COMMUNITY PROFILE

The area code for the Laguna Madre area is 956. Port Isabel Information e-Mail.
www.portisabel-texas.com
 WXPort
Location:
 Port Isabel is located 35 miles southeast of Harlingen and 22 miles northeast of Brownsville, Texas. It lies on the eastern end of the Rio Grande Valley at the Brazos-Santiago Pass to the Gulf of Mexico, and about 30 miles from the border city of Matamoros, Mexico.

Port Isabel is 180 miles from Monterrey, Mexico; 286 miles from San Antonio; 366 miles from Houston; 531 miles from Dallas; 688 miles from Mexico City; and 815 miles from El Paso, Texas.
Population:
Port Isabel
 1990................................5,506
1992................................5,610
2000................................4,865
2004................................5,017
Cameron County
 1990.............................260,120
1992.............................263,005
1995.............................299,584
2000.............................335,227
Rio Grande Valley
 1990.............................701,888
1995.............................829,173
2000.............................978,369
Taxation:
 Ad valorem rate per $100 evaluation:
City of Port Isabel- 0.687
Cameron County- 0.340536
State of Texas - none
Point Isabel ISD- 1.35612
Laguna Madre Water District- 0.18
Texas Southmost College- 0.1314
South Texas ISD- 0.0392
Municipal
Government:
 The City of Port Isabel has a Home Rule type of government with five council members including the mayor, a city planning commission and a city master plan. The city has a full-time manager and staff.

Emergency personnel include 16 police officers, 8 police cars and a routine night patrol.The fire department has one fire marshall, 5 vehicles and a fire insurance rating of 0.42 full key rate. Service is provided to industry beyond the corporate limits.
Educational
Facilities:
 Port Isabel is home to about 2,500 school children attending one of four public schools.Port Isabel is within 25 miles of The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, and 40 miles from Texas State Technical College, the University Preparatory School and the Marine Military Academy, in Harlingen.Point Isabel Independent School District
Dr. Estella Pineda
202 Port Road
P. O. Drawer AH
 Port Isabel, Texas 78578
 (956) 943-0000
Derry Elementary
Second & Oklahoma
 Port Isabel, Texas 78578
 (956) 943-0070
Garriga Elementary
600 Washington Street
 Port Isabel, Texas 78578

(956) 934-0080
Port Isabel Junior High School
Highway 100
 Port Isabel, Texas 78578
 (956) 943-0060
Port Isabel High School
Highway 100
 Port Isabel, Texas 78578
 (956) 943-0030
Laguna Madre Learning Center
Highway 100
 Port Isabel, Texas 78578
 (956) 943-0051
University of Texas at Brownsville & Texas Southmost College
South Padre Island Center
1 Wallace Reed Road
 South Padre Island, Texas 78597
 (956) 761-7806
University of Texas - Pan American
Coastal Studies Laboratory
Isla Blanca Park
 South Padre Island, Texas 78597
 (956) 761-2644
University of Texas at Brownsville & Texas Southmost College
80 Fort Brown Road
 Brownsville, Texas 78520
 (956) 544-8200
Texas State Technical College
2424 Boxwood
 Harlingen, Texas 78550
 (956) 425-0600
Recreational, Social
& Cultural Facilities:
 3 Parks
3 Museums (Treasures of the Gulf, Port Isabel Historic Museum & Port Isabel Lighthouse)
1 Swimming Pool
2 Golf Courses
4 Tennis Courts
1 Movie Theatre
1 Youth Center (Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Madre)
1 Auditorium (High School)
1 Library, accredited
1 Civic Center
Other facilities and services include six golf courses within 30 miles (many more within 60 miles), hunting, fishing, boating, bird watching, South Padre Island and the Gulf of Mexico.
Clubs &
Organizations:
 Rotary Club
Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce
American Legion Post #498
Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Madre
Friends of the Library
Laguna Madre Art League
Laguna Madre Humane Society
Laguna Madre Museum Foundation, Inc.
Laguna Madre Yacht Club
Habitat for Humanity, Laguna Madre Chapter
Laguna Madre Golf Association
Transportation:
 Port Isabel/Cameron County Airport is located ten miles north of Port Isabel. Municipally owned, it has a lighted primary runway of 10,000 feet.

Brownsville-South Padre Island International Airport is located in Brownsville, 22 miles south, with commercial and passenger service.

Valley International Airport, located in Harlingen, 35 miles northeast, is a hub serving the lower Rio Grande Valley and South Padre Island.
Highways:

North-South - Texas Hwy 48
East-West - Texas Hwy 100
Communication:
 Newspapers:
Port Isabel/South Padre PRESS (semi-weekly)
Coastal Current (weekly)
South Padre Parade (semi-monthly)
The Island Times (monthly)
Brownsville Herald (daily)
Valley Morning Star (daily)
Radio Stations:
KESO FM 92.2
KZSP FM 95.3
KVPA FM 101.1
Served by Time Warner Cablevision service
Utilities:
 Electricity: Central Power and Light Company
111 S Garcia
 Port Isabel, Texas 78578
 (956) 943-5446
Gas: Texas Union Gas
5602 East Grimes Road
 Harlingen, Texas 78553-1827
 (956) 444-3900
Telephone: Southwestern Bell Telephone Company
P.O. Box 2407
 McAllen, Texas 78502 (800) 464-7928
Water/Sewer: Laguna Madre Water District
105 Port Road
 Port Isabel, Texas 78578
 (956) 943-2626
Solid Waste Disposal: Browning-Ferris Industries
P.O. Box 1217
 La Feria, Texas 78559
 (956) 423-7316
Religious Facilities:
 Alfoli Dios Church
First Baptist Church
First United Methodist Church
Fishers of Men Lutheran Church
Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall
Lighthouse Assembly of God
Maranatha Worship Center
Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church
Port Isabel Church of Christ
St. Andrews Episcopal Church
Banking Facilities:
 First National Bank of South Padre
709 Padre Boulevard
 South Padre Island, Texas 78597
 (956) 761-7959
First National Bank of SPI
213 Queen Isabella Blvd.
 Port Isabel, Texas 78578
 (956) 943-1190
First National Bank of Edinburg
115 E. Queen Isabella Blvd.
 Port Isabel, Texas 78578
 (956)943-0400
Wells Fargo Texas, N.A.
1800 W. Highway 100
 Port Isabel, Texas 78578
 (956) 943-9301
Wells Fargo Texas, N.A.
550 Padre Boulevard
 South Padre Island, Texas 78597
 (956) 761-5551
International Bank of Commerce (IBC)
1601 Hwy. 100
 Port Isabel, Texas 78578
 (956) 943-3000
International Bank of Commerce (IBC)
901 Padre Boulevard
 South Padre Island, Texas 78597
 956) 761-6156
South Padre Bank
2701 Padre Blvd. South Padre Island, Texas 78597 (956) 761-8589
Climate:
 Temperature:
January mean minimum- 51.4 F
July mean maximum- 92.5 F
Annual average- 73.6 F

Precipitation:
Highest precipitation month- September  Avg. rainfall- 5.13"
Lowest precipitation month- March  Avg. rainfall- 1.11"
Annual average rainfall- 27.62"
Lodging:
 Port Isabel:
Number of hotels and motels- 8
Number of rooms- 125
Within a 10 mile radius:
Number of hotels and motels- 28
Number of rooms- 5,000 (including condominiums)
Click here for Lodging/Hospitality information