Laredo ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, on the north bank of the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...

South Texas South Texas is a region of the U.S. state of Texas that lies roughly south of—and includes—San Antonio. The southern and western boundary is the Rio Grande, and to the east it is the Gulf of Mexico. The population of this region is about 4.96 ...

, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Laredo has the distinction of flying seven flags (the

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

of the former Republic of the Rio Grande, which is now the flag of the city, in addition to the Six Flags of Texas). Founded in 1755, Laredo grew from a village to the capital of the short-lived Republic of the Rio Grande to the largest inland port on the Mexican border. Laredo's economy is primarily based on international trade with the United States largest trading partner Mexico, and as a major hub for three areas of transportation: land, rail, and air cargo. The city is on the southern end of

I-35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

, which connects manufacturers in northern Mexico through Interstate 35 as a major route for trade throughout the U.S. It has four international bridges and one railway bridge. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091, making it the 10th-most populous city in Texas and third-most populated U.S. city on the Mexican border, after San Diego, California, and El Paso, Texas. Its

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

is the 178th-largest in the U.S. and includes all of Webb County, with a population of 250,304. Laredo is also part of the cross-border Laredo–Nuevo Laredo Metropolitan Area with an estimated population of 636,516. Laredo is notable for its high Hispanic proportion, which at over 95%, is the highest proportion of Hispanic Americans out of any city in the United States outside of Puerto Rico. It is one of the least ethnically diverse cities in the United States. When economic, household, and social diversity are considered, Laredo is the 19th-least diverse of the 313 largest cities in the nation. Texas A&M International University and Laredo College are in Laredo.

Laredo International Airport Laredo International Airport is three miles northeast of downtown Laredo, Texas, Laredo, in Webb County, Texas, Webb County, Texas. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021 FAA airport categories, categorized it as ...

is within the Laredo city limits, while the Quetzalcoatl International Airport is nearby in Nuevo Laredo on the Mexican side. The biggest festival, Washington's Birthday Celebration, is held during the later part of January and the majority of February, attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists.

History

Laredo, TX, Center for the Arts IMG 7674

Plaza Theater, downtown Laredo, TX IMG 7673

The Spanish colonial settlement of Villa de San Agustin de Laredo was founded in 1755 by Don Tomás Sánchez Barrera while the area was part of the Nuevo Santander region in the Spanish colony of

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Am ...

. Villa de San Agustin de Laredo was named after Laredo, Cantabria, Spain and in honor of Saint

Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Af ...

. In 1840, Laredo was the capital of the independent Republic of the Rio Grande, set up in opposition to Antonio López de Santa Anna; it was brought back into Mexico by military force. In 1846 during the Mexican–American War, the town was occupied by the Texas Rangers. After the war, the

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ( es, Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo), officially the Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Limits, and Settlement between the United States of America and the United Mexican States, is the peace treaty that was signed on 2 ...

ceded the land to the United States. A referendum was taken in the town, which voted to petition the American military government in charge of the area to return the town to Mexico. When this petition was rejected, many who had been in the area for generations, moved across the river into Mexican territory, where they founded Nuevo Laredo. Many others, especially original land grantees on the north side of the Rio Grande remained, becoming Texans in the process. In 1849, the United States Army set up Fort McIntosh (originally Camp Crawford). Laredo was rechartered as a city in 1852. Laredo is one of the oldest crossing points along the Mexico–United States border, and the nation's largest inland port of entry. In 2005, Laredo celebrated the 250th anniversary of its founding. The etymology of the name for the Spanish town of Laredo is unclear. Some scholars say the name stems from '' glaretum'', which means "sandy, rocky place". Others state Laredo stems from a Basque word meaning "beautiful pastures". Laredo might also stem from the Latin '' larida'' which means gull. In 1946, the Plaza Theater opened in downtown Laredo, but it closed in 1999, when the municipal government purchased the property from United Artists. In 2001, the Laredo City Council authorized a feasibility study to determine what use the old theater might yet have. In 2003, a consultant recommended converting the Plaza into a multipurpose performing-arts center, with dance recitals, concerts, live theater, and occasional films. In 2006, the city received an economic development grant for renovation of the Plaza. By 2008, renovations were made to the theater marquee and blade design. In 2011, a public-private partnership was attempted by two Laredo businessmen, Danny Lopez Jr. and Victor Trevino Jr., but that initiative never materialized. In 2018, the city council authorized the solicitation of private entities and nonprofit organizations to operate the theater. The council is also seeking input from architects for the concept and design of renovations to the structure. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma brought his Bach Project to the Juarez–Lincoln International Bridge in April 2019.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 102.6 square miles (265.7 km), of which 101.1 square miles (261.8 km) are land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km) (1.37%) are covered by water.

Location

Laredo is on the west end of the Rio Grande Plains, south of the Edwards Plateau, west of the Coastal Plains, and east of the Mexican Mountains. The area consists of a few hills and flat land covered with grasses, oaks, and mesquite.

Bodies of water

Notable geographic features are the

and Chacon Creek's man-made reservoir,

Lake Casa Blanca Lake Casa Blanca is a reservoir on the Chacon Creek, northeast of downtown Laredo, Texas, United States. The reservoir was formed in 1951 by the construction of a dam to provide recreational opportunities for the residents of Webb County. The cu ...

, in Lake Casa Blanca International State Park. The lake is of land and of water. The six major creeks are Chacon Creek,

San Ildefonso Creek San Idelfonso Creek is a small stream of water located in Webb County, Texas which runs through Laredo, Texas. The creek is formed within east Laredo and runs southwest for 8 miles until connecting to the Rio Grande. San Ildefonso Creek was dammed ...

San Ygnacio Creek San Ygnacio Creek is a small stream of water located in Webb County, Texas which runs through Laredo, Texas. The creek is formed 11 miles northwest of Laredo, Texas and runs southwest for until the creek connects to the Lake Casa Blanca. The terr ...

Santa Isabel Creek Santa Isabel Creek is a small stream of water located in Webb County, Texas which runs through Laredo, Texas. The creek is formed 32 miles from Callaghan, Texas and runs southwest for until the creek connects to the Rio Grande. The terrain surroun ...

Sombrerillito Creek Sombrerillito Creek is a small stream of water located in Webb County, Texas which runs through Laredo, Texas. The creek is formed 13 miles north of Laredo and runs southwest for 16 miles until connecting to the Rio Grande. Sombrerillito Creek was ...

, and

Zacate Creek Zacate Creek is inside Laredo, Texas city limits and runs southwest for 10 miles until it connects to the Rio Grande. Zacate Creek has several ditches leading to it. The terrain surrounding the creek is mostly clay. The vegetation surrounding the ...

, all of which drain into the Rio Grande. Several man-made reservoirs include the San Ildefonso Creek Lake (second-largest reservoir), and the Sombrerillito Creek Lake (third-largest reservoir).

Nearby cities

Climate

Laredo's climate is semi-arid with very hot temperatures in the summer and mild temperatures during the winter. The climate is considered to be

hot semi-arid Hot or the acronym HOT may refer to: Food and drink *Pungency, in food, a spicy or hot quality *Hot, a wine tasting descriptor Places *Hot district, a district of Chiang Mai province, Thailand **Hot subdistrict, a sub-district of Hot District ...

( Köppen: ''BSh''). Its weather is affected by the

Sierra Madre Oriental The Sierra Madre Oriental () is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico. The Sierra Madre Oriental is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that f ...

mountains to the west, the Gulf of Mexico to the east, and the Chihuahuan Desert of Northern Mexico and West Texas. Moisture from the Pacific is cut off by the Mexican mountain range. The normal monthly mean temperature ranges from in January to in August; official record temperatures range from on December 30, 1983, up to on May 7, 1927, and June 17, 1908. On average, temperatures reach or higher on 75 days annually, and fall to or below the freezing mark on 5.1 days, although, in five years, the most recent being 2015, the annual minimum temperature was above freezing. Precipitation averages annually, with higher amounts typically occurring from May to October. Although snowfall is rare in Laredo, measurable snow occurred most recently on Christmas Eve 2004, with , and December 7–8, 2017, with .

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 255,205 people, 72,328 households, and 58,294 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010, Laredo is the 81st-most populous city in the United States and the 10th-largest in Texas. According to the 2010 census there were 236,091 inhabitants in the city. According to the

2010 U.S. Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, the racial composition of Laredo was: * Whites: 87.7%, non-Hispanic Whites: 3.86% * Black or African American: 0.5% * Native American: 0.4% *

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

: 0.6% *

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Asian/Pacific American (APA) or Asian/Pacific Islander (API) or Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) or Asian American and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) is a term sometimes used in the United States when including both Asian an ...

: 0.00% *

Two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many culture ...

: 1.5% * other races 9.3% Ethnically, the city was: * Hispanic or Latino (of any race) – 95.6% (Mexican 86.9%, Puerto Rican 0.4%, Cuban 0.1%, other Hispanic or Latino 8.3%) Race and ethnicity 2010- Laredo (5560424532)

Race and ethnicity 2010- Laredo (5560424532)

According to respondents' self-identification on the 2010 Census, the vast majority of Laredo's population is of Hispanic origin (95.6%), mostly Mexican (86.9%). Most Hispanics who did not identify themselves as Mexican identified as "other Hispanic or Latino" (8.3% of the total population). 84.3% of the population identifies as white Hispanic, while only 11.3% identifies as Hispanic but not white. 4.4% of the population was not Hispanic or Latino (3.4% non-Hispanic White, 0.2% non-Hispanic Black or African American, 0.6% non-Hispanic Asian, 0.1% from some other race (non-Hispanic), and 0.1% of two or more races (non-Hispanic)). In the 2005 estimate, there were 99,675 males and 108,112 females. The average household contained 3.69 occupants. The population density was 2,250.5 people per square mile (868.9/km). Of the 60,816 households, 56,247 or 92.5% were occupied: 33,832 were owner-occupied units and 22,415 were renter-occupied units. About 62.0% were married couples living together, 18.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.7% were not families. Around 12.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.69 and the average family size was 4.18. The city's population is distributed as 35.5% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 15.8% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,019, and for a family was $32,577. The per capita income for the city was $12,269; 29.2% of families were below the poverty line. According to the United States Census Bureau, at a 2000 census, Laredo was the second-fastest growing city in the United States, after Las Vegas. In 2016, Laredo was ranked the safest city in Texas for motorists and the 14th safest nationally. Its average annual car insurance rate is $1,515.76; the average years between accidents is 11.7. In 2016, the violent crime rate in Laredo dropped to 379 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to

AreaVibes AreaVibes is a data analytics and real estate company based in Toronto, which provides clients with demographic data and analysis focused on real estate in American and Canadian cities. Background The online data collector Datanyze states that ...

. The violent crime rate in Dallas was 694 per 100,000 inhabitants. In Houston it was 967 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Economy

Walker Plaza off Interstate 35 in Laredo, TX IMG 1808

Laredo Federal Credit Unon on McPherson Rd

Former Cotulla Style Pit BBQ, Laredo, TX Picture 1022

banking institutions in Laredo include Falcon International Bank, International Bank of Commerce, and

Texas Community Bank Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. Laredo is the largest inland port in the United States, and Nuevo Laredo the largest in Latin America. This is due to their respective locations, served by

Interstate Highway 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

/ Mexican Federal Highway 85, the effects of the

North American Free Trade Agreement The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA ; es, Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte, TLCAN; french: Accord de libre-échange nord-américain, ALÉNA) was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that crea ...

(NAFTA), dozens of twin assembly plants on the Mexican side, and dozens of import export agencies to expedite trade. In January 2014, the Laredo customs district processed "$20 billion in two-way trade with Mexico", about half that for the entire US with Mexico for the month. Laredo is a shopping destination for Mexican shoppers from Northern Mexico. In 2015 the ''San Antonio Express-News'' reported the number of Mexican shoppers has declined due to drug war-related violence in Nuevo Laredo.

Trade

View across the Rio Grande at Laredo, Texas

More than 47 percent of United States international trade headed for Mexico and more than 36 percent of Mexican international trade crosses through the Laredo port of entry. Laredo's economy revolves around commercial and industrial warehousing, import, and export. As a major player in international trade, the Laredo area benefited from passage of the

, which has encouraged trade. The Laredo port of entry consists of four international bridges (with a proposed fifth one) crossing the Rio Grande into the Mexican states of Tamaulipas and

Nuevo León Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...

Retail sales

Retail sales attract shoppers from Northern Mexico and South Texas. There is one indoor shopping mall in Laredo, Mall del Norte, The Outlet Shoppes at Laredo, and another has not progressed past planning: Laredo Town Center, part of downtown redevelopment. There are dozens of shopping centers. The Streets of Laredo Urban Mall is an association created by businesses on Iturbide Street in the San Agustin historical district to beautify and renovate the area, which has a pedestrian scale. * Mall Del Norte *The Outlet Shoppes at Laredo, owned by Horizon Group Properties, opened March 2017 with as many as seventy-seven stores, including Banana Republic, Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors, Brooks Brothers, OshKosh B'Gosh, Old Navy,

New York and Company New York & Company, Inc. (NY&C) is an American workwear retailer for women. New York & Company apparel and accessories are sold through a nationwide network of retail stores, and through its e-commerce site. New York & Company was founded i ...

, and Kay Jewelers. * Streets of Laredo Urban Mall

Labor market information

As of October 2007, Laredo's labor market was in the following industries by percentage of number employed: Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (32%), Information (1%), Financial Activity (5%), Professional and Business Services (6%), Education and Health Services (15%), Leisure and Hospitality (10%), Government (23%), Mining and Construction (5%), Manufacturing (2%), and Other Services (2%). Laredo has increased the number of non-agricultural jobs from 55,100 in January 1996 to 86,600 in October 2007. Laredo has had a higher job growth rate (2%–6.5%) than the state as a whole because of expanded international trade through the

. In 2007, Laredo experienced a job growth rate of 2.5%. As of October 2007, the Laredo unemployment rate was 4.1% or 3,700 unemployed persons, as compared to 3.9% in Texas statewide. This is a significant drop since the mid-1990s, when Laredo's unemployment was over 15%. Laredo has had positive job market growth since the mid-1990s; setbacks in the mining (oil/gas) industry shifted a few thousand workers to other industries such as international trade and construction. Many large employers in the oil and gas industries shut down operations in Laredo and across Texas, and shifted to foreign countries. The same effect occurred in the garment industry (Levis and Haggar) along the Texas border area. Laredo lost its only garment-producing company (Barry), costing the jobs of about 300 workers. Laredo's strong job growth rate in retail and transportation services limited the adverse effects of long-term unemployment from the few massive layoffs of the late 1990s. Laredo's success with international trade is also a vulnerability; it depends on changes to Mexico's economy, that status of immigration laws (along with daily border crossings: shoppers and commercial trade), and terrorism.

Top employers

Agriculture

Laredo is a major center for the

cattle ranching A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...

in the state. Cattle here suffer from the cattle fever tick, ''

Rhipicephalus microplus The Asian blue tick (''Rhipicephalus'' (''Boophilus'') ''microplus'', ''Rhipicephalus microplus'', or ''Boophilus microplus'') is an economically important tick that parasitises a variety of livestock species especially cattle, on which it is th ...

'' (syn. ''Boophilus microplus''). Researchers and ranchers are concerned about

pyrethroid resistance A pyrethroid is an organic compound similar to the natural pyrethrins, which are produced by the flowers of pyrethrums (''Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium'' and '' C. coccineum''). Pyrethroids are used as commercial and household insecticides. In ...

developing and spreading here, as it has in nearby areas of the state and neighboring Tamaulipas state.This review cites this study Because the situation is so severe, the main office of the country's is located here. This program is operated by

USDA APHIS The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) based in Riverdale, Maryland responsible for protecting animal health, animal welfare, and plant health. APHIS is the lead ...

. The of this tick was collected here by Davey ''et al.'', 1980 and is now a commonly used laboratory strain negative for pyrethroid resistance.This review cites this study

Arts and culture

Annual celebrations

The Washington's Birthday Celebration (WBCA) is a month-long event that celebrates George Washington's birthday. It is the largest annual celebration of its kind in the United States, with 400,000 attendees. It was founded in 1898 by the Improved Order of Red Men, local chapter Yaqui Tribe No. 59. The first celebration was a success, and its popularity grew rapidly; in 1923 it received its state

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

. In 1924, the celebration held its first colonial pageant, which featured 13 girls from Laredo, representing the 13 original colonies. The celebration includes parades, a carnival, an air show, fireworks, live concerts, and a citywide prom during which many of Laredo's elite dress in very formal attire. The related Jalapeño Festival is one of the United States' top 10 eating festivals. Jamboozie is held in late January in downtown Laredo as part of the Washington Birthday celebrations. Similar to New Orleans'

Mardi Gras Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...

, the Jamboozie is a colorful event, with many people dressed in beads, masks, and flamboyant outfits.

Museums

The Republic of the Rio Grande Museum is in the downtown historical district next to the historic La Posada Hotel. What was once the Capitol building now showcases memorabilia from the short lived Republic of the Rio Grande. It displays pictures, books, and furniture from the 19th century Laredo area, and offers guided tours for school-age children and adults year-round. Because of this Republic, Laredo had flown seven flags instead of the traditional Six Flags over Texas. The Laredo Center for the Arts is located in downtown Laredo. The building houses three galleries: the Goodman Gallery, the Laredo Art League Gallery and the Lilia G. Martinez Gallery. The Center for the Arts, in the former City Hall offices known as "The Mercado", displays regional artwork and provides community events for children and adults. The Laredo Little Theater provides Laredo with live stage performances. The theater also hosts comedians. Imaginarium of South Texas (formerly Laredo Children's Museum), in Mall del Norte, provides a hands-on experience with science, technology, and art for Laredo's youth. A second museum is planned on the Texas A&M International University campus. The Nuevo Santander Museum Complex is composed of restored buildings of Fort McIntosh, a historical collection of photographs of the fort, the main guardhouse, which has World War I (1914–1918) memorabilia, and a science and technology museum.

Planetarium

The Lamar Bruni Vergara Science Center Planetarium is on the Texas A&M International University campus. The planetarium surrounds audiences in a dome with an accurate image of the night sky showing all the motions and cycles of the Sun, Moon, planets, and constellations in the sky.

Library

The Joe A. Guerra Laredo Public Library was first housed on the second floor of the City Hall, now known as the Market Hall, in 1916. In 1974, the Laredo Public Library moved to the historic Bruni Plaza in downtown Laredo. In 1993, the citizens of Laredo approved the construction of a new main library at McPherson and Calton roads, which opened on February 1, 1998. On July 22, 2016, the structure was named in honor of Joe A. Guerra, a former member of the Laredo City Council known for his support for the library and a personal passion for reading. Council member Roque Vela, who first proposed the structure be named for Guerra, described the former councilman, who died in 2010, as "someone I looked up to for his unwavering commitment to public service. I am especially proud to know the library and reading were passions of Mr. Guerra." The Laredo Public Library, which still uses the Dewey Decimal Classification system, has a . main library and two branches. The main library is in central Laredo; the Bruni Plaza Branch is downtown east of Washington Street, and the Santo Niño Branch is in south Laredo. Two new libraries opened in 2014, one in northwest Laredo, the Fasken Library on March 14, and another in the south sometime in July. Market Plaza and Flores Avenue, Laredo, Texas

Market Plaza and Flores Avenue, Laredo, Texas

Nightlife

The city is populated with both adult and family entertainment, such as bars, nightclubs, sports fields, movie theaters, family restaurants, and other entertainment venues.

Churches and architecture

Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Laredo, TX IMG 1856

Most of Laredo's architecture is of Spanish Colonial,

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, and Mexican flavor. Most of Laredo's Spanish Colonial style buildings are in downtown Laredo. More modern American architecture can be seen along

as well as in the downtown area. Heavily Roman Catholic in church affiliation, Laredo has impressive houses of worship. The oldest congregation, now San Agustin Cathedral, on the downtown historic plaza, dates to the founding of the city in 1755. The striking building we see today was begun in 1871. Our Lady of Guadalupe is an imposing structure in Romanesque Revival Lombard (North Italian) style. It was designed by Leo M. J. Dielmann of San Antonio, a popular architect of Catholic buildings, and built for a Mexican-American and Hispanic congregation in the inner-city, at San Jorge Avenue and Callaghan St. Dielmann was commissioned by Church authorities to design churches for similar congregations in Houston and San Antonio. He also did the San Agustin parish school, and may have had a hand in the San Agustin church itself. Both the First United Methodist Church, in 1949, and the Christ Church Episcopal, were designed by

Henry Steinbomer Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

, a popular and prolific San Antonio architect who is credited with more than 100 churches and related buildings during the 1940s and 50s, from the Lower Rio Grande Valley mostly in South and West Texas, from the Sacred Heart Cathedral in San Angelo to Union Church in Monterrey, Mexico. Other Laredo churches include Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Assembly of God, Mormon, and non-denominational congregations.

National Register of Historic Places sites

Barrio Azteca Historic District El Azteca is one of the oldest and most intact residential neighborhoods in Laredo, Texas, with buildings dating from the 1870s representing nearly every major architectural type and style that has appeared on the border since that time. Locatio ...

* Fort McIntosh *

San Agustin de Laredo Historic District The San Agustin de Laredo Historic District is a historical district that covers what was once the original city of Laredo, Texas that was established by Don Tomás Sánchez. Today, the district is located in Downtown Laredo. The San Agustin Dis ...

*Hamilton Hotel, architects Atlee B. Ayers and Robert Ayers, the tallest building in Laredo * U.S. Post Office, Court House, and Custom House * Webb County Courthouse, finished 1909 to designs in the Beaux-Arts style by renowned architect

Alfred Giles Alfred Giles may refer to: * Alfred Giles (architect) (1853–1920), Texas architect * Alfred Giles (civil engineer) (1816–1895), British civil engineer and politician * Alfred Giles (explorer) (1846–1931), South Australian bushman, drover and ...

List of the tallest buildings

Former Hamilton Hotel in Laredo, TX IMG 1766

Laredo in multimedia

Film and television

'' Streets of Laredo'' is a 1949 western film starring William Holden, Macdonald Carey and

William Bendix William Bendix (January 14, 1906 – December 14, 1964) was an American film, radio, and television actor, who typically played rough, blue-collar characters. He is best remembered for his role in ''Wake Island'', which earned him an Academy ...

as three outlaws who rescue a young girl, played by Mona Freeman. When they become separated, two reluctantly become Texas Rangers, while the third continues on a life of crime. In the 1957 Christmas episode entitled "Laredo" of NBC's western series, ''

Tales of Wells Fargo ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' is an American Western television series starring Dale Robertson that ran from 1957 to 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season, when it expanded to ...

'', series character Jim Hardie ( Dale Robertson) must track gunrunners across the United States/Mexican border, a quest which keeps him from spending the holiday with friends in Laredo as he had intended. The episode stars Henry Rowland,

Rodolfo Hoyos Jr. Rodolfo Hoyos Jr. (March 14, 1916 – April 15, 1983) was a Mexican-American film and television actor. He was known for playing the role of "Rafael Rosillo" in the 1956 film '' The Brave One''. Hoyos died in April 1983 from a stroke in Los Ang ...

, Karl Swenson and

Pierre Watkin Pierre Frank Watkin (December 29, 1887 – February 3, 1960) was an American character actor best known for playing distinguished authority figures throughout the Golden Age of Hollywood. He is best remembered for his roles of Mr. Skinner the b ...

. In 1958,

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

aired the second episode, "Ambush in Laredo", of the 17-part

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

, '' Texas John Slaughter.'' The 1959 western film, ''Gunmen from Laredo'', stars Robert Knapp, Walter Coy, Paul Birch, and

Ron Hayes Ronald G. Hayes (February 26, 1929 – October 1, 2004) was an American television actor who, as an activist in the environmental movement, worked for the establishment of the first Earth Day, observed on April 22, 1970. He was a member of t ...

in the story of a man seeking revenge for the murder of his wife. He winds up in prison on a false murder charge, but the marshal allows him to escape to pursue the man who killed his wife. In the episode "Cactus Lady" (February 21, 1961) of the NBC western television series, '' Laramie'', it is revealed series regular Jess Harper, played by Robert Fuller, had been nearly hanged by mistake in the border city of Laredo c. 1870 because of the McCanles gang, played by Arthur Hunnicutt,

L. Q. Jones Justus Ellis McQueen Jr. (August 19, 1927 – July 9, 2022), known professionally as L.Q. Jones, was an American actor and director. He appeared in Sam Peckinpah's films ''Ride the High Country'' (1962), ''Major Dundee'' (1965), ''The Wild Bunc ...

, Harry Dean Stanton and Anita Sands. In the storyline, the gang arrives suddenly in Laramie. From 1965 to 1967, NBC aired an hour-long western television series entitled, '' Laredo'', with the actors Philip Carey, William Smith, Peter Brown and Neville Brand. A spin-off of '' The Virginian'', ''Laredo'', with elements of comedy, focuses on Texas Rangers in the border country. It is available on DVD.''Laredo'' was also broadcast on weekdays on the Encore Westerns Channel, having filled the time slot previously occupied by double episodes of the ABC/ Warner Bros. series, '' Lawman'', which also co-stars Peter Brown. The 1983 film ''

Eddie Macon's Run ''Eddie Macon's Run'' is a 1983 American action thriller drama film written and directed by Jeff Kanew, based on the 1980 novel of the same name by James McLendon. It stars Kirk Douglas and John Schneider, and also includes John Goodman in his ...

'', based on a James McLendon novel, features John Schneider as Eddie Macon, who is wrongly convicted of mostly minor crimes. While performing at a prison rodeo in Huntsville, Texas, he escapes and heads for Laredo, where he hopes to join his family in Mexico. Carl "Buster" Marzack (

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in ''The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Do ...

) is a cop in hot pursuit of Eddie. Without transportation, Eddie journeys on foot. He ends up in the woods, where he is nearly killed. He meets Jilly Buck (

Lee Purcell Lee Purcell (born Lee Jeune Williams; June 15, 1947) is an American actress who worked primarily in the 1970s and 1980s. Early life Purcell was born Lee Jeune Williams at the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point (North Carolina), the elder daug ...

), a bored rich girl who agrees to help him. '' Lone Star'' is a 1996 American mystery film written and directed by John Sayles and set in a small town in Texas. The

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to ...

features

Chris Cooper Christopher Walton Cooper (born July 9, 1951) is an American actor. He has appeared in several major Hollywood films, including '' American Beauty'' (1999), ''October Sky'' (1999), '' The Bourne Identity'' (2002), ''Seabiscuit'' (2003), '' Cap ...

, Kris Kristofferson, Matthew McConaughey and Elizabeth Peña and deals with a sheriff's investigation into the murder of one of his predecessors. The movie was filmed in Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and Laredo. The 2011 series, ''Bordertown: Laredo'', is a 10-episode documentary on the

Arts and Entertainment Network A&E is an American basic cable network, the flagship television property of A&E Networks. The network was originally founded in 1984 as the Arts & Entertainment Network, initially focusing on fine arts, documentaries, dramas, and educational enter ...

based on the work of the narcotics unit of the Laredo Police Department. The 2019 movie Terminator: Dark Fate Grace (

Mackenzie Davis Mackenzie Rio Davis (born April 1, 1987) is a Canadian actress, producer, and model. She made her feature film debut in '' Smashed'' (2012). In 2013, she appeared in ''Breathe In'' and '' The F Word'' (for which she was nominated for the Canadia ...

) traces text messages in Sarah's ( Linda Hamilton) phone to Laredo, Texas, which requires them to cross into the US, after being captured and escaping the

United States Border Patrol The United States Border Patrol (USBP) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the United States' U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Customs and Border Protection and is responsible for securing ...

they steal a helicopter and head to the coordinates tattooed on Grace's body, where they meet Carl / T-800 Model 101 (

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

) after having completed his mission, Carl gained autonomy from its original programming and integrated into human society; moved to Laredo, Texas, started a drapery company, married a human, and raised a stepson.

Music

Laredo has been the subject of several songs in popular culture. One of the most popular songs is the " Streets of Laredo", originally known as "A Cowboy's Lament" and written by

Frank H. Maynard Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curre ...

, who lived mostly in Colorado. It has been recorded by artists such as

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

, Marty Robbins, Waylon Jennings,

John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, singer, songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styl ...

, Roy Rogers and Prefab Sprout (who also made a lyrical reference to Laredo in an early song, Cue Fanfare), and is even featured in a ''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by Aa ...

'' episode ("Pretty Angels all in a Row", Season 2, Episode 3). On October 28, 1958, in the episode "The Ghost" of the ABC/WB western series, '' Sugarfoot'', "The Streets of Laredo" is performed by the child actor

Tommy Rettig Thomas Noel Rettig (December 10, 1941 – February 15, 1996) was an American child actor, computer software engineer, and author. He is remembered for portraying the character "Jeff Miller" in the first three seasons of CBS's '' Lassie'' te ...

. The first song on Marty Robbins' 1966 LP ''The Drifter'' was "Meet Me Tonight in Laredo". The song described a young Comanchero who woos a young woman despite her family's disapproval. The couple leave Laredo together to start a new life in the Sierre Madre mountains. From 1959 to 1972, the six-member singing group, The Rondels dominated the musical scene in Laredo. Carlos Saenz Landin, the lead singer, left the group to work for the Dallas Independent School District but years later returned to Laredo. Lead guitarist Humberto Donovan served in the United States Marine Corps. The late Roberto Alonzo played the bass guitar. Sammy Ibarra, played the keyboard and composed the song, "Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero (The More I Love You)." He subsequently became a pastor. Singer Noe Adolfo Esparza pursued a college career and became a supervisor for

Southwestern Bell Telephone Company Southwestern Bell Telephone Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T. It does business as other d.b.a. names in its operating region, which includes Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and portions of Illinois. The company is curr ...

. As of 2017, he was still performing with the oldies group, Los Fabulosos in Laredo. Joe Lee Vera served in the United States Navy and played drums for The Rondels. Several of Vera's brothers were drummers too. The Rondels packed the Laredo Civic Center Auditorium. Two other songs characteristic of the group are "Ya-Ya" and "All Night Worker". With their disbanding, Juan Cisneros of Laredo recalls The Rondels "left a large void that will never be forgotten." Another popular song is " Laredo" by country music star Chris Cagle, who sings about Laredo having a positive influence on his significant other. Ranked at the top of the charts in 1978 in several countries in Europe is Baccara's "The Devil Sent You to Laredo". " Laredo" is a song from the album Infinite Arms, released by Band of Horses in 2010. "Laredo Tornado" is a track from

Electric Light Orchestra The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop, classical a ...

's 1974 concept album

Eldorado El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...

. It uses the idea of missing the 'happy hunting grounds' of Laredo as a metaphor for the protagonist's loss of his dream-world. Joe Ely has a song and album entitled "Letter to Laredo".

Sports

Current teams

Laredo Heat

The Laredo Heat is a United Soccer Leagues

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental association football, soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United Stat ...

team. The team's home stadium is the

Texas A&M International University Soccer Complex Texas A&M International University Soccer Complex (also known as Dustdevil Field and TAMIU Soccer Complex) was built in 2006 and renovated in 2007. The soccer complex is located in Laredo, Texas in the Texas A&M International University campus. Th ...

. The team was founded in 2004. In the 2006 season, the Laredo Heat finished Runner-up yet made it only to the first round of the Open Cup. In the 2007 season, the Laredo Heat were the Southern Conference champions and won the PDL Championship. The Heat were on hiatus for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. In November 2017, the Heat announced they will be an expansion team of the National Premier Soccer League in 2018. The Heat recently announced they will also be joining the United Premier Soccer League for the 2020 season.

Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos

The Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos (''Owls of the Two Laredos'') are a Mexican League baseball team based in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. The team splits their home schedule between

Parque la Junta Parque la Junta (La Junta Park) is a baseball field built in 1947 in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico.Uni-Trade Stadium in Laredo.

Defunct teams

Laredo Honey Badgers

The Laredo Honey Badgers were a proposed professional

indoor soccer Indoor soccer or arena soccer (known internationally as indoor football, fast football, or showball) is five-a-side version of minifootball, derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arena. Indoor socc ...

team that was founded in April 2013, expected to make its debut in the Professional Arena Soccer League with the 2013–2014 season. The team was to play its home games at the

Laredo Energy Arena The Sames Auto Arena (formerly known as the Laredo Entertainment Center and Laredo Energy Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in Laredo, Texas. It is located next to Bob Bullock Loop (US 59/Loop 20), on the northeastern side of Laredo. Within the Sam ...

. The official name and colors (black and chrome) of the team were decided with fan participation. However, after several delays the team postponed its launch and eventually ceased operations.

Laredo Lemurs

The Laredo Lemurs, a professional baseball team, played their first season in the independent

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

in 2012 with home games at Uni-Trade Stadium. They won the South Division in their inaugural season, but were eliminated in the first playoff round. The Lemurs won the league championship in 2015 but ceased operations after the 2016 season.

Laredo Roses

The Laredo Roses were a professional women's full contact football team in the South Texas Sugar N Spice Football League that began play in the 2012 season. The Roses played their home games at the Uni-Trade Stadium. The female players used short-shorts and half-cut jerseys during games.

Laredo Swarm

Laredo Swarm was a semi-professional basketball in the relaunched

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

. They started playing in 2015 in Laredo Energy Arena. The team was disbanded before the 2017–2018 season.

Stadiums and arenas

Sames Auto Arena

Laredo Entertainment Center, Laredo, TX IMG 2019

The Sames Auto Arena, is at Loop 20 and Jacaman Road. The Sames Auto Arena was strongly pushed to fruition by former Laredo Mayor

Betty Flores Elizabeth G. "Betty" Flores (born December 28, 1944) is an American banker and former mayor of Laredo, Texas. She was the first Latina woman to be mayor in Laredo's 240 year history. Career Flores was originally hired by Laredo National Bank to ...

. Sames Auto Arena was home to the former Laredo Bucks. The , $36.5 million facility seats 8,002 people for ice hockey and arena football, and up to 10,000 for concerts. It has fourteen luxury suites, four meeting rooms and a private club for two hundred charter members. It was completed in mid-2002 through an increase in the Laredo sales tax of .25 percent. Sports that can be played at the Sames Auto Arena include ice hockey, arena football,

, basketball, wrestling, and boxing. The arena has hosted many events such as The Laredo Hunting and Fishing Show, Miss Texas USA, Laredo Home and Garden Show and the South Texas Collectors Exp's Comic Con. Every year, Laredo College, TAMIU, United ISD and Laredo ISD have their graduation ceremonies at the Sames Auto Arena. Well-known artists and bands that have performed in the arena include Lil Wayne,

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

Kesha Kesha Rose Sebert (; born March 1, 1987), formerly stylized as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter. In 2005, at age 18, Kesha was signed to Kemosabe Records. Her first major success came in early 2009 after she was featured on America ...

Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...

Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), better known by his stage name Flo Rida (, ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 breakout single " Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the record for digital dow ...

, Shakira,

Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; (born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican indie label Fonovisa and became the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. By the ...

, Tool,

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...

, Kiss,

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; grc, Στύξ ) is a river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the Underworld. The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, whic ...

, REO Speedwagon, ZZ Top,

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Ju ...

, Ricky Martin, George Lopez, T.I., Ludacris,

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

, Hilary Duff, Monster Jam and WWE.

Uni-Trade Stadium

The Uni-Trade Stadium is Laredo's newest baseball field. The stadium is near the

. The project was approved by the city council and was voted in favor of (with 61.32% of the votes in favor 38.68% against) constructing it with money collected since 2004 by a .25 percent

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...

increase. There is a surplus of about $15 million. The stadium was home to the Laredo Lemurs of the independent

from 2012 to 2016. Beginning in 2018, the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League play half of their home games at the stadium and the other half at Estadio Nuevo Laredo.

Student Activity Complex

United Independent School District United Independent School District is a school district headquartered in Laredo, Texas. History The district was created in 1961 via the consolidation of the former Cactus, Johnson, and Nye school districts. The "Big Three" involved in the est ...

's students use the

Student Activity Complex The Student Activity Complex is a soccer, track and field and football stadium and performing arts auditorium in Laredo, Texas owned by the United Independent School District. The complex is better known outside of South Texas as the home stadium ...

on State Highway 359 for

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

, soccer, and baseball. Opened in the summer of 2002, it has the city's first artificial grass stadium. The SAC was also the home of the Laredo Heat. The capacity is 8,500 spectators.

Texas A&M International University Soccer Complex

(also known as Dustdevil Field and TAMIU Soccer Complex) was built in 2006 and renovated in 2007. The soccer complex is on the Texas A&M International University campus. The complex has two soccer stadiums with a seating capacity of four thousand each. The Dustdevil Field is the new home stadium to the 2007 champion team Laredo Heat member of the United Soccer Leagues

(PDL) and the TAMIU

Dustdevils The Dustdevils (sometimes styled as DustDevils, Dust Devils, or DUSTdevils) were a noise rock band which was based in New York City for most of its history. It was active from the 1980s to the mid 1990s, and was among the first artists to be signed ...

women and men's soccer teams member of the Lone Star Conference, NCAA Division II.

Shirley Field

The original Shirley Field was next to the Civic Center and R&T Martin High School on San Bernardo Avenue. It was built in 1937, along with Martin High School. Shirley Field was the location for outdoor athletics for Laredo Independent School District and also hosts the annual Border Olympics events. It seats up to about 6,000 fans with additional seating at the 2 endzones. Professional Mexican soccer teams have played various exhibition games here, noting the real grass allows for "better" soccer games. The various sports played on the stadium are football, soccer and track & field events. Major renovations are slated for this historic stadium. In November 2009 Shirley Field was demolished and was rebuilt by the 2011 football season. The total cost of the reconstruction was $12,000,000 and it now seats 8,000 fans and features artificial turf.

Krueger Field

Krueger Field is in north Laredo and is owned by

. The stadium has a capacity of 5,000 and is used to play football and soccer high school games. It is home to United High School's football and soccer teams.

Veterans Field

Veterans Field Veterans Field is a baseball venue in Laredo, Texas. Built in 1950, the park was formerly known as West Martin Field, but the field's name was changed to honor the men and women who have served defending America in the armed forces. Home to many ...

is a 5,000 seat baseball park which was known as West Martin Field. Major renovation is happening to update the 1950 ball park. Veterans Field was also the home to the five-time champion Mexican Baseball League team Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos from 1985 to 2003. Veterans Field is also home to the Texas A&M International University's Lone Star Conference NCAA Division II Dustdevils baseball team.

Laredo Civic Center

Prior to the construction of the Laredo Energy Arena most major concerts and shows were performed at the Laredo Civic Center. The Laredo Civic Center complex has an auditorium with 1,979 seats and a banquet and exhibit hall with 1,635 seats.

Parks and recreation

Lake Casa Blanca

Lake Casa Blanca International State Park A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

, on Loop 20, has a artificial lake along with cooking out, camping, picnicking, lake swimming, skiing,

boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether Motorboat, powerboats, Sailing, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sp ...

, and

mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...

. The most popular recreational use of the lake is fishing. A boat ramp and fishing pier is available on the lake's eastern side. The lake is a popular destination for winter Texans. The park was operated by the City of Laredo and Webb County before it was acquired by the state in 1990 and opened in March 1991.

Golf

Laredo has three 18-hole golf courses: the Laredo Country Club, the Casa Blanca Golf Course. and Laredo's newest course Max A. Mandel Municipal Golf Course. The Laredo Country Club is an 18-hole private course with of golf. The golf course has a rating of 74.6, a

slope rating The slope rating of a golf course is a measure of its relative difficulty for a bogey golfer compared to a scratch golfer. It is used by handicapping systems to equalize the field by accounting for the likelihood that, when playing on more difficu ...

of 133, and has a par of 72. The country club was designed by

Joseph S. Finger Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

and was opened in 1983. The Casa Blanca Golf Course is an 18-hole course with of golf. The golf course has a rating of 72.5, a

of 125, and has a par of 72. The golf course was designed by Leon Howard and was opened in 1967. The Max A. Mandel Municipal Golf Course is an 18-hole course with of golf. The golf course has a par of 72. The golf course was designed by Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects and was opened in 2012.

Parks, recreational centers, plazas, and baseball fields

The City of Laredo owns eight recreational centers, thirty-four developed parks, twenty-two undeveloped parks or under construction, five baseball fields, and four plazas. The parks total area is .

David B. Barkley Plaza

A memorial honoring the forty-one Hispanic soldiers who have received the Medal of Honor was built in Laredo, Texas in 2002. The plaza was named after the only Laredo Medal of Honor recipient

David B. Barkley David Bennes Barkley (also known as David B. Barkeley Cantu; March 31, 1899 – November 9, 1918) was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during World War I in France. After successfully completing a scouting mission be ...

. The David B. Barkley Plaza has a bronze statue of David B. Barkley and an American flag measuring 100 ft by 50 ft and is 308 ft tall making it the tallest flagpole in the United States. The memorial is at .

City of Laredo Shiloh Trail

This mountain bike trail is approximately 4 miles of single-track dirt trails, widening occasionally to double-track. Some technical parts make this trail challenging, but not impossible, for beginners. Thorny shrubs and cacti are the predominant vegetation. The trail is well-marked and improvements continue to be made. The trail is located off Shiloh Road at the end of Livingston Road.

Government

Municipal government

The Laredo city government is a strong city council – weak mayor system. The mayor presides over the eight-member city council, but only votes to break a tie. City Council elections are based on single-member districts and campaigns have no party affiliations. Municipal elections are now held in November (formerly in May) of even-numbered years. The municipal government is administered by the city manager hired by the city council. All city elected offices have a four-year term and are

nonpartisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...

though most officials have a Democratic party preference or affiliation. City council meetings are held on Mondays and can be viewed on the public-access television cable TV channel or live online at Public Access Channel live stream. The current mayor,

Pete Saenz Pedro Ignacio Saenz Jr. (born October 29, 1951), known as Pete Saenz, is an American attorney and politician serving as the mayor of Laredo, Texas, a position which he assumed on November 12, 2014. Family background Pete Saenz was born to Pedr ...

, was elected in 2014 to succeed his fellow Democrat, the term-limited

Raul G. Salinas Raul, Raúl and Raül are the Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Galician, Asturian, Basque, Aragonese, and Catalan forms of the Anglo-Germanic given name Ralph or Rudolph. They are cognates of the French Raoul. Raul, Raúl or Raül may re ...

. In his bid for a second term, Salinas had in 2010 defeated then city council members Jose A. Valdez Jr., and Gene Belmares. Salinas also failed in a bid to unseat Webb County treasurer Delia Perales in the Democratic

runoff election The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting method used to elect a single candidate, where voters cast a single vote for their preferred candidate. It generally ensures a majoritarian resul ...

held on May 27, 2014. In 2015, the city council named Jesus R. "Chuy" Olivares (born c. 1959) as the city manager to succeed the retiring Carlos Villarreal. Olivares was paid just over $249,000 annually, which included a car and telephone allowance. He was formerly the city manager of Eagle Pass in

Maverick County Maverick County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 57,887. Its county seat is Eagle Pass. The county was created in 1856 and organized in 1871. It is named for Samuel Maverick, cattleman ...

. On May 15, 2017, Olivares suddenly retired as city manager when he became a target of an ongoing

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

probe into widespread public corruption in Webb County. Olivares claims thirty-eight years of municipal experience in Laredo (where was formerly the parks director), Austin, and Eagle Pass. Mayor Saenz expressed support for the decision as one of mutual convenience for Olivares and the city. The council then named the assistant city manager, Horacio De Leon, as the acting city manager. Robert Alexander Eads was selected as City Manager on March 4, 2020, City council members receive a monthly gross salary of $1,000 plus $750 monthly for maintaining a home office, $150 per month for a city cell phone, and $750 monthly for fuel expenses. The annual total compensation is hence $31,800. On August 1, 2014, then city councilman Jorge A. Vera was arrested on a felony drug possession charge. He was accused of having earlier in the week offered cocaine to an off-duty agent of the

and her friends outside a Laredo restaurant. First elected to the council in 2012, Vera faced a state jail felony (possession of a controlled substance) and a Class B

misdemeanor A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than adm ...

(filing a false report). Vera was subsequently indicted on both charges by a

grand jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...

of the Texas 406th Judicial District Court. His

arraignment Arraignment is a formal reading of a criminal charging document in the presence of the defendant, to inform them of the charges against them. In response to arraignment, the accused is expected to enter a plea. Acceptable pleas vary among jurisd ...

was in the 49th District Court. Because Vera did not resign from the city council, a recall election was held on November 4, 2014. By a wide margin, voters in District VII supported Vera's recall. Attorney George Altgelt won the special election to succeed Vera. In March 2017, Ray Garner resigned after four years as the chief of the Laredo Police Department. He instead returns to his former position as police chief of the United Independent School District. Then city manager Jesus Olivares appointed Captain Gabriel E. Martinez Jr., a 30-year veteran of the department, as the acting police chief to succeed Garner.

State and federal representation

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas Laredo division is a relatively new building adjacent to the Webb County Courthouse. The

Laredo Sector Headquarters is at 207 W. Del Mar Blvd, Laredo, Texas. The United States Postal Service operates its main Post Office at 2700 East Saunders Street south of

. Postal branches are downtown and at 2395 East Del Mar Boulevard. The

Texas Army National Guard The Texas Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army, the United States National Guard and the Texas Military Forces (along with the Texas Air National Guard and the Texas State Guard). Texas Army National Guard units are train ...

armory is at 6001 E. Bob Bullock Loop 20 Laredo, Texas. The Colburn Memorial United States Army Reserve Center is at 1 W End Washington St, Laredo, Texas. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the Laredo Parole Office. The private prison operator GEO Group runs the

Rio Grande Detention Center Rio Grande Detention Center is a privately owned prison for men located in Laredo, Webb County, Texas, operated by GEO Group under contract with the U.S. government Office of the Federal Detention Trustee. The prison was originally built in 200 ...

in Laredo, which opened in 2008 and holds a maximum of 1900 federal detainees. In March 2014, it was reported Laredo and Webb County have a

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...

rate at nearly double the state average. In 2012–2013, 515 child clients were served by the Children's Advocacy Center in Laredo, 105 for physical abuse and 360 for sexual abuse. Statewide, 9.3 percent of children have been victims of physical abuse, but in Laredo the rate is 17 to 21 percent. A special investigator for Child Protective Services said he now sees two to three cases per day of such inflictions.

Education

Elementary and secondary

Newman Elementary School, Laredo, TX IMG 1824

Two school districts, the Laredo Independent School District and the

, and eight private schools serve Laredo. The Laredo Independent School District (LISD) serves the areas in central Laredo. The LISD high schools are Cigarroa High School, Martin High School,

J. W. Nixon High School Joseph W. Nixon High School is a public high school located in South Texas. It was built in 1964 as the second high school in Laredo, Texas. The original high school in Laredo is Raymond & Tirza Martin High School, previously known as Lared ...

and the Laredo Early College High School. LISD also has three magnet schools: Dr. Dennis D. Cantu Health Science Magnet School, LISD Magnet for Engineering and Technology Education, and

Vidal M. Trevino School of Communications and Fine Arts The Vidal M. Treviño School of Communications and Fine Arts is a fine arts and communications high school in Laredo, Texas, founded in 1993 by Vidal M. Treviño, the LISD superintendent and a former member of the Texas House of Representatives ...

. The United Independent School District serves the rest of Laredo and northern Webb County. The UISD high schools are

John B. Alexander High School John B. Alexander High School is a secondary school in Laredo, Texas, United States and a part of the United Independent School District. The mascot for Alexander High School is a Bulldog. The high school was established in 1994 to alleviate over ...

, Lyndon B. Johnson High School Laredo Early College High School, United High School, and

United South High School United South High School is a high school located in the southern portion of Laredo, Texas and is a part of the United Independent School District. It consists of over 40 school organizations, and is home to mostly students with a Hispanic ethnic ...

. UISD has three magnet schools: John B. Alexander Health Science Magnet, United Engineering Magnet, and the United South Business Magnet. There are thirty-nine schools within UISD and more are under construction or development. United ISD is one of the state's fastest growing districts, serving almost forty thousand students and covering an area the physical size of Rhode Island. Former parochial school building in Laredo, TX IMG 1771

Former parochial school building in Laredo, TX IMG 1771

Several private schools also serve the city: * Saint Augustine High School,

Catholic school Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syste ...

, 9th–12th * Laredo Christian Academy,

Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...

, Grades PK–12th * United Day School, PK–8th * Mary Help of Christians School, Catholic school, PK–8th * Blessed Sacrament School, Catholic school, PK–7th * Our Lady of Guadalupe School, Catholic school, PK–6th * St. Peter Memorial School, Catholic school, PK–6th * Saint Augustine School, Catholic school, now elementary and middle, PK–8th, established 1928, enrollment 485 (2008) The city also has several charter schools, including: *

Gateway Academy Gateway Academy may refer to: * Gateway Academy (Laredo, Texas), a charter high school in Laredo, Texas, United States * Gateway Academy, Scottsdale, a private special school in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States See also * Gateway (disambiguation ...

K–12

Colleges and universities

Laredo is home to Laredo College and Texas A&M International University (TAMIU). The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio has a campus in Laredo. Laredo College is a two-campus institution which offers two-year

Associate's An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The f ...

degrees. The main campus is at the western end of downtown Laredo near the

, on the site of the former Fort McIntosh. This fort played a major role in the development of Laredo, as it protected the community from Indian raids in its early history. Several of the old buildings at the fort were converted into classrooms, but after renovation programs nearly all of the campus structures are now modern. The smaller, newer second campus,

Laredo College South Campus Laredo may refer to: Places * Laredo, Cantabria, the original Spanish town with this name * Laredo District, La Libertad, Peru United States and Mexico * Laredo–Nuevo Laredo, a bi-national metropolitan area ** Laredo, Texas *** Downtown La ...

, is in south Laredo along U. S. Route 83. TA&MIU

The Texas A&M International University is a 4/6-year university that offers

bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...

and master's degrees. On April 22, 2004, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in Austin, Texas approved Texas A&M International University to grant its first PhD in International Business Administration. TAMIU's College of Business Administration has been named an outstanding business school in ''The Princeton Review's'' "Best 282 Business Schools", 2007 Edition, and ranked third in the nation for the category: "Greatest Opportunity for Minority Students." The university's campus is in Northeast Laredo along Loop 20. The university was an extension of Texas A&I-Kingsville and later the former Laredo State University. Prior to its current location along Bob Bullock Loop 20, the university was housed with the Laredo College downtown campus. The University of Texas Health Science Center campus is in East Laredo near

U.S. Highway 59 U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA superhighway, NAFTA ...

and the Laredo Medical Center. The campus is an extension university from UTHSC in San Antonio, Texas. The university offers doctoral degrees in the medical and dental fields.

Media

Newspapers

Television

According to Nielsen Media Research, the Laredo region (which includes Webb and Zapata counties) is ranked 185th market by population size in the United States. The first station to broadcast in Laredo was

KGNS KGNS-TV (channel 8) is a television station in Laredo, Texas, United States, affiliated with NBC and ABC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power dual CBS/ CW+ affiliate KYLX-LD (channel 13) and Telemundo affiliate KXNU-LD (channel ...

in 1956, followed by KVTV in 1973, then KJTB (now KLDO) in 1985. The only notable television network missing from Laredo's airwaves is PBS. Laredo had a full-power local The CW affiliate, KGNS-DT2, but on July 3, 2014, the affiliation switched to

. Prior to that KJTB channel 27, from January 1985 to October 1988 was Laredo's ABC affiliate. KJTB was later bought by Entravision and affiliated the station to Telemundo and changed its callsign to KLDO. Today KLDO is affiliated to Univision. Before KJTB,

, an NBC affiliate had a secondary affiliation to ABC from its founding in 1956 through KJTB's founding in 1985. On November 6, 2013, KGNS reached an agreement to add the ABC affiliation. The ABC affiliate launched in July 2014 when KGNS dropped The CW programming and added ABC programming. In October 2015 KVTV now KYLX started broadcasting The CW Programming on its digital subchannel 13.2. In December 2014, all Nuevo Laredo stations turned off

analog television Analog television is the original television technology that uses analog signals to transmit video and audio. In an analog television broadcast, the brightness, colors and sound are represented by amplitude, instantaneous phase and frequency, ...

broadcasting and started broadcasting digitally only.

Radio

According to

Arbitron Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron) is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio broadcasting audiences. It was founded as the American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by mergin ...

, the Laredo region (which includes

Jim Hogg James Stephen "Jim" Hogg (March 24, 1851March 3, 1906) was an American lawyer and statesman, and the 20th Governor of Texas. He was born near Rusk, Texas. Hogg was a follower of the conservative New South Creed which became popular following ...

, Webb, and Zapata counties) is ranked 191st market by population size.

AM radio

=Long range AM stations

= The following Clear Channel AM stations can be heard in Laredo:

FM radio

^PR:Suspected pirate radio stations since they are not licensed with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States or COFETEL in Mexico. Some pirate stations are suspected, due to the fact other licensed stations nearby share the same frequency, such as 106.5 Radio Voz and

KMAE KMAE (106.5 FM) was an American commercial radio station licensed in 2010 to serve the community of Bruni, Texas. The station's broadcast license was held by accordion player and Christian evangelist Paulino D. Bernal Sr. of McAllen, Texas. ...

from nearby Bruni, Texas and 103.3 Radio 33 and XHAHU-FM from nearby Anáhuac, Nuevo León, each city less than 50 miles from Laredo.

Infrastructure

Health care

In addition to the University of Texas Health Science Center branch, there are five other principal medical centers in Laredo: the Laredo Medical Center, Doctor's Hospital, Gateway Community Health Center, Providence Surgical & Medical Center, and the Laredo Specialty Hospital. Doctors Hospital is Laredo's second-largest medical center. The hospital complex is over , with 180 licensed beds on a campus. Affiliated with

Universal Health Services Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS) is an American Fortune 500 company that provides hospital and healthcare services, based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. In 2021, its annual revenues were $12.6 billion. Company history Alan B. Miller, ...

, it is on Loop 20 in north Laredo. The Doctors Regional Cancer Treatment Center offers comprehensive cancer services. The Providence Surgical & Medical Center is an ambulatory health care center in north-central Laredo and also owned by Universal Health Services. The Gateway Community Health Center is the third-largest medical center in Laredo. The health center's main building is . The Medical center moved to its new $11,000,000 building in 2006. The main Gateway Community Health Center is in East Laredo, close to

. It also has three branches in the Laredo area: the South Clinic, El Cenizo Community Center, and Quad City Community Center. Gateway Community Health Center services include: The Laredo Specialty Hospital is the fourth-largest medical center in Laredo. It is owned by Ernest Health Inc. and was founded by Elmo Lopez Jr. on May 22, 2006. It admitted its first patient within hours of operation. The grand opening took place in March 2007.

Transportation

In 2016, 82.3 percent of working Laredo residents commuted by driving alone, 10.2 percent carpooled, 0.9 percent used public transportation, and 1.9 percent walked. About 2 percent of working Laredo residents commuted by all other means, including taxi, bicycle, and motorcycles. About 2.6 percent worked at home. In 2015, 6.5 percent of city of Laredo households were without a car, which decreased slightly to 5.9 percent in 2016. The national average was 8.7 percent in 2016. Laredo averaged 1.85 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8 per household.

Air

Laredo is served by the

. Daily flights are available to Houston ( George Bush Intercontinental Airport) and to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Tri-weekly flights to Las Vegas, Nevada are available. After Laredo Air Force Base closed in the mid-1970s, the federal government handed over the old air force base and property to the City of Laredo for a new municipal airport. From the mid-1970s until the mid-1990s, the airport used a small terminal for passenger airline service and several old hangars for air cargo and private aircraft. A new state-of-the art passenger terminal was built along the then newly constructed Loop 20 to accommodate larger jets and to increase passenger air travel through Laredo. Expansion of air cargo facilities, taxiways and aprons, air cargo carriers such as DHL, FedEx, UPS, BAX, and others have responded by adding commercial air cargo jet services. Laredo also has two medical

helipad A helipad is a landing area or platform for helicopters and powered lift aircraft. While helicopters and powered lift aircraft are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard s ...

s, at Laredo Medical Center and Doctor's Hospital.

Mass transit

El Metro is the public transit system that operates in the city with 21 fixed routes and Paratransit services, with approximately 4.6 million passengers per year. El Metro works with a fleet of over 47 fixed route buses, 2 trolleys and 18 Paratransit/El Lift vans. The El Metro hub is in downtown Laredo at El Metro Transit Center. The center also houses

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. (commonly known as simply Greyhound) operates the largest intercity bus service in North America, including Greyhound Mexico. It also operates charter bus services, Amtrak Thruway services, commuter bus services, and pac ...

and provides fee-based daily parking for downtown shoppers and workers.

Rural transit

Rural transportation is provided by the Webb County operated "El Aguila Rural Transportation" (the Eagle) bus services. El Aguila serves fixed daily routes from rural communities (

Bruni Bruni can refer to: * Bruni (surname) * Bruni, Texas * Bruni (horse), an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse * Bruni Olympic .380 BBM blank firing revolver See also * Bruno (disambiguation) Bruno may refer to: People and fictional characters * ...

, El Cenizo, Mirando City, Oilton, and

Rio Bravo Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

) to the downtown El Metro Transit Center.

International bridges

* Gateway to the Americas International Bridge * Juárez-Lincoln International Bridge * World Trade International Bridge (commercial traffic only) * Colombia-Solidarity International Bridge * Texas-Mexican Railway International Bridge

Major highways

Major highways in Laredo and their starting and ending points: * I-35 (TX)

Interstate 35 Laredo- Duluth * I-69W (TX)

Interstate 69W Interstate 69W (I-69W) is a relatively short north–south Interstate Highway running through South Texas in the United States. The freeway begins northeast of the middle of World Trade International Bridge in Laredo and ends at I-35. In ...

Laredo- Victoria following I-69 to Port Huron * I-2 (Future)

Interstate 2 is proposed to be extended to Laredo following US 83. If it is extended, I-2's terminus would be I-69W. It would also serve as the southern end of I-35. * US 59

Laredo- Lancaster. Included on the I-69W corridor. * US 83

U.S. Highway 83 U.S. Route 83 (US 83) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that extends in the central United States. Only four other north–south routes are longer: US 1, US 41, US 59, and US 87, while US ...

Brownsville-Laredo- Westhope * Texas 255

State Highway 255 Laredo-

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

State Highway 359 Laredo-

Skidmore Skidmore may refer to: Places United States * Skidmore, Kansas * Skidmore, Maryland * Skidmore, Michigan * Skidmore, Missouri * Skidmore, Texas * Skidmore, West Virginia * Skidmore Fountain, a public fountain in Portland, Oregon Other uses * Sk ...

State Loop 20 Loop around Laredo * Texas FM 1472

Farm to Market Road 1472 Farm to Market Road 1472 (FM 1472) is a farm-to-market road in the U.S. state of Texas that connects the industrial area of Laredo to the Laredo–Colombia Solidarity International Bridge, and then runs roughly parallel to the Rio Grande i ...

Laredo –

Colombia Solidarity International Bridge Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Carib ...

Major highways in Nuevo Laredo and their starting and ending points: * Carretera federal 85

Mexican Federal Highway 85 Nuevo Laredo- Mexico City * Carretera federal 2

Mexican Federal Highway 2 Matamoros-Nuevo Laredo-Colombia-

Ciudad Acuña Ciudad Acuña, also known simply as Acuña, (originally Garza Galán, later Villa Acuña) is a city located in the Mexican state of Coahuila, at and a mean height above sea level of . It stands on the Rio Grande (locally known as the Río Br ...

Tamaulipas State Highway 1 Tamaulipas State Highway 1 ( ''TAL 1'' ) is a highway that runs from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas Mexico west to Nuevo Leon State Highway 1 ( ''NL 1'' ) on the Nuevo Leon / Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tama ...

Nuevo Laredo-

Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...

Nuevo León State Highway Spur 1 Nuevo Leon State Highway 1 Spur ( ''NL 1'' )is a connector road that connects the Colombia, Nuevo Leon area with NL 1. Before its construction travelers / commercial traffic from the Colombia-Solidarity International Bridge had to travel south ...

Colombia- Anáhuac

Notable people

Born in Laredo

Pedro "Pete" Astudillo Pedro Astudillo (born December 1, 1963) is an American singer and songwriter. He was a backup vocalist for Selena y Los Dinos and has released several albums as a solo artist. Early life Astudillo was born on December 1, 1963, in Laredo, Texas, ...

, composer * David Barkley-Cantu, first Mexican-American to be awarded the Medal of Honor *

Freddie Benavides Alfredo Benavides (born April 7, 1966) is an American former Major League Baseball infielder. Benavides is now a coach with the Cincinnati Reds. Career Benavides was born in Laredo, Texas. He is of Mexican-American descent. He attended Texas Chr ...

, former professional baseball player *

Santos Benavides Santos Benavides (November 1, 1823 – November 9, 1891) was a Confederate colonel during the American Civil War. Benavides was the highest-ranking Tejano soldier in the Confederate military. Biography Benavides was born in Laredo, a des ...

, Confederate States of America colonel * Louis H. Bruni (born 1949), businessman; former Webb County county judge and former member of the Laredo City Council *

Esther Buckley Esther Gonzalez-Arroyo Buckley (March 29, 1948 – February 11, 2013) was an educator in Laredo, Texas, USA, who from 1983 to 1992 was one of the eight members of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. She was appointed to the board by ...

(1948–2013), member of the United States Commission on Civil Rights from 1983 to 1992; Laredo educator *

Kaleb Canales Victor Kaleb Canales (born July 7, 1978) is an American basketball coach who last served as assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Early career Born in Laredo, Texas, Canales is a graduate of John ...

(born 1978), assistant coach of the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

of the National Basketball Association * Quico Canseco, Republican

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

representing

Texas's 23rd congressional district Texas's 23rd congressional district stretches across the southwestern portion of Texas. It is a majority Hispanic district and has been represented by Republican Tony Gonzales since 2021. Election results from statewide races The 23rd distr ...

from 2010 to 2012 * Orlando Canizales, professional

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

, Career W 50 L 5 D 1 * Jose Antonio Montanez, former member of Menudo * Francisco G. Cigarroa, chancellor of

University of Texas System The University of Texas System (UT System) is an American government entity of the state of Texas that includes 13 higher educational institutions throughout the state including eight universities and five independent health institutions. The UT& ...

Henry R. Cuellar Enrique Roberto Cuellar (born September 19, 1955) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he is considered one of the most conservative representatives in the D ...

, Democrat

from

Texas's 28th congressional district Texas's 28th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives covers a strip in deep south Texas starting in the eastern outskirts of San Antonio, and ending at the U.S.–Mexico border. Towns entirely or partially within thi ...

since 2005, former Texas Secretary of State (2001) and

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

(1987–2001) *

Tony Dalton Álvaro Luis Bernat Dalton (born February 13, 1975), known professionally as Tony Dalton, is a Mexican-American actor and screenwriter. For much of his career, he acted in Mexican films, television shows, and stage plays. He is best known in the ...

, actor and screenwriter *

Elizabeth De Razzo Elizabeth De Razzo is an American actress. She is best known for her recurring role as Maria in the sports comedy television series '' Eastbound & Down''. Career Her first on-screen appearance was a role as Shirley in the episode "The Promise" ...

(born 1980), actress * Tom DeLay, former

for

Texas's 22nd congressional district Texas's 22nd congressional district of the United States House of Representatives covers a largely suburban south-central portion of the metropolitan area. The district includes the majority of Fort Bend County, including most of the cities of ...

, former

House Majority Leader Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are ele ...

, Republican from Sugar Land, Texas *

Ramón H. Dovalina Ramón Humberto Dovalina (born July 13, 1943), is the retired fifth president of Laredo Community College, a two-year institution with the main campus on the grounds of historic Fort McIntosh on the Rio Grande in his native Laredo in Webb County ...

(born 1943), educator; president of Laredo Community College from 1995 to 2007 *

Elma Salinas Ender Elma Teresa Ender ( Salinas; born August 11, 1953) is an American attorney, who was the youngest woman and the first Hispanic female to serve as a state district court judge in the U.S. state of Texas. In 1983, she was appointed by then Gove ...

(born 1953), first Hispanic woman state court judge in Texas; served on the 341st District Court from 1983 until her retirement in 2012 *

Audrey Esparza Audrey Esparza (born March 4, 1986) is an American actress best known for her role as FBI agent Tasha Zapata on the American television series '' Blindspot'', and more recently as Liliana on ''Power'' and its spin-off, '' Power Book IV: Force''. ...

(born 1986), actress *

Megan Frazee Megan Frazee Leuzinger (born March 29, 1987) is a professional American basketball player. Frazee graduated from Liberty University and played briefly in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She most recently played for Samsun of ...

(born 1987), women's professional basketball player, (2009–) *

(born 1944), first woman mayor of Laredo, 1998–2006 * Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (born 1973), film and television director *

Armando Hinojosa Armando Garcia Hinojosa (born 1944) is an artist and educator from Laredo, Texas, who is known for some half dozen major pieces of sculpture, including the massive Tejano Monument on the south lawn of the Texas State Capitol in Austin. Th ...

(born 1944), sculptor, designed Tejano Monument in

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

and "Among Friends There Are No Borders" at the

Jovita Idar Jovita Idar Vivero (September 7, 1885 – June 15, 1946) was an American journalist, teacher, political activist, and civil rights worker who championed the cause of Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants. Against the backdrop of the Mex ...

(1885–1946), was a Mexican-American journalist, political activist and civil rights worker, who fought for the rights of Mexican Americans and women * John King, Professional baseball pitcher for The Texas Rangers * Rodney Lewis (born 1954), oil and natural gas industrialist based in San Antonio *

Sebastián Ligarde Sebastián Ligarde (; born January 26, 1954) is a Mexican-American actor and acting coach best known for his work in telenovelas and the big screen. In his four decade career he has appeared in more than 25 TV shows and over 90 films - most of th ...

(born 1954), actor *

Thomas C. Mann Thomas Clifton Mann (November 11, 1912 – January 23, 1999) was an American diplomat who specialized in Latin American affairs. He entered the U.S. Department of State in 1942 and quickly rose through the ranks to become an influential es ...

(1912–1999), Pointman for Latin America policy for President

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

. Instrumental in the

1964 Brazilian coup d'état The 1964 Brazilian coup d'état ( pt, Golpe de estado no Brasil em 1964), colloquially known in Brazil as the Coup of 64 ('), was a series of events in Brazil from March 31 to April 1 that led to the overthrow of President João Goulart by membe ...

in the United States occupation of the Dominican Republic; Former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico; former U.S. Ambassador to

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

* Jose C. "Pepe" Martin Jr. (1913–1998), mayor of Laredo from 1954 to 1978; convicted federal felon popularly known as ''el patron'' * César A. Martínez (born 1944), artist, prominent in the Chicano world of art * Alicia Dickerson Montemayor, Democratic political activist and educator * Amado Maurilio Peña Jr. (born 1943), American visual artist and art educator * Federico Peña, former mayor of Denver, former U.S.

Secretary of Transportation A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a wh ...

, and former U.S. Secretary of Energy,

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

William Merriweather Peña William Merriweather Peña (February 10, 1919 – February 10, 2018) was an American architect and partner of Caudill Rowlett Scott. He is known for being a leading proponent in the area of architectural programming. A U.S. Army veteran from Worl ...

(1919–2018), architect *

Roel Ramírez Roel Octavio Ramírez (born May 26, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League. The Tampa Bay Rays selected him in the eighth round of the 2013 MLB draft. He has previously played in Major Le ...

(born 1995), professional baseball player * Ana Rodriguez, Miss USA finalist, finished third runner up, 2011 * Johnny Rodriguez, Tex-Mex Country singer *

(born 1951), mayor of Laredo since November 12, 2014; former trustee of Laredo Community College and Laredo lawyer *

Poncho Sanchez Poncho Sánchez (born Filoberto Sanchez, October 30, 1951) is an American ''conguero'' (conga player), Latin jazz band leader, and salsa singer. In 2000, he and his ensemble won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album for their work on the C ...

(born 1951), conga player, Latin jazz bandmaster & salsa singer * Antonio R. "Tony" Sanchez Jr., oilman and banker, 2002 Democratic nominee for

governor of Texas The governor of Texas heads the state government of Texas. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branch of the state government and is the commander in chief of the Texas Military. The current governor is Greg Abbott, who ...

, lost to

Rick Perry James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 and as the 47th governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015. Perry also ran unsuccessfully for the Republica ...

; first major party Latino nominee for

Governor of Texas The governor of Texas heads the state government of Texas. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branch of the state government and is the commander in chief of the Texas Military. The current governor is Greg Abbott, who ...

* José Silva, parapsychologist *

Edgar Valdez Villarreal Edgar Valdez Villarreal (born August 11, 1973), also known as La Barbie ("The Barbie"), is a Mexican-American former drug lord and high-ranking lieutenant of the now-disbanded Beltrán Leyva Cartel. Valdez is serving a 49-year prison sentence ...

(born 1973), nicknamed ''La Barbie'', Mexican-American

drug lord A drug lord, drug baron, kingpin or narcotrafficker is a high-ranking crime boss who controls a sizable network of people involved in the illegal drug trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they are normally not directly ...

and former leader of

Los Negros Los Negros ('The Black Ones') was a criminal organization that was once the armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel and after a switch of alliances, became the armed wing of the Sinaloa splinter gang, the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel. In 2010 it went indepe ...

Peggy Webber Peggy may refer to: People * Peggy (given name), people with the given name or nickname Arts and entertainment * ''Peggy'' (musical), a 1911 musical comedy by Stuart and Bovill * ''Peggy'' (album), a 1977 Peggy Lee album * ''Peggy'' (1916 ...

(born 1925), actress * Jack Wheeler (1944–2010), co-founder of the

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc. (VVMF), is the non-profit organization established on April 27, 1979, by Jan Scruggs, a former Army Infantry in Vietnam. Others veterans joined including, Jack Wheeler, and several other graduates of Wes ...

; aide to U.S. Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush * Judith Zaffirini (born 1946), First Latina elected to the Texas State Senate; Has served since 1987 * Carla Gonzalez (born 2001), professional wrestler known as Rok-C and Roxanne Perez

Other notable people

* Steve Asmussen (born 1965), horse breeder who won three legs of the Triple Crown *

Norma Elia Cantú Norma Elia Cantú (born January 3, 1947) is a Chicana postmodernist writer and the Murchison Professor in the Humanities at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Early life and education She was born in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, to ...

(born 1947),

Chicana Chicano or Chicana is a chosen identity for many Mexican Americans in the United States. The label ''Chicano'' is sometimes used interchangeably with ''Mexican American'', although the terms have different meanings. While Mexican-American iden ...

postmodernist writer and a professor of English at the University of Texas at San Antonio * Thomas Haden Church, actor in film '' Sideways'' and sitcom '' Wings'' *

Edmund J. Davis Edmund Jackson Davis (October 2, 1827 – February 24, 1883) was an American lawyer, soldier, and politician. Davis was a Southern Unionist and a general in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He also served as the 14th Governor of T ...

(1827–1883),

from 1869 to 1873; resided in Laredo during parts of the 1850s * Ned Kock, information systems professor affiliated with Texas A&M International University *

Jack Lanza John Mortl Lanzo (October 14, 1935 – December 8, 2021) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Blackjack Lanza. Along with his long-term tag team partner, Blackjack Mulligan, Lanza was one-half of The Blackjacks: " ...

, ex-professional wrestler, now WWE producer * Rafael A. Lecuona (1928–2014), Cuban-born former Olympic gymnast and retired Texas A&M International University political science professor *

Juan L. Maldonado Juan Leandro Maldonado (November 28, 1948 – December 16, 2018) was a higher education administrator who served as the sixth president of Laredo Community College (since named Laredo College) in Laredo in Webb County in South Texas, USA. In ...

(born 1948), sixth president of Laredo Community College * Saul N. Ramirez Jr., mayor of Laredo from 1990 to 1998 * Richard Peña Raymond, state representative from Webb County since 2001; previously represented Duval County *

Jerry D. Thompson Jerry Don Thompson (born November 21, 1942) is Regents Professor of History at Texas A&M International University in Laredo, Texas. He is a prolific author of books on a variety of related topics, specializing in the American Civil War, the his ...

(born 1943), historian affiliated with Texas A&M International University *

Jeremy Vuolo Jeremy Joseph Vuolo (born September 5, 1987) is a former American soccer player for Major League Soccer, North American Soccer League and Finnish second tier Ykkönen. After marrying Jinger Duggar (one of the 19 Duggar children of ''19 Kids an ...

, (born 1987), is an American former soccer player for Major League Soccer and the North American Soccer League. He is a pastor and appears on the TLC (TV network) show "

Counting On ''Counting On'' (formerly ''Jill & Jessa: Counting On'') is an American reality television show that aired on the cable channel TLC from 2015-2020. A spin-off show of ''19 Kids and Counting'', it features the Duggar family: Jessa Seewald, Ji ...

". He is the husband of Jinger Duggar Vuolo (m. 2016) * Robert G. Whitehead (1916–2007), businessman/artist who marketed "Blue Star"

first-aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. It includes initial int ...

ointment A topical medication is a medication that is applied to a particular place on or in the body. Most often topical medication means application to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes to treat ailments via a large range of classes ...

Roger L. Worsley Roger Lewis Worsley (born March 22, 1937) is a retired college administrator, who from 1985 to 1995 was the president of Laredo Community College in Laredo, Texas. He also from 1996 to 2005 served as the chancellor of Southern Arkansas Universit ...

(born 1937), president of Laredo Community College, 1985 to 1995

Sister cities

During the month of July, Laredo sponsors the Laredo International Sister Cities Festival, which was founded in 2003. The festival is an international business, trade, tourism, and cultural expo. All of Laredo's sister cities are invited to participate. In 2004, the Laredo International Sister Cities Festival received the best overall Program award from the Sister Cities International. Laredo's sister cities are: *

Acámbaro Acámbaro is a city and municipality in the southeastern corner of the Mexican state of Guanajuato, on the banks of the Lerma River, and the oldest of the 46 municipalities of Guanajuato. Acámbaro was originally a Purépecha settlement which was ...

, Mexico (2004) *

Campeche Campeche (; yua, Kaampech ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Campeche ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Campeche), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in southeast Mexico, it is bordered by ...

, Mexico * Cerralvo, Mexico * Chenzhou, China (2001) * Ciénega de Flores, Mexico (1987) * Ciudad Valles, Mexico * La Cruz, Costa Rica * Cuernavaca, Mexico * General Escobedo, Mexico *

General Terán A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED On ...

, Mexico *

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

, Mexico * Guadalupe, Mexico (2000) *

Los Herreras Los Herreras is a municipality in the Mexican State of Nuevo León and also the name of its seat of government and main population center. Los Herreras is at 281 meters above sea level and is located in the east-central part of the state. Its coor ...

, Mexico *

Hutt Hutt can refer to: Places New Zealand * Hutt River (New Zealand), name after William Hutt (politician). ** Hutt Valley, an area inland from Wellington ** Hutt County, a former county in the Hutt Valley ** Lower Hutt ('Hutt City'), a territorial a ...

, New Zealand *

Jerez Jerez de la Frontera (), or simply Jerez (), is a Spanish city and municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, located midway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Cádiz Mountains. , the ...

, Mexico (1987) * Lampazos de Naranjo, Mexico (2000) * Laredo, Spain (1978) *

Lázaro Cárdenas Lázaro Cárdenas del Río (; 21 May 1895 – 19 October 1970) was a Mexican army officer and politician who served as president of Mexico from 1934 to 1940. Born in Jiquilpan, Michoacán, to a working-class family, Cárdenas joined the M ...

, Mexico * León, Mexico *

Mexticacán Mexticacán is a town and municipality in the Southern Zone of Los Altos Region of Jalisco. Mexticacán comes from the Nahuatl language and means "place where the temple for the worship of the moon". History Early history The first settlers of Mex ...

, Mexico (2002) *

Monclova Monclova (), is a city and the seat of the surrounding municipality of the same name in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila. According to the 2015 census, the city had 231,107 inhabitants. Its metropolitan area has 381,432 inhabitants and ...

, Mexico (2003) *

Montemorelos Montemorelos is a city and surrounding municipality of 60,829 inhabitants located in the Northern Mexican state of Nuevo León, in the valley of the Pilon River. It was named after José María Morelos. History In 1637, Governor Martín de Zaval ...

, Mexico *

Murray Bridge Murray Bridge may refer to. *Murray Bridge, South Australia, a city and locality *Rural City of Murray Bridge, a local government area in South Australia *Corporate Town of Murray Bridge, a former local government area in South Australia See also ...

, Australia (1984) * Nuevo Laredo, Mexico (1986) * Papantla, Mexico * San Antonio de Areco, Argentina * San Miguel de Allende, Mexico (2001) * Tainan, Taiwan * Tepatitlán de Morelos, Mexico * Tijuana, Mexico *

Tlahualilo Tlahualilo is one of the 39 municipalities of Durango, in north-western Mexico. The municipal seat lies at Tlahualilo de Zaragoza. The municipality covers an area of 3,709.8 km². As of 2010, the municipality had a total population of 22,244 ...

, Mexico (1988) * Tonalá, Mexico * Torreón, Mexico 2004) * Veracruz, Mexico (1992) * Wenzhou, China * Wuwei, China (2004) * Zixing, China (2002)

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

City of Laredo HomepageLaredo Chamber of CommerceLaredo Convention and Visitors BureauLaredo Development Foundation
*
Historic Photos from the Laredo Public Library
hosted by th
Portal to Texas History
{{authority control Cities in Webb County, Texas County seats in Texas Laredo–Nuevo Laredo Divided cities Mexico–United States border crossings Capitals of former nations Former colonial and territorial capitals in the United States Populated places established in 1755 1755 establishments in New Spain Cities in Texas Texas populated places on the Rio Grande