Mercedes is 9 miles (14 km) north of the Progreso–Nuevo Progreso International Bridge over the Rio Grande, connecting Texas with the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.

Mercedes was founded September 15, 1907, by the American Rio Grande Land & Irrigation Company, and was incorporated March 8, 1909.

[7] During President Woodrow Wilson's administration, Camp Llano Grande was founded in 1916 southwest of Mercedes.

[8] General John J. Pershing chose Mercedes as the site for a permanent training camp when the United States entered WW1 in 1916.

[9] The old Toluca Ranch still stands east of the International Bridge at Progreso, the sister city to the south.

This ranch was close to the river and a prized target for the bandidos during the days of Pancho Villa.

It was built with many secret rooms and passages, and had heavy wooden shutters on the windows to protect its residents.

[14] The city is roughly the geographical center of the Rio Grande Valley urban agglomeration and is located on Interstate 2/U.S.

The city is located near a major Mexico–United States border crossing making it accessible to the growing middle class population of Nuevo León and Tamaulipas.

The first city election installed six council members: John Puckett, Gouverneur K Watson, Mayor William Lingenbrink, Dr. Edward Schoonmaker, Fred Cutting, and Lyle Harrison.

[20] Colegio Jacinto Treviño located in Mercedes, Texas, was a pioneering Chicano institution of higher education founded in 1970.

It played a critical role in the Mexican-American civil rights movement, focusing on bilingual and bicultural education for underserved communities.

[21] Mercedes is home to a unique public art project: there are 30 handcrafted 5+1⁄2-foot-tall (1.7 m) cowboy boots dispersed throughout the city, each painted with the insignia of different colleges from around the state, country and even Mexico.

These FM radio stations broadcast from Mercedes: The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.