[2][3] The area is generally bilingual in English and Spanish, with a fair amount of Spanglish[4] due to the region's diverse history and transborder agglomerations.

[11] Initially, the Spanish had a hard time conquering the area due to the differences in native languages, so they mainly focused on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico also known as the Seno Mexicano.

The Texas Revolution of 1835-1836 put the majority of what is now called the Rio Grande Valley under contested Texan sovereignty.

[16] In 1844, the United States under President James K. Polk annexed the Republic of Texas, against British and Mexican sentiments,[17] contributing to the onset of the Mexican–American War.

[18] The war ended in 1848 with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which defined the United States' southern border as the Rio Grande.

[2] The region played host to several well-known conflicts including the backlash from the Plan of San Diego, and the racially fueled violence of Texas Ranger Harry Ransom.

[22] Initially the agency was focused on import and export business, especially alcohol during Prohibition in the United States, but later moved to detaining illegal aliens.

[29] According to Akinloye Akindayomi in Drug violence in Mexico and its impact on the fiscal realities of border cities in Texas: evidence from Rio Grande Valley counties, NAFTA also indirectly aids the rise in immigration and drug smuggling practices between cartels in the region, with cartels profiting with over $80 billion.

Local residents have expressed concerns about the project including the site's proximity to the National Butterfly Center and the Rio Grande with its potential for seasonal flooding.

[37] The major metropolitan areas in the Rio Grande Valley are surrounded by smaller rural communities called colonias.

Most worked in the Rio Grande Valley, and due to a shortage of affordable houses, developers started selling them land in unincorporated areas; these clusters of homes over time became what are now known as colonias.

[38] The residents of the Lower Rio Grande Valley are generally bilingual in English and Spanish often mixing into Spanglish depending on demographics and context.

Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist and Baháʼí Faith communities thrive in the Rio Grande Valley.

[65] The Lower Rio Grande Valley experiences a warm and fair climate that brings visitors from many surrounding areas.

Though not impacted as frequently as other areas of the Gulf Coast of the United States, the Valley has experienced major hurricanes in the past.

[68] Popular destinations across the border and Rio Grande include: Matamoros, Nuevo Progreso, Río Bravo, and Reynosa, all located in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.

The ancestral lands of the Rio Grande Valley have been home to historic Native groups, which today include the Carrizo/Comecrudo tribe of Texas.

[69] While not recognized under the government, this tribe and other communities have existed on the lands predating European settlement and the acquisition of Texas from Mexico.

Therefore, the Carrizo/Comecrudo tribe's work to establish their presence and continually advocate for their way of living and place in the Rio Grande Valley is resilient and vital.

[75] On August 5, 2024, a group of local organizations including the Carrizo/Comecrudo tribe wrote a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration raising concerns about SpaceX operations in Boca Chica Beach and requesting a meeting to discuss the FAA's process of incorporating community voice into the conversation.

The letter highlights the identities of Rio Grande Valley community members that are most often overlooked, including Indigenous voices.

Now, there are large concerns regarding Elon Musk's intentions to relocate the headquarters of SpaceX to the Starbase site in Boca Chica Beach.

The geographic inclusion of South Padre Island also drives tourism, particularly during the Spring Break season, as its subtropical climate keeps temperatures warm year-round.

Texas is the third largest producer of citrus fruit in the United States, the majority of which is grown in the Rio Grande Valley.

Grapefruit make up over 70% of the Valley citrus crop, which also includes orange, tangerine, tangelo and Meyer lemon production each Winter.

[91][90] The Interstate Highway System in the United States is well developed in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and connects Brownsville, Hidalgo, McAllen, Raymondville, Edinburg, Pharr, and Laredo.

Scholars, including Mexican political scientist Armand Peschard-Sverdrup, have argued that this tension has created the need for a re-developed strategic transnational water management.

Culturally, the state GOP successfully galvanized the majority Latino region against Democrats on several hot-button social issues, namely gender identity and transgender related concerns.

[106] Other ideas communicated through the campaign trail were lowering taxes and supporting entrepreneurs and small business owners within the Latino community who signaled they trusted Trump to manage the economy over the Democrats.

[117] The bilingual program in the Rio Grande Valley is still in effect, especially with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals students in the area.