Brownsville

Brownsville (pop. 260,120), city in southern Texas near the mouth of the Rio Grande River. Named after Major Jacob Brown, who died defending the settlement from Mexican troops in 1846, Brownsville was incorporated in 1850. Brownsville is a busy port on the Gulf of Mexico and a major industrial center producing chemicals, clothing, and petroleum products. The largest city in the Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville has a tropical climate. Its population is predominantly Latin American in origin although there has been an influx of Anglo Americans since World War II.

See also: Texas.