Laredo, Texas

Laredo redirects here. For the city in Spain, see Laredo, Cantabria.

The city is served by Laredo International Airport.

The city's main newspaper is the Laredo Morning Times

History

The town of Laredo was founded in 1755 while the area was part of a region called Nuevo Santander in the Spanish colony of New Spain. In 1840 Laredo was the capital of the independent Republic of the Rio Grande, set up in rebellion to the dictatorship of 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 overwhelmingly to petition the American military government in charge of the area to return the town to Mexico. However, this petition was rejected, and in response the bulk of the population moved over the river into Mexican territory to found the new town of Nuevo Laredo. In 1849 the military set up Fort McIntosh (originally Camp Crawford) by the town. 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 busiest inland port. In 2005, Laredo celebrated the 250th anniversary of its founding.

Geography

Laredo is located at (27.524445, -99.490593). This is 130 miles (209 km) west of Corpus Christi and 144 miles (232 km) southwest of San Antonio.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 206.0 km² (79.6 mi²). 203.2 km² (78.5 mi²) of it is land and 2.8 km² (1.1 mi²) of it (1.37%) is water.

Laredo is at the southern end of Interstate 35, which spans from Duluth, Minnesota, to Laredo.

Also according to the United States Census Bureau, at a 2000 census, Laredo is the second fastest growing city in the United States, (Las Vegas, Nevada, being the first).

A notable geographic feature is Lake Casa Blanca in Lake Casa Blanca International State Park. The city's lake consists of 371 land acres and 1650 lake surface acres. It is located on the east part of the city in Webb County. The park was operated jointly by the City of Laredo and Webb County before it was acquired by the state in 1990 and opened in March 1991.

Climate

Laredo typically experiences an average high temperature of about 99.0 (37.2), and an average low of about 73.9 (23.3). Laredo constantly undergoes droughts, which has resulted in a water conservation ordnance implemented in 2003.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 176,576 people, 46,852 households, and 39,964 families residing in the city. The population density was 868.9/km² (2,250.5/mi²). There were 50,319 housing units at an average density of 247.6/km² (641.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.27% White, 0.37% African American, 0.44% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 13.94% from other races, and 2.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino accounts for 94.13% of the population in terms of ethnicity.

There were 46,852 households out of which 52.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% were married couples living together, 18.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.7% were non-families. 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 3.70 and the average family size was 4.05.

In the city the population was spread out with 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 $9,108, and the median income for a family was $12,449. Males had a median income of $4,070 versus $1,202 for females. The per capita income for the city was $1,084. 29.6% of the population and 25.2% of families were below the poverty line. 97.7% of those under the age of 18 and 86.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Family income has steadily increased over the years. In 1970, the median family income was $4,213 and progressively increased to $18,395 by 1990. In 1995 the Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated Laredo's median family income at $24,200.

People and culture

Annual festivals

The Washington's Birthday Celebration (WBCA)^* is an almost month long held event that celebrates George Washington's Birthday. It was founded in 1898 by the Improved Order of the Red Men, local chapter Yaqui Tribe #59. It is the largest celebration of its kind in the United States with approximately 400,000 attendees annually. The first celebration was a phenomenal success and it's success and popularity grew rapidly and in 1923 it received its state charter. In 1924, the Celebration featured its first Colonial Pageant, which featured thirteen young girls from Laredo, representing the thirteen original colonies. The celebration includes parades, a carnival, an air show, fireworks, live concerts and many other fun and exciting events for every member of the family. One of its main events, the Jalapeno Festival, has recently been named one of the United States' top 10 eating festivals due to its Jalapeno Eating Contest. The WBCA has become a Laredo institution, with its history closely tied to the history of the community.

Nightlife

The most vibrant area for Laredo Nightlife is in Del Mar Blvd, which has several bars and clubs. For the 18-24 demographic, the most frequented spot is Cosmos, which plays mainly hiphop music and Latin pop. Others such as 201 Lounge, Buddha and Club Tonic are also quite popular, all of which play mostly dance/club music. Agave Azul, located across the street from all of these bars, plays mostly club music and Latin pop as well as catering to the older demographic.

In Downtown Laredo, several clubs have also opened. Kush Lounge, located on Iturbide St., specializes in hip/hop and club music and is a popular place for dancing. Across the street is Objekt, an upscale "contemporary" bar that plays mainly Latin music. Next to Objekt is Fuse, which is a popular rock club that features many bands. Also on Iturbide street is a pub named Alma's Backyard.

Other notable nightspots are FBar(a small club/bar that specializes in dance music), The Cold Brew(a bar that plays mainly modern and classic rock), and Old No.2(a rock bar where bands perform, similar to Fuse).

Famous People born in Laredo, TX

Santos Benavides, Confederate colonel
Henry Cuellar, U.S. Representative from Texas' 28th District (Democrat-Laredo)
Tom DeLay, U.S Representative from Texas' 22nd District (Republican-Sugar Land)
Gustavo C. Garcia, attorney and activist
Thomas C. Mann, Former U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador
Amado Peña, American artist
Federico Peña, Former mayor of Denver, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Secretary of Energy
Poncho Sanchez, jazz band leader
Tony Sanchez, Oil exploration and Business, 2002 candidate for Texas Governor
José Silva, Parapsychologist

Sports

Laredo is home to the Laredo Bucks hockey team, which plays at the LEC Laredo Entertainment Center. The Laredo Bucks are part of the Southeast Division of the CHL (Central Hockey League) and first started in the 2002-2003 season.

They were awarded Franchise of the Year in their first year of operation. The Laredo Bucks are the 2003-2004 and the 2005-2006 Central Hockey League President's Cup Champions as well as the 2003-04 Governors’ Cup Regular Season Champions. They have made the playoffs since the first year in play and have been the Southeast Division Champions the last 3 years.

The LEC also is host to the Laredo Lobos, an Intense Football League team. As well, the Laredo Broncos have brought back professional baseball to Laredo, playing its home games at Veterans Field, while its new state of the art baseball complex is built. The Laredo Heat Soccer Team, is heating up South Texas. They are participating in its first official year of action.