Laredo, Texas
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Laredo, Texas | |||
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City of Laredo | |||
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Nickname(s): "The Gateway City" and "The City Under Seven Flags" | |||
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Coordinates: 27°31′28″N 99°29′26″W / 27.52444°N 99.49056°W | |||
Country | United States | ||
State | Texas | ||
County | Webb | ||
Metropolitan area | Laredo-Nuevo Laredo Metropolitan Area | ||
Settled | May 15, 1755 | ||
Settled as | Villa de San Agustín de Laredo | ||
Founded by | Tomás Sánchez | ||
Government | |||
• Type | Council-manager | ||
• City council | Mayor Pete Saenz (Democrat in nonpartisan position) Laredo City Council: (1) Rudy Gonzalez, Jr. (2) Vidal Rodriguez (3) Alejandro Perez, Jr. (4) Alberto Torres, Jr. (5) Nelly Vielma (6) Charlie San Miguel (7) George Altgelt (8) Roberto Balli [1] | ||
• City manager | Horacio De Leon (interim) | ||
• Police chief | Gabriel E. Martinez, Jr.[2] | ||
Area | |||
• City | 102.6 sq mi (265.7 km2) | ||
• Land | 101.1 sq mi (261.8 km2) | ||
• Water | 1.5 sq mi (3.9 km2) | ||
• Metro | 161.76 sq mi (418.96 km2) | ||
Elevation | 438 ft (137.2 m) | ||
Population (2012) | |||
• City | 244,731 (US: 80th) | ||
• Metro | 259,172 (US: 178th) | ||
• Demonym | Laredoan | ||
Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) | ||
• Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CST) | ||
ZIP code | 78040–78046, 78049 | ||
Area code | 956 | ||
FIPS code | 48-41464[3] | ||
GNIS feature ID | 1339633[4] | ||
Airport | Laredo International Airport KLRD (LRD) | ||
Interstates | ![]() ![]() | ||
U.S. Routes | ![]() ![]() | ||
Website | laredotexas.gov |
Laredo is a mid-sized city in southern Texas, United States established in the year 1755. Laredo has a population of 207,787. 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 of 575,585. The main sources of income for Laredo is international trade, followed by retail sales.
History[change | change source]
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.

Map of Laredo in 1892
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "Government". City of Laredo. City of Laredo. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
- ↑ Mikaela Rodriguez, "It's Chief Garner: UISD chief is new top cop at Laredo Police Department", Laredo Morning Times, March 19, 2013, p. 1, 11A
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.