Mission

Mission is a town in southern Texas near the Mexico border, where residential neighborhoods alternate with agricultural fields and low buildings shape the skyline. The two main traffic corridors, Interstate 2 and US Route 83, run through the center and link the place to neighboring communities in the Rio Grande Valley.

The founding took place in 1907, when two investors started a settlement project based initially on farming and trade. Three years later, the place was officially declared a town, while farmers began growing citrus fruit and let the community expand.

In the southern part of town, Shary Plantation stands as the place where red grapefruit was first cultivated and visitors can still see the roots of this variety. Along the main streets, murals and sculptures remind passersby of the link between residents and the citrus industry that shaped everyday life for decades.

Visitors can walk along the business streets in the center, where local shops and restaurants show daily life in the area. During summer, heat can become intense, so earlier or later hours in the day make for a more comfortable stroll through the neighborhood.

A small collection of red grapefruit specimens still grows on part of the original plantation, where the fruit was first noticed in the early 20th century. Few visitors know that a mutation was discovered here that changed citrus farming worldwide.