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Cities Near Laredo, TX
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114 Acadia Loop
Laredo, TX (in city)
3 Bed, 2+ Bath
Home
1965 sq.ft.
Local city information for Laredo, TX
Laredo (
"luh-RAID-o" in English, in Spanish) is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande (
Río Bravo) in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2007 census estimate, the city population was 233,152. Laredo is part of the Laredo-Nuevo Laredo Metropolitan Area with an estimate population of 718,073. Laredo's economy is based on international trade with Mexico. It is the largest inland port in the United States. Most major transportation companies have a facility in Laredo. Laredo's location along the southern end of I-35 close to the manufacturers in North Mexico promotes its vital role in trade between the United States and Mexico.
Laredo has the distinction of flying seven flags (the Flag of the Republic of the Rio Grande in addition to the Six Flags of Texas). Founded in 1755, Laredo grew from a villa to the capital of the brief Republic of the Rio Grande to the largest inland port on the United States-Mexican Border. Today, it has four international bridges and one railway bridge. Laredo's weather is semi-arid during the summer and mild during the winter.
Laredo International Airport is within the Laredo city limits, while the Quetzalcoatl International Airport is nearby in Nuevo Laredo in Mexico. The city has three professional sports teams: the Bucks, Broncos, and Heat. Texas A&M International University and Laredo Community College call Laredo home. The biggest festival, Washington's Birthday Celebration is held during February all month long, attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists. The Jalapeño Festival, Stockmen's Ball, Princess Pocahontas Pageant, Mr. South Texas Luncheon, an air show, and two major parades are all held in conjunction with the Washington birthday events.
Villa de San Agustin de Laredo was founded in 1755 by Don Tomás Sánchez while the area was part of the Nuevo Santander region in the Spanish colony of New Spain. Villa de San Agustin de Laredo got its name from Laredo, Cantabria, Spain and in honor of Saint Augustine of Hippo. In 1840, Laredo was the capital of the independent Republic of the Rio Grande, set up in opposition Antonio López de Santa Anna and 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 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. This petition was rejected, and the bulk of the population moved over the river into Mexican territory to found Nuevo Laredo. In 1849, the military set up
Fort McIntosh (originally
Camp Crawford). Laredo was rechartered as a city in 1852.
Laredo is one of the oldest border crossing points along the U.S.-Mexico border, and the nation's largest inland port of entry. In 2005, Laredo celebrated the 250th anniversary of its founding.
The origin of name of the original Spanish town of Laredo is unclear. Some scholars say the name stems from
Glaretum which means "sandy, rocky place" others state that Laredo stems from a Basque word meaning "beautiful pastures". Laredo might also stem from the latin
Larida which means gull.
From 1965-1967, NBC aired a western television series called
Laredo, with the actors Philip Carey, William Smith, Peter Brown, and Neville Brand. A spinoff of
The Virginian,
Laredo focuses on Texas Rangers in the border country. In 1958, ABC aired the episode "Ambush in Laredo" of the miniseries,
Texas John Slaughter starring Tom Tryon, with Chris Alcaide and Judson Pratt, broadcast as part of
Walt Disney Presents.
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