A NOTE TO OUR READERS:
"The Friendliest Little Border Town in Texas" is from the November 2002 issue of Southern Living. Because prices, dates, and other specifics are subject to change, please check all information to make sure it's still current before making your travel plans.

As the sun floats on the horizon in Del Rio, Texas, this warm Friday evening, cars pour across the U.S.-Mexico border, clogging Hidalgo Street into the town of Ciudad Acuña. Street vendors stake out corners where they'll sell fruit drinks and snacks. Shopkeepers stand in the doors of their establishments, beckoning shoppers to peruse shelves brimming with merchandise.

Two mariachis, each sporting a bolero and cowboy boots, stroll casually among the revelers. As soon as they spy a group of American turistas, they flash practiced smiles and begin plucking their guitar strings. "Oh, oh, oh, cuando caliente el sol," they finish in unison, the last of the popular ballad melting into the velvety darkness of the night.

"I love Mexico," says longtime Del Rio resident Dee Money, who sometimes leads groups into Ciudad Acuña. "I like the people. I like the culture. I like the traditions. We really do have the best of both worlds here."

These two cities--Del Rio, Texas, and Ciudad Acuña, Mexico--call themselves sisters. They share the banks of the Rio Grande, which forms the international border. Yet they've also managed to forge a deep and abiding friendship, defined by necessity and mutual respect.