MCALLEN —Most Winter Texans have returned to their respective home states, but every year, a few of the estimated 100,000 annual seasonal visitors decide to make the Rio Grande Valley their permanent home.
They’ve come to be known as “Converted Texans,” a phrase coined by Kristi Collier when she organized the first Converted Texan Corral in 2010. The event, which has been held almost every year since, pays tribute to these new permanent neighbors.
“We have over 300 RV parks in the Valley,” Collier said. “There may not be many Converted Texans in one particular park, but when you add all the parks together then all of a sudden you have a really nice segment of the market. They shop here year-round; they buy gas; they buy clothes; they buy furniture; and they go to the doctor. So they’re a very important segment of the market.”
While the economic impact of Converted Texans has not been studied, the wider Winter Texan population pumps about $700 million into the local economy annually, according to the latest survey by the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley.
A new survey was conducted this season, the results of which will be released in June or July.
The Converted Texan Corral — held Tuesday, April 10, at the Hynes Event Center at the Llano Grande Resort in Mercedes — drew a sold-out crowd of 400 people. Music, dancing, food and fun were the order of the day, and each attendee received a goodie bag filled with swag from local merchants.
They also received a certificate proclaiming their status as Converted Texans after taking a good-humored “oath of allegiance to all things Texan,” which, of course, was all in good fun.
“It’s just a fun event to let them know they’re just as appreciated as our Winter Texans are,” Collier said.
The reasons for permanently relocating to the Valley are as varied as the number of people attending the event.
“We like it down here,” said Donna Myers, who relocated to San Benito from St. Louis 10 years ago with her husband, Donald. “It’s a lot cheaper than in Florida, where we had been for quite a few years. My husband is diabetic, so he could get good doctors’ care down here. He loves his doctors so we settled here.”
Curt and Stella Riester met in Brownsville in 1999 after being introduced to each other by a member of Curt’s family. He hails from Illinois and she’s originally from Connecticut. They fell in love, got married, and now they both reside permanently at Alamo Country Club, a resort that sees its population dwindle by 70 percent every year when their itinerant neighbors return home.
“We have different events during the summer,” Curt and Stella said as they finished each other’s sentences. “It slows down, but we have fun all summer long. We miss our friends during the summer, but they begin rolling back in about October. …By the middle of December everybody’s back and it’s just a good time for the next several months.”
In the meantime, Collier says working alongside Winter Texans has taught her about patience and to enjoy the moment. It’s become her life’s work serving the tourist community, and even though the total number of Winter Texans has been down in recent years, she remains enthusiastic about what lies ahead.
“It’s going to be really exciting to see what happens over the next five to 10 years with this market,” Collier said. “The market is changing, too. It brings exciting people, new people and younger people to our area, and it’s just an exciting time to serve this market.”