Elsa, Texas, Hidalgo County. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

Settled by ranchers before 1800, the area dates to a Spanish land grant. Mexican ranches occupied most of what is now Elsa and it wasn�t until the early 1900s when the land was developed into vegetable farms.

The community was planned by the Texas and New Orleans Railroad in the late 1920s and named for Elsa George, the wife of a prominent citizen. In 1930 Elsa�s population was up to 400, growing to over 1,000 by 1940 and over 3,000 by 1957. By 1978 it reached 5,174 and has slowly grown to the present estimate of 7,174.

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