“The Magic Valley” – that’s how Texas Highways magazine describes the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas.
This month marks the first time the publication has devoted an entire issue to a single region in the state. So why now, and why the RGV? For more on that, the Standard spoke with Danielle Lopez, senior editor at Texas Highways.
This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity:
Texas Standard: Is it true that this issue was in large part brought about through your deep roots to the Valley? Tell us more about that and why you thought this issue of Texas Highways was so important to put together.
Danielle Lopez: Yeah. So, I grew up in McAllen, which is one of the cities in the Rio Grande Valley. Born and raised there – parents are from there, lots of family there. And this was just sort of a dream project.
I think Texas Highways had been wanting to do something on the Valley for a long time, and they just didn’t have anyone on staff who knew it very well. And so once I came on, I started working on it about a year ago, and we’ve just been curating it.
I went back to the Valley a bunch of times, touring it like I was a tourist for the first time. And I just thought that this needed to happen because the Valley doesn’t get the love and attention that I think it deserves usually, and doesn’t get the positive real estate that I think it deserves. And this was just an opportunity to give it that kind of love.
Well, I grew up in the Valley too, and so it’s really great to see this beautiful region spotlighted in this way. Now, the piece you wrote about for the issue used the phrase “The Magic Valley.” Tell us more about why that term.
That’s a term that I grew up hearing all the time – there’s like an electric company down there that goes by that name – and never really thought much of it. But I looked into what its history is – and it’s out there; many people know it – but it is a term that was developed in the early 20th century, when Midwesterners were coming to work on the railroads and building the railroads through the region.
And they saw an opportunity for all of this land that was there. And they harnessed the power of the Rio Grande, created an irrigation system that kind of allowed for the Valley to become this agricultural powerhouse that it is now.
And it’s a complicated history. You know, people from outside come in and change things, and it’s not all good; it’s not all hunky-dory. But in the end, they used the Magic Valley as a marketing term to convince other people to come in and buy land. And they marketed as this paradise, this temperate weather, this prosperous land. And it sort of changed everything, and that’s the Valley that we know today.
So at the beginning of this project, I knew what I wanted to call the magazine because I wanted to sort of flip that narrative around and say, the magic is in the natural spaces. It’s in the people there, the culture, the biculturalism. And I think that’s just what we try to do is capture that magic with this issue.
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This issue explores so much about the Valley. Give us a quick snapshot of some of the things readers can expect.
So I think that this issue is something that people in the Valley are going to recognize themselves in and I take pride in. But I think that we made it with first-timers in mind. It’s a first-timer’s guide to the Valley. So you’ll find an introduction to the region’s history and sort of its layout.
You’ll get to know the cities, but you also get to know a lot of the natural spaces that are there. There’s a lot of wildlife refuges and state parks and places like that for any kind of nature fiend. There’s also a piece about conjunto music. The Valley is considered the birthplace of conjunto, and there are people that are trying to keep that tradition alive.
And of course, like, there’s no end to good eating down there. But we tried to also kind of give you a foot in the door of, like, where you should start with your own culinary journey down there. And there’s a lot more packed in.
The issue not only touches on the history of the RGV but also looks to its future. Let’s talk more about that. First, back to the food: It seems like the Valley’s getting more attention as a destination spot for dining. Why is that?
I think there’s always been good food down there, but I don’t know if it’s journalists are paying more attention to it these days or if it’s social media’s reach. And I think one of the interesting things that has happened recently is a couple of places have been nominated for James Beard Awards, which is not the usual for the area.
It started with Las Ramblas Cocktail Bar in Brownsville. They got nominated for a James Beard Award, and that was really exciting. And then this past year, Ana Liz Taqueria in Mission also won an award. And I think that’s just going to help sort of have everyone paying attention to what’s going on there.
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Brownsville is kind of a standout in the Valley right now, with local officials and leaders pushing to revitalize downtown. What does that effort look like, and why do you think it’s starting in Brownsville? And do you see it happening possibly in other cities in the Valley?
Yeah. So Brownsville, I think, you know, it’s the biggest city in the Valley, and it’s one of the original cities. It was originally like the hub of the Valley, and there was this beautiful downtown area that was really bustling in the early 20th century. And over time, you know, downtown kind of fell into disarray.
But I think recently, one of the things that you’ll see throughout the Valley is a younger generation that is really working to modernize and improve – it’s this Valley pride that I think is motivating them to kind of make their home better. They’re taking things that they’ve learned elsewhere and kind of bringing them to the Valley – but it’s all very Valley; it always keeps a Valley twist to it.
And so over the last 10 years, they’ve been revitalizing their downtown. And there’s some really delicious restaurants, some really great bars. There’s a bookstore named Búho down there that is just really beautiful inside. And it’s just a really interesting thing to see.
And I think that you will see it in other places in the valley. Harlingen, they have their First Fridays going on downtown. And Rio Grande City, they’ve installed like a trolley that you can ride to get a historic tour of the city. I’m excited to see what else happens in the coming years.
