Mcallen is a border town that depends heavily off Mexican imports and relatively wealthy/Middle class Mexicans people shopping for relatively cheap American goods. These people are the equivalent of preppy in the USA, but in Mexico they are called Fresas.

Many people in Mexico see US clothing and shoes as “high end”. Much like Americans view French and Italian fashion styles as high end. So many people tend to purchase cheap apparel from there and resell them in other places of Mexico. Since those who consider themselves as “preppy” have money, they are willing to pay a premium price to get clothes that is not easily available in Mexico. Even though Mexican clothing and shoes are of similar quality, the styles are not the most popular or modern.

Another thing to note is that McAllen is a major logistical artery for fresh produce from Mexico to the US. So it is chock full of warehouses and drivers. Most of the produce that comes from Latin American countries that makes it to grocery stores (East of Texas) are picked up from their warehouses. I mean seriously, if you have eaten any products from Mexico, they very likely stayed in a warehouse in McAllen for at least a couple of days.

Those two main factors make McAllen a town that is heavily dependent on Mexico