About

message from the mayor

With growth, comes great responsibility, and great cities look ahead to the future while still preserving their histories, cultures, and traditions.

Today, Edinburg is one of the fastest growing cities in the state of Texas. In fact, among all U.S. cities with 100,000 or more residents, Edinburg was the twelfth fastest growing city in the country in 2010-2020.

We want to build on that momentum, but we know managing growth in a way that benefits all residents will be challenging—and we will need your help.

In February 2022, we launched Edinburg 2040, a community-driven, strategic planning initiative to develop a long-range vision for the city. Through a series of town halls meetings held in different locations around the city, as well as a household survey conducted by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, we were able to engage with more than 2,000 members of the community.

This report summarizes what we learned from you, about community priorities today, and what your vision is for the Edinburg of tomorrow. Thank you for participating in this initiative. I look forward to working together to make your vision a reality.

Mayor Ramiro Garza, Jr.
City of Edinburg

purpose

Edinburg 2040 is a community-driven, strategic planning initiative to develop a long-range vision for the city. The initiative was designed to gauge perceptions of the community, obtain feedback on city services, and establish priorities for city planning and budgeting. The goal of the process was to engage residents in a discussion of where we are today, where we want to go in the future, and how we will get there. While information collected from residents through the Edinburg 2040 process will be used in the short-term for FY 2023 budgeting, the initiative is intended to be an ongoing conversation with the community.

Participation

Edinburg 2040 included two primary means of community engagement: town hall meetings and a resident survey. Approximately 100 community members attended a series of four town hall meetings held in February and March, 2022. Meetings were held at City Hall, Los Lagos, Legacy Chapels, and Boys & Girls Club.

In addition, the City contracted with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to conduct a survey of residents in the city limits, collecting responses online and via mail. The survey was open February 10 – March 31, 2022. More than 2,000 residents participated in the survey.

defining characteristics

  • Residents are exceptionally proud of Edinburg’s sense of community, cultural
    diversity and history, and outdoor recreation—defining features of a “place.”
  • Residents embrace opportunities resulting from growth and development, but
    want the community to maintain its “hometown” character—e.g., many want a
    vibrant, family-friendly downtown, but value a quiet, peaceful environment.
  • Residents view Edinburg as somewhere you can “age in place”—it rates highly
    across life stages as a place to live, raise children, work, and retire.
  • As the gateway to the Rio Grande Valley with room to grow, Edinburg is uniquely
    positioned to offer a variety of urban, suburban, and rural lifestyle options.
  • Edinburg is welcoming, inclusive, and values diversity, as reflected in the city’s
    wide range of well-attended cultural activities and events.
  • Residents feel safe in their neighborhoods and around the city overall, but want
    more investment in bike/pedestrian routes, street lighting, etc.
  • Residents are generally satisfied with the city’s overall appearance and image,
    but want more compliance with property maintenance codes.

future vision

Residents were asked to describe their vision for the future of the city. The following
themes emerged as potential focus areas. These consensus themes could be used
to create committees, strategic plans, or budgeting for implementation.

  • Growth
  • Safety
  • Mobility/Connectivity
  • Health
  • Government Transparency/Openness
  • Cultural Arts
  • Entertainment
  • Equity
  • Beautification

These themes are not mutually exclusive; implementation strategies or projects may
address multiple priorities. In other words, choosing one path does not necessarily
mean neglecting another. For example, investing in protected bike lanes could be
relevant to safety, mobility/connectivity, health, and equity.

capital improvement dashboard

ACTION PLAN

Residents are invited to join a 2040 topic to develop goals, strategies, and actions that will help turn our vision for the community into a reality.