One of Steve Valdez’s primary goals in leading the Weslaco Economic Development Corporation was to make it “a data-driven organization.”

Valdez took the EDC’s helm in 2021. In the years since, Weslaco has continued its steady and sure growth in reaching higher levels of growth. The data Valdez speaks of shows the recording of some new high-water marks in 2024. Weslaco generated over $1 billion in taxable sales for the fiscal year 2023-2024. It was a first in Weslaco’s history.

The $1 billion figure represents what the city netted after sending the lion’s share of local sales tax revenues to the state. It’s a key indicator of how much Weslaco has expanded its economic base and retail influence in the Mid-Valley area. 

“That’s money circulating in the economy of Weslaco and that’s money in the pockets of business owners,” Valdez said.

Retail Surge 

Having data at the ready is important in giving business prospects an overview of local economic activity.

“Retailers want to see where the growth in rooftops is occurring,” Valdez said. 

For Weslaco, there has been plenty of that happening. Residential market values in the city have seen substantial growth over the last four years. Those values have increased by nearly 82 percent since 2020 and grew to $1.1 billion in 2024. Single-family homes dominate the housing market in Weslaco. Growth in that housing segment is evident in different parts of the city from new subdivisions on North Texas Boulevard to emerging neighborhoods on the southern end of Westgate Drive.

It’s all part of the over 300 acres in residential development that Weslaco has seen in recent years. 

“The growth has been evenly spread,” Valdez said of residential development north and south of Expressway 83. “Property values have gone up but so has the value of new homes and that means more property taxes coming to Weslaco.”

In retail, growth has been led by the development of the 10-acre Shops at N Bridge along Expressway 83. Ground was broken on the project in mid-2022 and today its retail spaces have largely been filled. Texas Roadhouse opened a new location at N Bridge in 2024. In all, Weslaco saw 18 new businesses open last year in the retail sector.

“Our retailers don’t rely just on Weslaco,” Valdez said. “Because of our Mid-Valley location, we have shoppers from all around the area and neighboring communities.”

FM 105 Emergence

Going into 2025, the next growth corridor Valdez sees emerging is FM 1015 heading northward toward the Mid-Valley International Industrial Park. 

It is at the northside Weslaco park where Glazer’s Beer & Beverages opened a 255,000-square-foot distribution facility in 2024. It was a major get for Valdez and the EDC staff in recruiting Glazer’s away from its former location in McAllen. With Glazer as its anchor, Valdez has a mainstay piece that can be utilized to bring additional companies to the 122-acre industrial park.

Beyond industry, Valdez sees 1015 as developing into McAllen’s Ware Road with surging retail growth that will likely include major announcements of new store openings in 2025. FM 105 going north still has open spaces and the roadway is currently undergoing a major expansion as overseen by the Texas Department of Transportation. He says the open spaces along 1015 represents “a blank space to work with” in crafting a new growth corridor in Weslaco.

Weslaco, Valdez says, is developing into “a little big city with a small-town atmosphere.” The data indicates that perhaps the city has jelled into fitting that description.

“For a city the size of Weslaco, with just over 42,000 residents, reaching the billion-dollar mark (in taxable sales) is a sign that we have arrived,’’ said Jerry Gonzalez, the president of Weslaco’s EDC board.