TEXAS: Mexico Border Drive - Brownsville to McAllen (Rio Grande Valley) OFF THE INTERSTATE

I explored the Texas/Mexico border, between Brownsville and McAllen.
Travel Vlog 144

[@rosalindaperez2747]

Hi, the road you took Is right by the border traveling West from Brownsville. Colonia means neighborhood. All these little neighborhoods are poor areas. If you take the northern expressway 83, you'll find The Rio Grande Valley cities that are populated with nice towns and Ranch areas. I would say Brownsville, Harlingen and McAllen are the largest towns with Shopping Malls and great Hospitals. The towns are mostly like 10 min. North from Military Rd. that video is on. 🙂

[@luiscantu4968]

This is an old highway that was an important road connecting Brownsville and McAllen, it was replaced a few decades ago by Expressway 83 now named Interstate 2 that allows the movement of millions of vehicles per month. It’s very common for people from Brownsville to travel to McAllen for high end restaurant dining, luxury shopping and high scale festivals and entertainment. McAllen MSA is the RGVs hub for business and investments with close to 1 million in population. Brownsville is home to SpaceX located in Boca Chica beach.

[@southtexashay777]

Luis Cantu where you from. I know a Luis Cantu from San Juan, TX.

[@luiscantu4968]

@@southtexashay777 McAllen TX

[@davidvan5677]

P

[@iisraelnascimento1686]

My friend i from Brazil,i dont undestand,most i see all yours videios

[@patriciahinojosa4075]

Hi y'all I lived in Brownsville for 26 years, moved there in 85 from Laredo, tx now I live in McAllen, tx for the past 11 years. I do remember San Pedro, El Calaboz, and all those little towns we called them ranchitos on 281. I love the Valley , the majority of the fence is not right there by the river border like you can see on the gateway Bridge to Matamoros. In a lot of the fence line on the other side is still USA until you hit the river. Nice memories thanks for sharing. Brownsville is Cameron County, McAllen is Hidalgo County.

[@guavas66]

Thanks for posting these videos. I live in Hawaii, born n raised and still live here, I've been to the "mainland" numerous times, mainly the west coast and southeast. These videos give me insight into the rest of the country that I'll probably never be able to visit. So interesting and much appreciated!

[@PrinceTrunks92]

I'm from McAllen and it's strange to see my hometown anywhere on KZbin but thanks for visiting hope you had a great trip!

[@Talk2WandaVision]

Curiosity is a wonderful quality and keeps life interesting! I love the explorations and adventurous spirit of this channel.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Wow, thank you, verukasalt. :)

[@alexandralovesgoats3360]

Thank you for the great tour of some of the border towns! That cemetery was really cool. Also thought that rectangular black and White House was interesting! Hope you enjoy your weekend.

[@ramongonzalez1564]

I'm from central California but live in McAllen and I can definitely say it's my favorite city in the RGV.

[@denisetrevino2147]

Omg this is the area I grow up in have been there in 15 years 😢thanks for the drive through that area loved it

[@jennylynn82173]

This is very interesting! Thank you!!! I’m not sure what I expected but this all looks different than I thought it would look!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Jennifer, I thought that exact same thing. :)

[@DsObal]

Enjoying the video. Nice drive 🚗 thanks 4 sharing.

[@rernardgrant9770]

Thanks for the video Mr. Spoda, I enjoyed the views of the areas along the boarder. I haven't been down to McAllen in a few years.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you for watching, Rernard. :)

[@debrapearson4571]

Thanks for taking us to the border I always wondered what it looked like 🇺🇸

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Stay tuned, Debra, I'm going all the way to El Paso. The farthur up I get, the more interesting it's going to be. :)

[@greektrumpet]

It feels like any other city. It doesn’t feel like a border town.

[@raqss3665]

@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip from penitas tx hello sir

[@mikesummerfield5051]

Very interesting!! I wondered what the border looked like. Thanks for sharing.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you for watching, Mike!

[@lallemandjanel2301]

I'm proud you show me that

[@lmfd7373]

some of the best Mexican food i always stop in McAllen when i visit South Padre Island , stop get some authentic food and head back to Houston its a cool place despite what people say.. i love McAllen .. these people arent poor its just rural in those parts of Texas are lots of people there are pretty well off own the acres of land and livestock .. love it ❤ by the way those fence and borders is not the actual border there is space between Mexico and the US

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Of course. The Rio Grande has far too many twists and turns to actually build a tight fence on.

[@lilyh6743]

Same

[@lotus7906]

Wow Just made this drive on Monday while a storm passed through. It really is an enjoyable place to explore

[@daviddecelles8714]

A few days late watching this video; but intend to keep my word that I'd look at all your ongoing videos. No way at all that I'd ever have gone down in my lifetime to explore the area you've taken us through; yet, of course, it's of intense interest these days to Americans. You did an absolutely great job showing us just the way it is. I'm certainly greatful.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

David, this is the quiet area of the border. As I move up towards El Paso, it's going to get far more interesting.

[@dglj15]

You would never visit south Texas in your lifetime ? Why lmao

[@riitaalin]

Today we can't miss. Coffee & Lord Spoda video!!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Awesome!! :)

[@brianrussell9419]

Enjoying your videos & subscribed to your channel today . Leaving Calgary for Edcoach Texas in November for the winter . Looking forward to your next video about Brownsville .

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Awesome, Brian. I'm glad you're here!

[@Guejor]

I’m from La Féria, just north of the military highway. Some in comments say the area is poor. It’s far from it. Most people here own acres of land and they live simple by choice. If they wanted to they could just move 10 miles north of that highway and be in an urban city. I’ve had friends come from overseas and thing everything from McAllen to Brownsville is one huge city!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

I didn't think it looked poor at all. I've seen MUCH worse, trust me.

[@lallemandjanel2301]

I have never see nice town liké that in my life

[@martaelozano2170]

Thanks for giving us a closer look at my "backyard". Those are locations that I've always been interested in cruising but have not had the opportunity OR a copilot.

[@RichardFelstead1949]

Thanks for sharing. Greetings from Australia.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you for watching, Richard!

[@thatbroncodude9564]

You should visit hidalgo around mid November through December. Every year they have a huge Christmas light display and so McAllen has their Christmas parade.

[@martinkitty]

8:26 dirt pits. There are many land owners along the Rio Grande that sell river sand/dirt for construction projects, etc. These "pits" dot the landscape along the Rio Grande for miles and miles. My maternal grandmother is buried in El Carmen cemetery that you first visited. My aunt once owned the only grocery store in San Pedro colonia.

[@keyup2626]

Interesting area very different architecture.

[@oscarcruz9585]

Nice video. I use to work those areas over a decade ago.

[@45AMT]

Great video! Always been curious about what's on the border. Spent hours on google streetview looking. This is much better! looking forward to more boarder videos. Thanks for sharing your travels with us!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you for watching, RR! :)

[@joycelebaron2582]

3:50 "I don't know what's going on right there. Guy's taking a picture of his cow" I JUST ABOUT FELL OVER LAUGHING! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 You said that with a straight face! Still laughing! 🤣😂😂😂😂

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

He had a camera out and was taking a picture of that cow. It was the strangest thing! :)

[@D0utlaw]

Potentially selling for livestock cattle.

[@jerryicallsouthtexashome]

I've done almost every cemetery on Military Highway from Brownsville to South of Pharr. There are a few that I can't find in Donna and Weslaco.

[@derrickmagallanes]

AWESOME, youre in my neck of the woods

[@silverortiz8561]

Cool, you should cross the boarder through Progresso bridge they have a lot of nice stuff you can even go walking it's a tourist crossover! I'm sure you will love it!

[@LJones69]

That one house, the new house looked like two shipping containers stacked on top of each other, with some other stuff added on….. great video of the boarder between Texas and Mexico. I’ve driven the roads on the Arizona Mexico boarder but never the Texas Mexico boarder….

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you, Lee!

[@joycelebaron2582]

Ugly as sin. Looks like those people had a bit of dough and that's what they came up with to spend it on. (shakes head, rocks falling off)

[@michaelgray914]

If you really want to see the wild part of the border, drive as far west as you can on Military Highway from Mission onwards to the west.... Piñatas, Sullivan City, Rio Grande City.... walk back to the Rio Grande River. You will find homemade graves with memorials, water and food stashes, shoes left for those needing them, clothes, maps, etc.... Brownsville to McAllen (and Mission) is a very tame laid back section believe it or not.

[@ronniewester8884]

That sounds so interesting!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

On my way to those places. Looking forward to it!

[@donnabrown6062]

I live in Mission,west of McAllen

[@teskiii]

I'm from Brownsville so I'm always interested to see what people think of the border. It's an unusual place to visit.

[@teskiii]

That's not what I mean. I'm saying that the valley is not a popular place to visit.

[@richhoops2413]

Is Progresso still a relatively safe place to eat, shop and have a few drinks? The last time I was there was 2007.

[@teskiii]

@@richhoops2413 it's safe. I would try to avoid the Mexican side of it though.

[@otherbrother3]

I was born in Brownsville 71 years ago. My family came to Texas after WWII. My parents moved from town to town until finally settling in Houston in 1958. This is the first time I've seen Brownsville . Thanks for the video.

[@otherbrother3]

@Bart Bieber My uncle was in McAllen until he died at age 49 in 1972

[@josevela4600]

When i worked in Palmview I used to deliver pizzas around military road. Even growing up there it was funny to see just how close the river was on the map

[@twitch.tv.xsirhobbitx]

The drive from Brownsville,TX to McAllen, TX is about 1 hour and just freeway/highway. I am a current resident in Brownsville, TX

[@joycelebaron2582]

All I can say is I visited the area "around the turn of the century." My friend was a traveling nurse working in Harlingen-McAllen at the time. I just remember my impression of the place back then and it was a good one. There were a lot of snowbirds (I think it was February I was there). When I travel I either can't wait to get past the city limits or I like a place and I liked this area. Yes, my friend told me the dangers and things she had seen so I'm not naïve. We took a tour into the jungles of Mexico and the bus driver and tour guide, who we made friends with, wouldn't dare cross the border unless on official business. I do remember their reticence. We crossed the border into Reynoso (simply by walking across a bridge) and they showed us around that city, it was a fun night and a fun trip. I'll be looking forward to your video about Brownsville because when my friend was working I hopped the bus with our new tour guide friends on a day trip to Brownsville, Matamoros and to the beaches to (ostensibly) look for sand dollars.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you for the great comment, Joyce.

[@emirtijerina]

Reynosa*

[@RottenPoliticians]

YEW MUST HATE AMERIKKKA...

[@joycelebaron2582]

17:27 "You knew there was going to be one, didn't ya?" (Pan over to Dollar General while I'm laughing my head off and almost spit out my soda, that struck me so funny! 😂😂😂😂 Good thing I gave up my subscription to the Comedy Channel when I have you to watch! 😅😂😂🤣)

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

LOL, Joyce. :)

[@tonimangipano9061]

Very Interesting!

[@ONEBALLINMYBUTT]

There are a handful of realtors in that area that Instagram heavily promotes with their virtual tours of newly built homes. They all are very modern untraditional but the interior is gorgeous. Incredibly priced too. But idk man lol

[@bettymunguia2136]

I see you went to Hidalgo, but you missed the World Birding Center and old pump house museum and you would have been right next to the Rio Grande river

[@robtavius]

you started right near the road I live on! cool

[@Slipthejab152]

Mcallen is a Beautiful City. It's The Heart of The RGV.. ...

[@adamgarcia3716]

Nice videos,,friend..

[@James-po5ed]

I was working a job a few weeks ago and right on the other side of the fence was stacks and stacks of border wall. I was on the roof and did a rough count, I guessed about 8,000 sections just sitting there rusting away.

[@robertfitzpatrick4580]

TEXAS IS HEAVEN

[@moefuggerr2970]

Some of my old stomping grounds.

[@derrickmagallanes]

hey spoda, if you want to visit mexico i recommend Nuevo progreso, "las flores" its pretty safe there.

[@brettgerlach3512]

Progreso is a fun town and they have Arturo’s which is a great restaurant with great margaritas

[@josmotherman591]

Everywhere you see the Border fence stop is where the Rio Grande turns, and the fence will eventually turn back South. That is a complicated build due to old Border disputes and property lines. The River moves a lot over the decades.

[@lallemandjanel2301]

It very awesome

[@skadforlife3817]

Love this video Lord Spoda, really interesting seeing the little villages and towns close to the border. I do find it bizarre that the border fence is pretty sporadic, not fit for purpose really . Keep up the great work, kind regards from the Scottish highlander ✊🏻 ❤️ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@James.Bizzell]

President Trump was closing all those gaps but Biden put a stop to that. The sections of the fence are laying all along the border rusting away while guards stand watch, costing millions.

[@scotts7907]

It's not really a border fence because it's not actually on the border. The river is the border and the fence is on a levy. It's sporadic because the land is privately owned. Mostly farms and ranches with gaps to allow the farmers, ranchers, and cattle access back and forth.

[@warriorprincessharmony]

@@scotts7907 I was wondering about that. If The Rio Grande is the border, and we have people's homes along it, how can they build a wall separating the farms from the ranches. For a country girl like me, that sounds nuts.

[@olinwright7628]

Thanks!

[@bshoke]

there is a Montezuma Cyprus that is several hundred years old on the other side of the wall and you can drive through the gates to see it

[@donnabrown6062]

Thank you so much for bringing attention to the Rio Grande Valley

[@robertfitzpatrick4580]

Best people food Damm good place music 🎶 one of those good places luv many

[@jorgelozano4008]

My dad works at the Brownsville airport and he told me that they might change it but there's people living nearby the airport and there's wildlife nearby. They want to extend the airport. He also told me there was none of that the border happened around if I am right late 90s to early 2000s. It was nothing but pure wildlife. I know there's been memes about the border and stuff during the trump times 2015 if anyone remembers. That's just how our border looks like. I find it crazy how the neighborhoods are pretty peaceful by the border rather than being in the south.

[@srodulfo]

I believe there are sensors along the areas that do not have a wall. Same sensors used in the Vietnam war to find people. When a sensor is triggered it alerts the Command Center and they have very powerful cameras all along the border to keep an eye on people.

[@Lalunabreeze]

That was cool ty

[@joseroel1592]

It's weird living in a small town and watching your house come out in a KZbin video lol.

[@LakeArrows]

Nice it would be nice if you could talk the locals and them share some stories about their towns. Wow so quiet all these small towns.

[@lallemandjanel2301]

Very very nice

[@zerxilk8169]

good fences make great neighbors.

[@lynettramirez6085]

I live in Edinburg, tx!! About 15 minutes away from the border!!

[@joycelebaron2582]

I'm like you, I just want to see what places look like. You're the first person on YT, or anywhere else, for that matter, who does what I'd do: just drive around and get the feel of a place. Look around, what would it be like to live here? That's why I started travelling by myself. I can go where I want to go without boring other people. (Been doing a bit of travelling myself, that's why I'm WAY behind on your videos, but I'll catch up!)

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Awesome. :)

[@Daniel-we2jj]

Cartel and immigrants walking around your neighborhood that'd what it's like

[@followerofyahushaoctaviadm]

Welcome to the RGV! 😅❤️

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

I'm totally digging it! :)

[@ernestgomez5927]

If you were to go into pharr tx, veterans Blvd and business 83 you would see all the panels already built for the wall. Tons of steel panels.

[@jesusmejia962]

San Pedro used to be its own township. Now it's annexed by Brownsville.

[@JosephOfTheJungle]

Hey, that's my neck of the woods! I'm so glad I moved down here. It's a different kind of beauty in these parts but it's blessed and beautiful nonetheless. God bless the Valley and both sides of the border. I love it here.

[@TLS8386]

I used to live like 5 mins from Los Indios and that's the where i would cross to go to Matamoros

[@lorriebeckhusen9351]

Enjoyed the video. Always wondered what the border looked like. That was a progressive looking house in Progreso

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

It was progressive looking, wasn't it? Anyway, stay tuned, I'm exploring the border all the way to El Paso. :)

[@chucktaylor4958]

Beautiful country and people. Border Texans. Andale

[@CandyCaneOBS]

Palmview Texas in the house

[@rustyarmendariz1584]

I saw exactly where I live on your map! :D

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Cool!

[@lameramera4809]

I'm from fom mcallen I live 20 min away from the border

[@socorrogarcia1877]

I live in Pharr, you most likely saw it just before McAllen. Enjoyed the trip You needed a local to read the Spanish signs. ",Colonia" is something like a subdivision. Iglesia Antigua is "Ancient Church" theres probably an old chapel in the area.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Interesting.

[@heylinspongesprite]

I live close to Iglesia Antigua. There is an old church that was built in the 1880s: Our Lady of Visitation. It’s right off the military hwy.

[@grandinfinite5921]

Walk along the main sidewalk inside U.T. R.G.V. Brownsville. This walk lies fairly center along the old walk when it was Ft. Brown back in the Civil War.

[@gustavocep03]

If you come a bit more West towards la Grulla, I can take you to the river. I work right along side of it.

[@VelocityZap]

You should visit Roma, RioGrande, and Zapata.

[@LSDJ7]

I drive thru this every day 😅

[@rajeevdeshpande7666]

Hi Lord Spoda Nice video. It was interesting to watch small rural towns on Mexican border. Johnny's Country Store at 10:09, Dollar General at 17:20, Sarmiento Groceries at 19:03 were added attractions in deserted rural border areas. Ending few minutes in video, entering downtown, are fantastic. A brief halt at some Old General Store in rural small town, if you happen to pass by, will be appreciated. Have a nice journey ahead.

[@davidbriceno3316]

I like the part of Dollar General. There's a bunch of them there. I haven't been to that one though.

[@WhittyPics]

All the fencing and they find a way in

[@joebanks3698]

Your vid brings the Rawhide theme song to mind and now on repeat...🤣 While you're there, swing down to the SpaceX Starbase facility in Boca Chica for some shock and awe. 🚀

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

I will be visiting Boca Chica and doing a video of it for sure.

[@spirpres-edits893]

cool to see them explore the places i know haha feels weird tho

[@xicohernandez6696]

U need some background music like borderline with the famous fredy fender big pop star out of San Benito Texas another boder town just few milles north of browsville

[@2tyma445]

So in the places you went with no fence, is it that easy to sneak into the US?

[@MarcoMorales]

Came across this video by happenstance! If you're in the McAllen area, let me know! I cordially invite you to come listen to some live tunes! I'll get yall a couple rounds on me! 🙃

[@malcorub]

It's much different than San Diego/Tijuana and El Paso/Juarez. Because it is so flat, you can't really see Mexico from the roads on the US side whereas Tijuana and Juarez are on hills and clearly visible from the US. RGV along the river looks like any other flat rural area.

[@Pepe00Q]

Welcome to South Texas.

[@FixIt1975]

I'm surprised how green everything is there. Never been to Texas or Mexico but I've always thought of that part of the world as flat, dry and hot

[@rorscach1]

It is flat, dry and hot, but we still have plants. Lots of short trees and shrubs, except for all the palm trees.

[@MiguelPerez-xd8ir]

Normally is except September gets the most rainfall. Just came out stage 2 water restrictions.

[@timeisnowbooth5627]

I was surprised as well when I arrived last month

[@caragarcia2307]

He's in the eastern part bt the gulf. It gets very dry further west. Most of the metropolitan areas get a fair amount of rain. West Texas is the dry part and it's pretty sparsly populated because there's not much water available. I know some people in West Texas used to have their water shipped in water tanks. Not sure if they still do that or they have it piped in.

[@lmfd7373]

texas is so big you can get every season depends on what part you are in takes 11 hrs to cross the whole state , its not dry and flat desert like until you head west towards El Paso its wet and more swamp like in Houston bc we are near the coast, north Texas near Dallas you can get snow and Central TX near Austin , you get lots of green , wineries etc .. Texas is very diverse land here 😊

[@stevehunt2337]

Surprisingly green.

[@lmfd7373]

what did you expect it to look like 🤦🏽‍♀️

[@marioflowersjr]

Right where you started down In brownsville theirs golf course that you play right along the river

[@historyhunter5215]

I miss living out there.... Went back to Central Tx 🤦

[@lmfd7373]

i feel you on that i hate Central TX i cant wait to move back south !

[@malcorub]

20:02 This house looks very typical of newer middle class developments in Mexico. You see many of these cookie cutter houses lined up side by side sometimes 10 to 30 in gated communities.

[@sequoia4ever414]

McAllen resident here🤷‍♀️🖐️

[@HARDMANALIVE]

Hi Spoda! Good video! I want to ask what is name of the GPS device you are using?

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

We use our phones (Google Maps), and hook them up to the screen in the car.

[@HARDMANALIVE]

@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip Thanks for the reply! The reason I ask is because I plan on doing some cross country driving next year and your device looks like something i would definitely need and want!