Brownsville, TX Homes For Rent

Homes for Rent in Brownsville, TX: What You Need to Know

Brownsville, a city in Texas, is located on the U.S.-Mexico border. It’s one of the southernmost cities in the contiguous United States.

Job Opportunities

Brownsville and its neighbor Harlingen constitute an economic hub with a robust manufacturing sector. Keppel Amfels, ESCO Marine, Trico Technologies, and National Electric Coil are among the biggest manufacturing companies in Brownsville itself. Outside of manufacturing, other top employers include Brownsville Independent School District, Caring For You Home Health, and the City of Brownsville. Also, the SpaceX South Texas Launch Site, a spaceport and test site, is located near Brownsville.

Things to Do in Brownsville

More than 50,000 people from both sides of the U.S. southern border attend the Charro Days Fiesta. The four-day festival, which began in 1937, celebrates American and Mexican cultures with parades, great food, fireworks, live music, and entertainment. At the Historic Brownsville Museum, you’ll learn about the history of the city, where the first battle of the Mexican-American War and the last battle of the Civil War took place. The museum is housed in a historic Spanish-style building, built as a Southern Pacific Railroad depot in 1928. 

Local History

After Texas became part of the United States in 1845, the government sent Gen. Zachary Taylor to establish Fort Texas across the river from Matamoros, Mexico, because of ongoing border issues. Maj. Jacob Brown was killed in defense of the fort when Mexican forces bombarded it. After the Mexican-American War’s end in 1848, Charles Stillman bought several land claims next to the fort, which grew to become Brownsville, named after Brown. In May 1865, the Confederacy won the last land battle of the Civil War in Brownsville, more than a month after Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia.

Cost of Living

As locals like to say, you can “go big” in Texas. In Brownsville (population: 182,781), that means getting more for your money with a cost of living rate, food, and housing costs that are 22.6%, 11.8%, and 45.6% lower than the national average respectively. The median gross rent is $736. Most of all, Texas doesn’t collect state income tax. It levies 6.25% to 8.25% in sales tax.

Know Your Neighborhoods

Residents enjoy wide-open spaces with the added bonus of light traffic and proximity to the beaches of South Padre Island. While Brownsville has good schools, the suburban communities of Rancho Viejo and Laureles boast of higher-ranked schools. They’re both sparsely populated and known for their peace and quiet, so don’t expect much social activities and entertainment.