As  home to the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle National Shrine which attracts on average over 1.3 millon annual visitors, San Juan offers an excellent tourism base that ranges from local to national and international. Built in 1980, this downtown anchor is a catalyst of economic oppurtunity. One of three Basilicas in the State of Texas, this icon includes 30 Italian bronzed life-sized statues of the crucifixion stretching around the building grounds. Designated a National Shrine in 1998, the Basilica is one of the most visited shrines in the United States.

This memorial is one of many César Chávez memorial sites dedicated to the labor rights leader in San Juan, TX. He is one of the most heroic figures of our time and the strongest advocate for migrant farm workers in the 20th century.

Liberty Park is the brainchild of a local area businessman an San Juan resident to create a tribute to all veterans of military service and especially those that served in conflicts and helped preserve the American way of life. The main feature of the park is the tallest flagpole in all of South Texas. A granite war memorial was recently dedicated and unveiled at San Juan's annual Flag Day ceremony on June 14, 2009. It was engraved with the names of servicemen from San Juan who died while on active duty in World War II, Korean War and the Vietnam War.

Our latest addition, North San Juan Park stands as one of 2008 Texas’ Best “Backyard” Wildlife Habitats by The National Wildlife Federation and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.

Beginning operations in 1909, the San Antonio and Rio Grande Railway Company became a branch of the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway in 1912. Nicknamed "Old Flossie," it provided freight and passenger transportation to the new towns of Chapin (Edinburg) and San Juan during a crucial time in the area's development. Passenger service decreased after World War II, and the line was limited to freight service. It was absorbed by the Missouri Pacific system in 1956. By the late 1960s all service to San Juan and Edinburg ceased, the rails were removed, and the depots were razed.

The San Juan Hotel was completed and opened for business in 1920. Its construction reflected the plans of the town's early business leaders to establish San Juan as a Rio Grande Valley commercial center. Originally constructed with little ornamentation, the mission revival details were added in 1928. These included the red tiled parapet along the roofline and the curvilinear parapet over the entryway.

The San Juan Plantation was officially established by John Closner in 1904.  Closner, who had become the deputy sheriff of Hidalgo County in 1884, had purchased land and started farming on his plantation that same year.  Starting with small, successful crops of onions, cotton, potatoes, alfalfa and sugar cane, by 1904 the plantation had over 7,000 acres and eventually grew to include 45,000 acres.  The San Juan Plantation complex had a sugar mill with four 10,000 pound boilers, a school, a church, a post office, a general store and an irrigation pumping station. Also in 1904, Closner's sugar cane won St. Louis World's Fair gold medal.

On March 1, 1910, John Closner sold 406.4 acres of land to the San Juan Townsite Company.  In 1911, the San Juan Bank building, pictured here, was built at the corner of U.S. Business 83 and Standard within the original townsite.  Also housed in this building was a cafe, a hardware store and a funeral home.  Other businesses started to blossom along U.S. Business 83 which soon became known as the longest main street in the U.S., stretching from Brownsville to Mission.  Although only a small portion of this building still stands at the corner, the San Juan Townsite Historic Marker stands in its place. 

Tom Mayfield left the Gonzales County farm of his parents, John and Maggie Mayfield, in 1898 to help buy horses for Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders. Between 1910-1921 Tom served as Pharr City Marshal, Texas Ranger, and Hidalgo County deputy sheriff. His role in exposing a German-Mexican WW I plot in nearby San Diego and his amazing escape from a Mexican firing squad in 1921 made Tom a local celebrity. As Pharr-San Juan-Alamo's deputy constable (1938-1963) Tom gained the community's highest respect. He spent his last years as a resident of the San Juan Hotel. http://www.stxmaps.com/ads/texas-historical-marker-tom-mayfield.html