Valley life wins praise

We all know why Winter Texans come to Valley. When you ask, it’s not only because of the weather, but it’s also because of the friendliness of the people in the Valley, how much there is to do, and how little you have to spend to do the things you love.

This is a reprint of an article published in the February 12, 1988, edition of the Winter Texan Times.

“Valley life wins praise in syndicated column”

Weslaco – A question to syndicated columnist Bard Lindeman, who writes a column called “Lifeline” for a group of newspapers, stirred a lot of action for the Rio Grande Valley recently.

The question was: “My wife and I are looking for a new place to vacation this winter. We get by on retirement incomes.”

Lindeman’s answer was:

“You sound like you’re ready to join 100,000 other migrant Yankees, most from Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, who head for a 40-mile stretch of the lower Rio Grande Valley…”

“Many say they truly feel welcome there and can live much more cheaply while they are only tolerated and often resented in such retirement centers as those in Arizona and Florida”

“For further information contact the Texas Tourism Development Agency, Box 12008, Austin, Texas 78711.”

The column ran in the Detroit Free Press on January 22, and the Texas Tourism Agency was deluged with requests for more information.

Ross Herron of Harlingen, publicity chairman for the Valley Chamber of Commerce, said the Austin agency sent copies of 340 letters received in the first week, and that each of those inquiring about the area have been sent a copy of the “Visitor’s Guide to the Rio Grande Valley.”

Lindeman is also editor of “Fifty Plus” magazine, in which an article about the Valley by travel writer Bern Keating is to be published in a future issue, Herron said.

The Valley continues to get high praise from the Winter Texans that spend nearly half their year down here at times. Most spend three to four months, but it is a true escape from the much colder climates up north. Not only do you come to escape those climates, you make friends you look forward to seeing year after year, you find hobbies, you play games, you stay active during the time you spend in the Valley.

Tell us what you enjoy about Valley life. How long have you been a Winter Texan? How long did it take you to become a Converted Texan?

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