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, TX, Center for the Arts IMG 7674.JPG
Laredo Center for the Arts in the downtown square
- Plaza Theater, downtown Laredo, TX IMG 7673.JPG
Though the facility has been closed since 1999, the marquee of the Plaza Theater in downtown Laredo has been renovated. A citizens committee sought without success to establish a private–public partnership to reopen the Plaza as a live-entertainment venue. In 2018, the city council sought private entities, nonprofit organizations, and an architect to make the facility useful again.
- Laredo-Nuevo Laredo Metropolitan Area.JPG
NASA satellite image of Laredo and Nuevo Laredo (2007)
- Walker Plaza off Interstate 35 in Laredo, TX IMG 1808.JPG
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
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- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities at line 38: bad argument #1 to 'ipairs' (table expected, got nil).
