This South Texas city is quietly becoming one of Texas' hottest markets

Over the last few years, this Rio Grande Valley city has not only become one of the fastest-growing in Texas, but also in the country as a whole. And Edinburg is showing no signs of slowing down.

No matter where you look, Hidalgo County's second-largest city seems to be immune to the kinds of market stressors - like inflation and rising property taxes - that have stifled growth in other communities across the state. The city's relatively new mayor, Omar Ochoa - a former city attorney who was elected to office for the first time in November - attributes Edinburg's remarkable resilience to years of momentum-building by previous leaders, and the energy of the city's people.

Ochoa recently spoke with MySA about how Edinburg is an ideal city for people at every stage of life and every income bracket, pointing to how financial media websites like SmartAsset and Investopedia have named Edinburg among the best places for both Millennials and retirees. On one end of the spectrum, young people have better earning power in Edinburg. On the other, the city offers an affordable place to call home while relying on a fixed budget.

"Edinburg is just a very energetic city, and I think that brings people who are looking for a good lifestyle in a place with a lot of opportunity," Ochoa told MySA.

That search for opportunity has had some pretty tangible results. Since the start of the year, the city has recorded more than $103 million in investment by both commercial and residential property developers applying for building permits, according to the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation. That includes dozens of new single-family and multi-family housing developments, new commercial construction, and upgrades at existing properties.

Over the last few months, the four-time All-America City has seen Texas grocery juggernaut H-E-B cut the ribbon on a nearly $34 million overhaul of one of its busiest stores in the Valley;  the grand opening of first-ever stores for the city, like James Avery and Cavender's Boot City; and multiple new eateries, like Chipotle. Several other retailers and restaurant brands are also in the middle of construction in Edinburg, as well as three national hotel chains.

Since 2020, Edinburg's population has boomed by more than 8% - from barely topping 100,000 in 2020, to soaring past 108,000 in 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Aside from the mayor, there's been another man with a front-row seat to Edinburg's building boom: Jaime Acevedo, who has served as the city's planning director since 2022.

A lifelong Valley resident, Acevedo has helped guide development in other cities, including his hometown of Mission. But watching Edinburg's evolution has been something else entirely.

"It makes you proud to be a part of the growth that's happening," Acevedo told MySA.

While other bustling metros, like Austin, have seen their housing markets flip from favoring sellers to buyers, or their commercial sectors stagnate, Edinburg's growth has remained unabated. There are currently more than 140 new residential subdivisions "on our books," Acevedo said. That's nearly twice as many as Brownsville, which is the largest city in the Valley.

That includes a number of new so-called "missing middle" housing projects that were once considered elusive for developers to build. Missing middle housing is the kind of higher-density development, like garden homes and townhomes, that sits between sprawling single-family homes and clustered apartment complexes.

"It's kind of hard to believe, but that's still the case. We still haven't stopped our growth. We're still continuing to see large numbers of developments come into the city. The number of permits that are issued is still high," Acevedo said.

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