McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. It is located at the southern tip of Texas in an area known as the Rio Grande Valley and is part of the American Southwest. The population was 106,414 at the 2000 census, while the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 710,514; rapid growth pushed the metropolitan area's population to 710,514 by 2007. It is the 187th largest city in the U.S. and the 70th largest metropolitan area. Its southern boundary is located about five miles from the U.S.-Mexico border and the Mexican city of Reynosa, the Rio Grande River and about 70 miles west of South Padre Island and the Gulf of Mexico. McAllen is one of the fastest growing cities in the country.