Edinburg, city, seat (1908) of Hidalgo county, extreme southern Texas, U.S. It lies in the lower Rio Grande valley 55 miles (89 km) west-northwest of Brownsville. With McAllen and other nearby communities, it forms a metropolitan complex. Old Edinburgh, which no longer exists, was founded by John Young of Scotland near the site of Hidalgo (the original county seat). In 1908, by referendum, the seat was moved to nearby Chapin (established in 1907), which in 1911 was renamed Edinburg (the h was dropped). The city developed as a cotton-ginning centre and a packing and shipping point for the valley’s citrus fruits and vegetables. Oil and natural gas fields are in the vicinity. The city operates one of the nation’s most-scattered school districts, embracing about 945 square miles (2,450 square km) of groves, farmland, and ranchland. It is the site of University of Texas–Pan American (founded as Edinburg College in 1927) and the Tropical Texas Center for Mental Health and Mental Retardation (1967). Inc. 1919. Pop. (2000) 48,465; McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Metro Area, 569,463; (2010) 77,100; McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Metro Area, 774,769.