Welcome to the Resaca City!
Enjoy our friendly community and its attractive, family-oriented surroundings. Find us at the center of the Rio Grande Valley and be impressed with our focused commitment on living and helping one another. Come on by and stay awhile.
City is know as the "Resaca City". A picturesque resaca, 400 feet wide, flows through the town, which is the main canal of a large irrigation system. Only eight miles from the Mexican border, San Benito was first named Diaz, for Mexico's president, because the people of the area were predominantly of Mexican ancestry. Anglo settlers did not arrive until 1906, after the completion of the first irrigation system.
Prior to the construction of the irrigation systems, the region was an arid wilderness covered with mesquite, cactus and brush. As a result of irrigation, the city, as well as all of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, developed an extensive agricultural business. The mild winter climate allows crops to grow year round, not to mention the colorful flowers and native trees.
A birder's paradise.
Note the name of the streets, particularly in the central part of town. Generally, north and streets are named after Texas heroes; east and west streets for early community leaders. In other areas of the city, streets are named after landmarks and notable figures in Mexican and American history.
Colonel Sam A. Robertson, founder of the city, promoted and built the San Benito and Rio Grande Valley Railroad to provide an efficient transportation system for shipping farm products. Because of the intricate network of lines and spurs, the railroad was commonly referred to as the "Spiderweb Railroad".
Our Mission Statement
San Benito is an attractive, clean, safe, culturally-rich community, accessible to the rest of the world; providing quality education, small-town charm, economic opportunity, and focused on sustaining a high quality of life.