The first real development in the area that would later become McAllen occurred in the 1850s. That development was led by John McAllen. In 1904 he established a town site then known as West McAllen. In 1907 a separate group of developers established a town known as East McAllen. Eventually the two towns merged and the City of McAllen was incorporated in 1911.
http://www.mcallen.net/info/history.aspx The city has grown rapidly over the past century. In 1910 the population was about 150. As of 2008 it is estimated that the city has a population exceeding 130,000.
http://www.mcallen.net/info/default.aspx Over 80% of the city's population is Hispanic or Latino.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mcallen McAllen is known for its hot weather. The summers can be really uncomfortable. Over 100 degree weather starts in May and lasts to October. In the winter months large numbers retirees from the northern United States and Canada live here. They are known as the Winter Texans.McAllen is surrounded by several medium size towns and cities. These cities are so interconnected that they sometimes appear to be one larger city. For census purposes the federal government includes all these areas under the heading McAllen–Edinburg–Mission Metropolitan Statistical Area. http://wikitravel.org/en/McAllen