Port Isabel's economy
Port Isabel's economy, like its history, has been tied to the sea and maritime ventures since the 16th century, when the earliest European explorers found a trading village of huts located at the mouth of the river we call the Rio Grande. Today, the Rio Grande Valley of Texas is one of the fastest growing regions in the country.

Port Isabel enjoyed moderate economic prosperity beginning in the 1950s due largely to the Texas Gulf shrimping industry. Over 168 trawling vessels located here have created the base employment in catching, processing and marketing Texas Gulf Shrimp. We currently process 40 percent of all the shrimp caught in the Gulf of Mexico, and market this product worldwide.

Most of the shrimping companies are family businesses, many have three generations working in the business.

However, a combination of federal regulations, environmental considerations and foreign shrimp imports has greatly damaged this vital industry, dried up capital and discouraged our next generation of residents.

Port Isabel Economic Development Corporation
Recognizing the dilemma of an economy based on a suffering industry, the Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Port Isabel Economic Development Corporation, comprised of area business leaders, set about to revitalize and diversify the local economy using the area's natural resources - its abundant history, natural beauty and surrounding wildlife, and a growing tourism trade.

Laguna Madre Empowerment Sub-Zone
A community-wide effort led by the Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce, the City of Port Isabel, the Economic Development Corporation, local media and Rio Grande Valley Interfaith, among others, led in 1994 to the area's success in being designated a Federal Rural Empowerment Zone. Our strategic plan, developed over a year of Chamber-sponsored meetings, set a course of action toward developing a sub-zone strategic plan.

The highlights include:
Community Development: The local Port has received $4.3 million in grants to rebuild existing and new cargo docks along with land suitable for industrial development. We have a new historical museum, a new Boys & Girls Club facility and have doubled the size of the Port Isabel Public Library.

Educational Development: We have constructed a $1 million Learning Center with state-of-the-art Distance Learning capabilities and currently have over 230 individuals in job training programs of various types. We set aside an additional $1.6 million to fund industrial specific training.

Affordable Housing: We have constructed 27 homes to date and 80 additional homes are planned.

Access to Health Care: A $1 million clinic is now completed and provides a combination of preventive and primary health care.

Economic Development: We have attracted 90 new businesses in the past three years in retail, service industries and light manufacturing.