Laredo-Nuevo Laredo
Transborder agglomeration
Nickname:  "Los Dos Laredos"[1]
Laredo Borderplex
Largest city	Laredo, Texas Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas
Other cities	Campanario Rio Bravo El Cenizo
Subdivisions	Texas Webb County Tamaulipas Nuevo Laredo Municipality Nuevo León Anáhuac Municipality Coahuila Hidalgo Municipality
Area
• Total	418.96 km2 (161.76 sq mi)
Population  (2010 official U.S. Census / INEGI Census)
• Total	636,516
• Estimate  (2010 World Gazetteer est.)	675,481
• Rank	157th in the Americas (2008)
• Density	3,643/km2 (1,407/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-6

Laredo–Nuevo Laredo (UN/LOCODE: USLRD & MXNLD) is one of six transborder agglomerations along the U.S.-Mexican border. The city of Laredo is situated in the U.S. state of Texas on the northern bank of the Rio Grande and Nuevo Laredo is located in the Mexican State of Tamaulipas in the southern bank of the river. This area is also known as the Two Laredos or the Laredo Borderplex. The area is made up of one county in the U.S (Webb County in Texas) and three municipalities in Mexico (Nuevo Laredo Municipality in Tamaulipas, Hidalgo Municipality in Coahuila, and Anáhuac Municipality in Nuevo León). Two urban areas (the Laredo Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Zona Metropolitana Nuevo Laredo [Nuevo Laredo Metropolitan Zone]), three cities, and 12 towns make the Laredo–Nuevo Laredo Metropolitan area. The two sides of the Borderplex are connected by four International Bridges and an International Railway Bridge. The Laredo–Nuevo Laredo Metropolitan area has a total of 636,516 inhabitants according to the INEGI Census of 2010^[2] and the United States Census estimate of 2010.^[3] According to World Gazetteer this urban agglomeration ranked 157th largest in North and South America in 2010 with an estimated population of 675,481. This area ranks 66th in the United States^[4] and 23rd in Mexico.^[5]

Populated Places

Laredo–Nuevo Laredo area is formed by the following populated places:

History

Map of Laredo in 1892

Villa de San Agustin de Laredo was founded in 1755 by Don Tomas Sanchez while the area was part of a region called Nuevo Santander 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 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.

The origin of name of Laredo is unclear. Some scholars say the name might stem from Glaretum which means "sandy, rocky place" others state that Laredo stems from Euskara and means "beautiful prairies".^[10][11] Laredo might also stem from Laridae which means gull or it might be made up of two Latin words lar which means home and edo which means birth.

Economy

The Laredo National Bank is one of the strongest banking institutions in Laredo, Texas

Retail Sales

Foggy morning at Mall Del Norte

Retail sales also helps the Laredo–Nuevo Laredo economy, it attracts shoppers from Northern Mexico and South Texas.^[14] The major mall is Mall del Norte. The Streets of Laredo Urban Mall is an association created by businesses located in Iturbide Street in the San Agustin historical district to beautify and renovate the area.^[15]

Media

Sports

Laredo is home to four semiprofessional sports teams. The Laredo Bucks are a Central Hockey League hockey team in the Southern Conference's Southeast Division. The Bucks have been the League's Champion twice in 2003 and 2005. The Laredo Heat is a Premier Development League soccer team in the Southern Conference's Mid South Division. Laredo are the current USL Premier Development League champions, having defeated 2006 champions Michigan Bucks in a penalty shootout, following a 0-0 draw in the 2007 championship game. The Laredo Broncos are a baseball team in the United League. Nuevo Laredo is home to the Mexican Soccer League's Second Division Bravos de Nuevo Laredo. Both Laredo were home to the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos which were the only Mexican Baseball League team to play in both the United States and Mexico. The Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos were the Mexican Baseball League Champions in 1953, 1954, 1958, 1977, and 1989. In 2008 the Tecolotes came back to Nuevo Laredo and they are known as the Tecolotres de Nuevo Laredo.

Gallery

See also

• San Diego–Tijuana
• El Paso-Juárez
• Reynosa–McAllen Metropolitan Area
• Matamoros–Brownsville Metropolitan Area
• List of Texas metropolitan areas
• United States metropolitan area
• List of United States metropolitan statistical areas by population
• Metropolitan areas of Mexico
• Transnational conurbations Mexico/USA

References

External links

• City of Laredo Official Website
• City of Nuevo Laredo Official Website (in Spanish)
• City of El Cenizo Official Website
• Webb County Official Website

27°30′01″N 99°30′10″W / 27.5002397°N 99.5027876°W / 27.5002397; -99.5027876