Laredo lives beside the Rio Grande, and the border defines it. About 95 percent of residents are Hispanic or Latino, most households speak both Spanish and English, and a huge share of the trade between the US and Mexico rolls through here, so I-35 is thick with trucks. Locals call it the Gateway City, and the Seven Flags nickname points to a settlement that dates back to 1755.
Visitors wander San Agustin Plaza and the cathedral, stop at the Republic of the Rio Grande Museum, and shop and eat around the Mercado area. Lake Casa Blanca is the outdoor break. The big event is the Washington's Birthday Celebration in February and March, jalapeno festival included. Living here is affordable, among the cheaper large Texas markets, but summers stay above 100 F for months. Crossing into Nuevo Laredo is a separate decision, since the State Department advises reconsidering travel to Tamaulipas, so check current advisories first. Routine highway checkpoints north of town are normal.
Cities with a similar character, anywhere on the site.
Out of 10. Open any score to see how it’s worked out. “Data-based” scores come from published figures; “Hey! En Route estimate” scores are worked out from what we know about the city; “Hey! En Route rating” scores were set by our editors.
- Known as
- Gateway City; Gateway to Mexico; City Under Seven Flags; City of Saints and Generals
- Founded
- 1755 settled; 1852 incorporated as a city
- Languages
- Spanish; English (about 95 percent of residents are Hispanic or Latino and most households are bilingual; about 87 percent speak a language other than English at home)
- Airports
- Laredo International Airport (LRD) in the city with limited commercial flights (mainly to Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston); Quetzalcoatl International (NLD) in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, across the border; San Antonio International (SAT) about 150 miles northeast; Monterrey (MTY) about 140 miles south
- Tipping
- Restaurants 15-20% for table service; bars $1-2 per drink; taxi and rideshare 10-15%; hotel housekeeping $2-5 per night; bellhop $1-2 per bag; gas station and grocery baggers small tips optional; on the Mexican side (if visiting Nuevo Laredo) 10-15% at restaurants and small change for services
About this data
Population: Census QuickFacts V2025 estimate (July 1, 2025). Metro: Laredo MSA (Webb County), July 1, 2025 estimate from FRED/Census, which is a stand-alone metro, not shared. Area, elevation, coordinates and history from Wikipedia. Home value and rent from ACS 2020-2024 via QuickFacts. Crime from AreaVibes summary of 2024 FBI data. Hotel rates, cost index, and daily budget are approximate estimates not verified with live data. The visitlaredo.com homepage was blocked from fetching by robots.txt, but its inner pages loaded; the /events/ URL is a best-guess path and was not confirmed
