Quick Facts

• Laredo, Texas, Webb County is located on the banks of the historic Rio Grande River in the southern part of Texas.
• Laredo was founded on May 15, 1755, when Captain Tomas Sanchez, together with three other families, was granted permission to settle north of the Rio Grande. It wasn’t until 1767 that it was officially designated as a villa and received the name of San Agustin de Laredo, after a town in Santander, Spain.
• Laredo is in the U.S. principal port of entry into Mexico, connecting IH-35 with the Pan American Highway, that stretches into Central and South America.
• Laredo is served by Interstate Highway 35, U.S. Highways 59 and 83, and Texas Highway 359.
• Laredo, Texas was selected All-American City in 1993 and was a semi-finalist in 2007.
• With a 16.1% decrease in the crime rate from 2009 to 2010, Laredo is one of the safest cities in Texas.
• Laredo has the distinction of having flown seven flags (the Flag of the Republic of the Rio Grande in addition to the six flags of Texas). They are symbolic of Laredo’s historic link to seven countries:
  1. France: 1685-1690
  2. Spain: 1519-1685, 1690-1821
  3. Mexico: 1821-1836
  4. Republic of the Rio Grande: January 1840 – Late Fall 1840
  5. Texas: 1836-1845
  6. Confederacy: 1861-1865
  7. United States of America: 1845-1861, 1865 – present
• Laredo was the capital of its own country for a short period of time — The Republic of the Rio Grande — from January 1840 to late fall of that same year. The capitol building still stands and serves as The Republic of the Rio Grande Museum.
• City Population: 215,484 (2006 Est.) Source: U.S. Census Bureau