Edinburg Mayor Omar Ochoa summarizes his city’s rapid growth as being one of “relentless progress” and has the numbers to prove it.

The city’s population is expected to reach nearly 115,000 residents by 2028, an expected gain of 15,000 over the 2020 Census. The 15 percent population growth over the last six years makes Edinburg the Rio Grande Valley’s fastest growing city of any community with over 25,000 residents. At a recent State of the City event, Ochoa hailed those statistics and many other significant numbers but acknowledged that prosperity needs to reach the older sections of town.

“For those neighborhoods that feel like they have been waiting in the back of the line, I say, ‘no more,’ ’’ said Ochoa, who is in the first year of his mayorship. “We’re making a commitment to all areas of our city.”

The new mayor’s comments reflect the reality that many of its residents do not attend the sort of upscale dinners like the one featuring the State of the City event at the Arts, Culture, and Events Center. Residents living in east Edinburg, and Faysville and Monte Cristo on the north side of town have every day and vital concerns like the condition of their streets and how fast rainwater drains after storms hit.

So, amid the gaudy numbers signifying growth, Ochoa cited other figures the city wants to highlight. Over two dozen streets were repaved in Edinburg last year with nearly 17,000 potholes filled and another 22,000 to be done in 2026.

“Every resident in every zip code must feel that success and believe they are better off because of it,” Ochoa said.

Surge Of Growth

The Edinburg-area zip codes are bursting with growth.

Ochoa told the audience at his State of the City that Edinburg in 2025 saw 32 new subdivisions with 867 lots over 248 acres. In 2026, Edinburg is reviewing 45 new subdivisions, which includes 1,631 proposed lots, with an additional 127 planned subdivisions in the city’s pipeline.  In all – including commercial developments – Ochoa said Edinburg had construction activity valuations totaling $407 million. 

“That number is not just ink on a ledger,” the mayor said. “That’s framing new homes and opening new stories. It’s the undeniable dawn of new opportunities.”

There were some big-name developments in the city last year. H-E-B invested $34 million in the city with a remodel of its store on Freddy Gonzalez Drive. Zoho Corporation, a multinational technology company that makes cloud-based business software – purchased the historic Echo Hotel and is renovating the decades-old building in transforming it into an office campus facility that provides 80 new jobs. At the city’s emerging industrial park on north U.S. Highway 281, three companies developed a combined 65,000-plus square feet of space for warehousing and logistical services. 

“The momentum is only accelerating,” Ochoa said.

Entertainment & Recreation

Beyond the numbers of infrastructure and development, a city and its residents need to recreate and be entertained. 

In 2025, Edinburg welcomed the launch of Division I football in the city and the Valley with the inaugural season of UTRGV Vaquero football. The first season was a success on the field with a 9-3 season record and in the community as well. Over 85,000 fans attended home games at the remodeled Vackar Stadium, and 4,000 out-of-town visitors came to attend games. 

The football-related activities generated an over $100 million economic impact for the city and supported 1,000 jobs. Edinburg also continued to add to its existing network of hike-and-bike trails in 2025. An extension and expansion of an existing trail was extended to McAllen’s 2nd Street, linking the neighboring cities for the first time via trails. 

Ochoa’s address featured an overview of the many city celebrations Edinburg has developed. The parades, festivals, and celebrations the city hosts throughout the calendar year attracted 67,000 visitors.

“Each event brought families and friends together to make our city feel connected and proud,” Ochoa said. 

Moving forward, Ochoa and the city government he leads have a considerable task ahead of them as they implement a $275 million capital improvement plan that touches every aspect of community life – most especially Edinburg’s underlying infrastructure of drainage and sewer facilities, “the bones of the city,” the mayor said. 

“We make these investments not out of convenience, but out of a fierce belief in our future,” Ochoa said. “We refuse to accept complacency.”