Brownsville has a plenty of quirky tidbits of information that many will not be familiar with. So, to keep you clued up on Brownsville, we’ve compiled a few facts about the city. After reading this post filled with facts about Brownsville, impress your friends and colleagues with your knowledge of the “Green City”.
Image by Jaedza at the English language Wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
Brownsville Geographic and Demographic Fast Facts
- Brownsville is situated on the U.S.-Mexico border, on the north bank of the Rio Grande.
- It is the southernmost city in Texas, U.S.
- It is the 16th most populous city in the state.
- It is connected to Matamoros, Mexico through an international bridge.
- It is the county seat of Cameron County.
- It is the manufacturing hub of the Rio Grande Valley.
- It is served by U.S. Routes 281, 83 and 77.
- The ethnic composition of Brownsville includes White-88%, African American-0.4%, Native American-0.4%, Asian-0.7%, Pacific Islander-0.01%, from other races-9.1%, and two or more races-1.5%.
Brownsville History Fast Facts
- Charles Stillman founded Brownsville in 1848.
- The city was named after Major Jacob Brown.
- In 1853, it was incorporated as a city.
- The city played a major role in the Civil War. It served as the main port for exporting cotton and other Confederate goods.
- The city has been the site for several battles- the Texas Revolution, the Mexican American War and the Civil War.
- Between 1945 and 1970, the city witnessed a surge in population.
Brownsville Government and Economy Fast Facts
- Brownsville has a Council-Manager form of government.
- It is regarded to have one of the best pro-business climates in the United States.
- The cost of living in the city is low. As per the Brownsville Economic Development Council, the cost of living in Brownsville is 10 percent less than the U.S. average.
- The Port of Brownsville is the mainstay of the city’s economy. It is an important and main economic center for South Texas.
- The economy of the city is majorly based on the international trade of the city with Mexico through NAFTA.
- It is one of the fastest growing manufacturing areas in the U.S.
- It is a major center for industry, distribution and technology.
Brownsville Important and Interesting Fast Facts
- Brownsville is nicknamed as “The Green City”.
- It was declared an “All-American City” twice, once in year 2001 and then in year 2014.
- Brownsville recorded a snowfall equaling 2 inches on Christmas day (2004). This is was the first time in 109 years that the city has a snowfall of this amount.
- The motto of the city is “on the border by the sea”.
- The country Music Hall of Fame (2004), Kris Kristofferson is from Brownsville.
- Though the official language is English, but people generally converse in Spanish. It is a mixture of English and Spanish.
- “The Brownsville Herald” is the daily newspaper of Brownsville.
