Decade 2000 to 2009 Development 2000 Harlingen population, according to the U.S. Census, is 57,876 as adjusted in April. Initially it is put at 57,564 but the city insists this is an undercount of 1,511 and should be put at 59,075. By July 2002 it has grown 2.6% to 59,384. The U.S. Census Bureau provides the following demographics for Harlingen at the beginning of the 21st Century: White 78.7% Black or African American 0.9% Hispanic or Latino (persons of any race who identify themselves as such) 72.8% High school graduate or higher 66.2% Bachelor's degree or higher 16.8% Speak a language other than English at home (5 years and older) 65.4% Median household income $30,296 Median value of single-family owner-occupied home $59,400 Heart of Harlingen program initiated to revitalize parts of Harlingen's original townsite, east of the downtown area. City works with the Harlingen Community Development Corp., a non-profit agency. By June 2002 one million dollars in state funds has allowed the renovation of eight homes, the construction of two new ones on vacant lots and the purchase of 23 decaying homes and two vacant lots. Harlingen municipal water use for the year is 10,759 acre-feet. By the year 2050 this is forecast to rise to 15,777. 7/1/00 By the end of mid-year sales tax revenues are $7,722,036 or up 6.38% over the same period last year. Airline boardings valued at $246,371 for the six months are down .81%. Commercial building permits at $19,692,400 are down 20.06% while new residences permits at $9,990,384 are down 33.78%. There were 206 home sales to date, up 15.08%. The average home sale price at $105,313 was up a considerable 40.42%. Free Trade Bridge revenues crept up slowly to $511,937 or 2.38%. 2002 The state deregulates electricity thereby bringing about generation companies which are wholesalers and retailers who sell and distribute electricity in a competitive market. In South Texas customers now have the choice of companies rather than only CPL and minor electric cooperatives. 10/18/02 After 15 months of construction, Su Clinica Familia opens its 61,000 sq. ft. $6 million facility at 1706 Treasure Hills Blvd. It has 54 examining rooms. Dr. Elena Marin is executive director of the facility which will have a drive-through window for an outside pharmacy. This non-profit organization provided service to more than 24,000, primarily low-income, patients in 2000 and generated about 119,468 medical visits and 10,314 dental visits through 15 physicians. 2/21/03 The Children's Center at the Valley Baptist Medical Center is dedicated. This unit is the first of its kind in the Valley. The 42,000 sq. ft. facility offers comprehensive pediatric service with its 62-bed unit designed specifically with children in mind. The facility cost $8 million with the community raising $1 million of this. It is located on the fourth floor of the East Tower. Its state-of-the-art facility is designed to accommodate children and parents. 3/18/03 City puts up $342,000 in economic development funds in order to obtain a Federal grant of $765,000. These will be used to improve the infrastructure at the industrial park at the Free Trade Bridge at Los Indios. San Benito and the County will repay Harlingen their portions. The park owner will put up $114,000. Funds will go for road construction, utilities, etc. 5/3/03 The Treasure Hills Country Club is gifted to the Valley Baptist Medical Center. In an exchange for an annuity Gene and Bettye Estillette donate 273 acres of land which includes 55.87 acres of undeveloped land, 22 developed lots, and the golf course. Part of the land will be used for the development of a wellness center and the construction of a conference and meeting center. The property was purchased at an auction for $1.85 million in July 1999 by Banco Nacional de Mexico and then from it by the Estillettes that same month. The VBMS will likely lease the golf course. 12/03 Employment in Harlingen has grown from 23,604 jobs in 1998 to 28,015 in 2003. In the same period new building permits have averaged $79 million annually. The top ten employers at the end of the year were: Employer No. of People Business Harlingen CISD 2,538 School District Valley Baptist Medical Center 1,810 Hospital EchoStar Communications 860 Call Center Texas State Technical College 540 Technical College City of Harlingen 525 City Government Advanced Call Center Technologies 403 Call Center Harlingen Medical Center 393 Hospital H-E-B 373 Retail Grocery -3 Rio Grande State Center 364 Mental Health West Corporation 350 Call Center 1/15/04 Valley Baptist Health System announces that it has acquired a 23-acre site at the Sharyland Plantation, south of Mission. It plans to develop another hospital there in Hidalgo County. In Harlingen it has purchased a building to provide additional services, including an out patient diagnostic center and a new pharmacy. The Valley Baptist Hospital currently is a 611-bed facility. It employs about 2,200 people and generates about $680 million in revenues annually. 2/29/04 The unoccupied Fruit of the Loom building with 678,000 sq. ft. on a 100 acre site is being prepared for sale as equipment comes out, an environmental study is made, and photographs are taken of it. Allex and Associates have been given the exclusive listing by its owners, Berkshire Hathaway. It should be put on the market by April 1. 5/18/04 It is announced that the Valley Baptist Health System will purchase the Brownsville Medical Center from the California-based Tenet Healthcare Corp. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy, BMC has been serving Brownsville since 1923 and currently has a 243-bed facility and 900 employees. The sale is expected to be completed by June 30. 8/15/04 Global Entertainment and the City reveal that they are exploring the possibilities of an arena convention/conference center for Harlingen. Costs of a 5,800 seat facility which might be constructed would be backed by city bonds repaid from a two percentage point increase in the city's 7 % hotel-motel tax and a new 5% tax on car rentals. Global owns the Central Hockey League which might place a team in Harlingen as an anchor for the arena. 10/04 Harlingen's healthcare industry continues to expand as 60,000 square foot strip mall-type building is being erected on Victoria Lane to house medical offices. Alonzo Cantu, a McAllen architect, is building the facility. 11/18/04 Las Colinas, a mid- to high-end development is commenced. It will consist of 212 lots on 77 acres. Treasure Hills Blvd. will be extended 1 ½ mile to FM 509, according to Roger Kubala, president of Alliance Consolidated Corp., the developer. Lot costs will range from $45,000 to $85,000 for sizes ranging from 9,000 to 16,000 square feet. 12/31/04 Harlingen has issued $113.2 million in construction permits for 2004, up 49.3% from 2003's $75.8 million. New houses and apartments accounted for 48 permits valued at 40.8 million and commercial activities 38 permits valued at 33.6. 8/2/05 President George W. Bush signs the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). In doing so, the treaty when implemented may negatively impact the area's sugarcane growers and their cooperative, the Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers, Inc. 12/05 For over a decade the residential buildings on E. Tyler and E. Harrison between Commerce and 77 Sunshine Streets have been inexorably transformed into business/commercial entities, moved off their lots, or demolished to make place for new structures. At the start of the 2000 decade on these same streets construction activity between 77 and Loop 499 accelerated greatly. For the most part the ubiquitous strip malls arose to parallel the streets, but some single-use buildings also were built. Quite a few offered the Spanish-Mexican Mediterranean style stucco exterior and designs. By mid- 2006 the following recent (or relatively so) projects were to be found: On Tyler (and working east) a new Cantu Construction and Development Co. strip mall with 24 parking slots; the Star Professional Plaza; The Work Station; Cantera (professional offices) at 1713; at 1902 Rosemont of Highland Gardens built in 2003 and managed by Southwest Housing Management Co. This large high-density enterprise consists of 70 one story rental units and 104 two-story townhouse rental units; at 1906 the Plaza Colonial Professional condos; Western Southern Life (insurance) building; new Express Rent to Own; Valley Physician Services at 2026 in a unique glass greenhouse- looking structure; 2025 has Rio Grande Valley Abstract Co.; the large Harlingen Pediatrics sits between the two street; Linda Burke, dentist, and Bryan F. Burke, CPA, at 2102; a Dollar General store; Alamo Bank of Texas; Drake Family Dentistry; Circle K Citgo convenience store; the new six unit Gaslight Center strip mall at 2422 with American Self-Storage to its rear. On E. Harrison working east the more recent entities are: Endodontic Dentists at 1610; Vela's Café L'gant at 1621; Rudy Garza Funeral Home; The Children's Dentist at 1717; Tussig Chiropractic Clinic at 1717; Epiphany Photo and Imaging at 1820; Sierra Title, 1902; Harrison Health Institute, 1916; Bryant and Stingley Inc., court reporters, at 2010 in a modernistic building built over ten years ago by Dr.