ABSTRACT

The poverty in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) is a direct result of economic and social processes which have worsened over time and created poverty levels without equal in the rest of northern Mexico and the United States. There are several densely populated cities in the LRGV, including Brownsville and Harlingen in Cameron county and McAllen in Hidalgo county with a combined population of 231,718. On the Mexican side of the Rio Grande River lies the state of Tamaulipas with two large population centers, Matamoros and Reynosa, as well as a number of other smaller towns. Renewed interest in Mexico as a prominent trading partner makes a study of the socio-economic conditions of the border region even more imperative. On the Mexican side of the border region, the most important urban areas are Matamoros, Reynosa, and Camargo-Rio Bravo with a combined population of 678,941. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.