Harlingen City is in Cameron County of Texas. It is at the core of the Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas. In the county it is the second largest city covering 88 square kilo metres. Harlingen is the main city of Brownsville-Harlingen Metropolitan Statistical Area. Harlingen is very strategically located and this has made it a commercial hub in distribution, shipping and industry. Initially the local economy was entirely based on agriculture with the focus being on vegetables and cotton. Harlingen is named after a city with the same name in the Netherlands.
The boom started when military installations were set up during World War II. This led to an increase in population. When the war was over the population fell with the decline in activity but once more the boom picked up with business concentrating on the purchasing of the abandoned bases of the military and utilizing it for various projects including housing.
Today Harlingen foreclosed homes are causing concern and to understand the innumerable Harlingen foreclosed homes one needs to study certain facets – the demographic picture, the resilience of the local economy to withstand the onslaught and the national picture. Nearly 79% of the population comprises of the Whites.
The foreclosure homes taking place today are part of the national scenario – waves of foreclosures hitting every corner of USA with variations in concentrations from place to place. The immediate cause for Harlingen foreclosed homes as elsewhere was the peddling of sub-prime mortgages with teaser rates. When the interest rates began to spike thousands defaulted and courted foreclosure.
Harlingen foreclosed homes led to a chain of problems – one being the victimization of tenants for no fault of theirs. A recent federal law will now give protection to the renters who are suffering because their landlords have been foreclosed upon. Many of Harlingen foreclosed homes are concentrated in Sonesta Drive and Sonesta Circle. They have been served with notices in early June. But the tenants in Sonesta Apartments who are suffering because of Harlingen foreclosed homes have not been allowed even 30 days time to leave the premises.
The worst sufferers are the young and the old. The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) has sanctioned a relief package of $2 million to four applicants from Cameroon Counties. This will help about 150 home owners (first timers and tenants. It will also give a boost to the local construction works. State Senator Eddie Lucio has taken the primary initiative in this matter.