1]

Ticks? Isn't it mostly cactus and desert?

Reasonable number of ticks down here. The usual. Tons of chiggers.

There is plenty of cactus and yucca, but it is not desert. You have to go 100 miles or so west to run into desert.

ReWahoos photo is exactly what part of it looks like driving out there. Plenty of vegetation, but low vegetation and very few big trees, and tons of Spanish Dagger type yuccas which are pretty when blooming which they are right now.

 

[RetireAge50]

We arrived in this area February 1st as part of a trip by RV with no real destination. We like it so much we have not left yet. Will likely spend winters here going forward. We are a bit west of Brownsville near Harlingen.

 

[audreyh1]

We arrived in this area February 1st as part of a trip by RV with no real destination. We like it so much we have not left yet. Will likely spend winters here going forward. We are a bit west of Brownsville near Harlingen.

Harlingen is a pretty nice small city. Did you know it was named after a city in the Netherlands?

 

[JP.mpls]

RA50,
My grandparents drove down to Brownsville with a small airstream trailer every winter for about their first 20 years of retirement.
They loved it down their. I've never made it down there myself. Enjoy. JP

We arrived in this area February 1st as part of a trip by RV with no real destination. We like it so much we have not left yet. Will likely spend winters here going forward. We are a bit west of Brownsville near Harlingen.

 

[RetireAge50]

Harlingen is a pretty nice small city. Did you know it was named after a city in the Netherlands?

Interesting. I’ll have to check out the Harlingen Netherlands next! BTW, you had some influence in why we ventured down to this part of Texas. Thank you!

 

[audreyh1]

Interesting. I’ll have to check out the Harlingen Netherlands next! BTW, you had some influence in why we ventured down to this part of Texas. Thank you!

I discovered this when we drove through the same name city in the Netherlands and were astonished. We later found out anyone who went to school in Harlingen TX knew the name origin.

 

[aja8888]

Rattlesnakes, spiders, scorpions, all kinds of creepy bugs and lizards. Otherwise, nice country. I've spent 25+ years all over Texas on oilfield projects. I've been in places in Texas where humans have never set foot!

I lived elsewhere, but got here as fast as I could.

 

[Bamaman]

At least Brownsville residents don't have to worry about problems with trees, etc.

I think all the native trees have disappeared in past hurricanes. Those left are probably very short.

 

[winger]

Harlingen, TX here. We have been coming to this area for 12 years, in the winter.

In 2019, we bought a home here. We planned to travel in the summer (RV) and winter here. 2020 changed that. We have been here since October, 2019. But, we are getting ready to travel in 2021.

Ya, it's hot and humid here in the summer. We have windy days, usually when the gulf moisture is being sucked into a storm to the north.

No family here, this is where we choose to be.

 

[audreyh1]

Harlingen, TX here. We have been coming to this area for 12 years, in the winter.

In 2019, we bought a home here. We planned to travel in the summer (RV) and winter here. 2020 changed that. We have been here since October, 2019. But, we are getting ready to travel in 2021.

Ya, it's hot and humid here in the summer. We have windy days, usually when the gulf moisture is being sucked into a storm to the north.

No family here, this is where we choose to be.

One interesting thing about the Valley wind — apparently it is caused by the high Monterey mountains only 150 miles to our southwest. Due to typical airflow crossing the range, a low pressure area often develops on the west side of those mountains, causing air to rush around them to fill it. Right across us. Highest in spring. We do get even more wind when there are big storms north of us - even over 1000 of miles away.

Oh good - I found one of the articles. https://brianmejia.wordpress.com/2011/04/11/windy-windy-windy-valley/