Laredo, Texas
Laredo is a mid-sized city in southern Texas, United States established in the year 1755. Laredo has a population of 255,205. Hispanics make up 90% of the total population, and the city is largely Catholic. Laredo is a border city which is part of the bi-national metropolitan area of Laredo, Texas - Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico with a total population over 600,000. The main sources of income for Laredo is international trade, followed by retail sales.
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| Coordinates: 27°31′25″N 99°29′25″W / 27.52361°N 99.49028°WCoordinates: 27°31′25″N 99°29′25″W / 27.52361°N 99.49028°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Webb |
| Metropolitan area | Laredo–Nuevo Laredo Metropolitan Area |
| Founded | August 25, 1755 |
| Settled as | Villa de San Agustín de Laredo |
| Founded by | Tomás Sánchez |
| Named for | Laredo, Spain |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–manager |
| Area | |
| • City | 107.96 sq mi (279.61 km2) |
| • Land | 106.49 sq mi (275.81 km2) |
| • Water | 1.47 sq mi (3.80 km2) |
| • Metro | 161.76 sq mi (418.96 km2) |
| Elevation | 438 ft (137.2 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • City | 255,205 |
| • Density | 2,396.5/sq mi (925.3/km2) |
| • Urban | 251,462 (US: 162nd)[2] |
| • Urban density | 3,916.6/sq mi (1,512.2/km2) |
| • Metro | 267,114 (US: 187th) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CST) |
| ZIP Codes | 78040–78046, 78049 |
| FIPS code | 48-41464[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1339633[4] |
| Website | laredotexas.gov |
History
Laredo was founded by Don Tomas Sanchez under the name of Villa de San Agustin de Laredo in 1755 in a colony called Nuevo Santander in New Spain. Today, most of Nuevo Santander is part of Texas.
Laredo, Texas Media
Laredo Center for the Arts in the downtown square
NASA satellite image of Laredo and Nuevo Laredo (2007)
The Walker Plaza office complex in Laredo was built in the early 1990s by the family of South Texas rancher Gene S. Walker Sr.
Laredo Federal Credit Union on McPherson Road
The former Cotulla Barbeque on McPherson Road at Taylor Street was closed, razed in 2012, and replaced by office buildings.
View across the Rio Grande at Laredo, Texas (postcard, c. 1909)
References
- ↑ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ↑ "List of 2020 Census Urban Areas". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
- ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
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