BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Jobs growth, infrastructure projects, and millions of dollars in new investment is how Brownsville is being transformed today.
And they all add up to a healthier population.
That is how Mayor John Cowen, Jr., described all of the above during his second annual State of the City address. It was titled Edge of the Future and held Wednesday, March 26 at the Texas Southmost College Performing Arts Center.
The mayor mentioned that obesity and diabetes rates in Brownsville have been going down. He attributed this to people eating healthier and exercising.
He said obesity rates have dropped six percent resulting in 26,000 fewer cases and $65 million in healthcare savings combined.
“These improvements saved over $300 million per year,” he said. “We view health as a key measure of our parks and recreation network’s success and an important indication of our economy. We are one of the few cities in Texas to take this approach.”
The findings came from The University of Texas School of Public Health, using the Cameron County Hispanic cohort data that showed an 11.5 percent decrease in diabetes from 2014 to 2024. This reduced cases by 20,000 people and saved $240 million annually in healthcare and productivity costs.
The mayor spoke extensively about economic development and said much credit should go to the staff at Greater Brownsville Incentive Corp.
“I am pleased to announce that a Tier One supplier for Space X will be setting up shop in our city,” he said. “They will be making an initial investment of $100 million with a potential of $150 million later.”
Cowen described the company as a global leader in the energy sector. He said they will create more than 100 high paying jobs.
Asked if he would reveal the company’s name, the mayor said he wasn’t ready to make the announcement.
The expected workforce increase will be in addition to the thousands of direct and indirect jobs already created by Boca Chica-based space technology company SpaceX, by Next Decade LNG and by Bechtel, Cowen said.
The mayor mentioned the many projects going on all over the city, including a new $11 million industrial park that will house some 15 companies, the $70 million Brownsville Public Safety complex and the city’s five-year $300 million capital improvement plan.
Other projects are a $35 million renovation at Brownsville-South Padre Island International Airport and $7 million for reconstruction of Old Highway 77. Both are taking place right now.
“We remain one of five cities in the country where people are moving in,” he said. “We are making history and the nation is listening.”
Cowen said the city has been investing millions of dollars in street and drainage projects and is upgrading Gladys Porter Zoo.
He said the transformation could not be done without the support of a number of partners. He mentioned Texas Southmost College, UT-Rio Grande Valley, which recently purchased the Majestic Theater and the city’s Housing Authority which bought Hotel El Jardin.
Cowen’s State of City address did not go without a glitch.
On one side of the TSC building where he spoke, a group of protesters made their voices heard denouncing some of the companies Cowen mentioned during his speech.
