Was pleased to see an Edinburg Fire Department substation go up on the west side of town. It's just down the road from where I live and I can tell you the explosion in neighborhoods out on the west side of town certainly merited this important government service. Those of us old enough to remember will tell you that we used to drive out here to the far outskirts of town to go hunting or buy fireworks during the holidays.
But this little fire substation is just a small example of the tremendous growth and the improvements in the quality of life in our community. Mayor Richard Garcia or City Commissioner Alma Garza both witnessed the tremendous growth in our city. Today, newspapers have a story about that growth.
The 2005 Milken Institute Best Performing Cities Index, released Wednesday, lists the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area No. 4 in its roundup of the nation's 200 largest metro areas. The index ranks the areas based on their ability to create and sustain jobs. The McAllen metro area was 18th in the 2004 index, and the institute noted the area's burgeoning cross-border trade with Mexico.
The survey lists that the 2005 winners have similar characteristics: strong and growing service sectors; a robust recovery in tourism; growing populations, and an increase in the number of retirees, according to Milken, which is based in Santa Monica, Calif. This new reality can be visibly seen here in South Texas. It is just one of the challenges that confronts us here as we continue to grow at a record pace we also will aim to maintain the beauty and unique culture that is found here in the borderlands.
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