Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, on the north
shore of the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo), across from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. As of
the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 176,576. A July 1, 2002
Census estimate raised this number to 191,538.
The city is served by Laredo International Airport.
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 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 be part
of Mexico rather than the United States. However, the U.S. Military refused
the petition, and 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. The city is a major port of trade between
the United States and Mexico.
Geography
Laredo is located at 27°31'28" North, 99°29'26" West (27.524445,
-99.490593).
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 is water. The total area is 1.37% water.
Laredo is at the southern end of Interstate 35, which spans from Duluth,
Minnesota, to Laredo.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 176,576 people, 46,852 households, and
39,964 families residing in the city. The population density is 868.9/km²
(2,250.5/mi²). There are 50,319 housing units at an average density of
247.6/km² (641.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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. 94.13% of the
population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 46,852 households out of which 52.3% have children under the age
of 18 living with them, 62.0% are married couples living together, 18.7%
have a female householder with no husband present, and 14.7% are non-families.
12.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.2% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is
3.70 and the average family size is 4.05.
In the city the population is 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
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 27 years. For every 100
females there are 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 87.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $29,108, and the median
income for a family is $30,449. Males have a median income of $24,070 versus
$19,202 for females. The per capita income for the city is $11,084. 29.6% of
the population and 25.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the
total people living in poverty, 37.7% are under the age of 18 and 26.1% are
65 or older.
