<P> In the mid-1980s, fueled by trade and the growth of the maquiladora (in which components are shipped to Mexico, assembled and shipped back), the economy began to improve in Hidalgo County . McAllen sits across the border from Reynosa, a large manufacturing center . After the peso devalued it became easier to coax companies to put their plants in Mexico with support operations in Texas . </P> <P> McAllen is located in southern Hidalgo County at 26 ° 12 ′ 59" N 98 ° 14 ′ 11" W ﻿ / ﻿ 26.21639 ° N 98.23639 ° W ﻿ / 26.21639; - 98.23639 (26.216263, − 98.236385). It is bordered to the southwest by Granjeno; to the west by Mission, Palmhurst, and Alton; to the north by Edinburg, the Hidalgo county seat; to the east by Pharr; and to the south by Hidalgo . The McAllen city limits extend to the southwest as far as the Rio Grande, directly north of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, in Mexico . The Anzalduas International Bridge crosses the Rio Grande at this point, 11 miles (18 km) southwest of downtown McAllen . </P> <P> McAllen is 238 miles (383 km) south of San Antonio, 148 miles (238 km) southeast of Laredo, 60 miles (97 km) northwest of Brownsville, and 150 miles (240 km) northeast of Monterrey . </P> <P> According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 48.6 square miles (126.0 km), of which 48.3 square miles (125.2 km) are land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km), or 0.62%, are water . </P>

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