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History in
a Pecan Shell
First settlement dates to 1770 which explains the name of the town.
José Salvador de la Garza and his wife María Gertrudis de la Garza
Falcón founded the ranches Espíritu Santo and El Tanque, which later
became known as El Rancho Viejo.
De la Garza's heirs retained ownership until 1848 when 500 acres were
sold to Anglo James Grogan. There went the neighborhood. Things were
never to be the same.
Fast forward to 1968 when the Rancho Viejo Resort and Country Club
was founded. The resort went belly-up in 1976 and was sold it to Rancho
Viejo, Incorporated in late 1978.
The community that developed around the Rancho Viejo Country Club
was formed mostly of retirees who had settled here. A vote was held
in 1980 to incorporate.
From a 1983 (estimated) population of 275, it had grown to 750 in
three short years. Winter Texans from northern states and Canada pushed
increased the population by 30% in their season and wealthy Mexican
nationals bought houses that they visited each summer.
The city is mainly residential and could be considered a suburb of
Brownsville.
Local school children attend classes in Los
Fresnos or Brownsville
schools. From a population of 1,200 in the early 1990s, it has increased
to 1,754 for the 2000 census. |
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