Founded as the first non-missionary, nonmilitary Spanish settlement in North America in 1755, Laredo (pop. 176,576) is surrounded by some of the oldest ranch lands in the United States. With a population that is about 90 percent Hispanic, the city is growing rapidly (more than doubling in the past 20 years) due to its position as the largest international trade center along the U.S.–Mexico border. The I-35 corridor feels as anonymous and fast-paced as anywhere in the United States, but the center of town still holds on to its historic personality.
At the heart of downtown Laredo, a block north of the Rio Grande, is the Villa de San Agustín Historical District, site of the original 1755 Spanish settlement of Villa de San Agustín. Numerous historic buildings surround the plaza, including a small stone building next to La Posada Hotel that served as the capitol of the short-lived Republic of the Rio Grande. It now houses a museum (closed Mon.; $1; 956/727-3480) containing a collection of memorabilia from the separatist movement of 1840.
Laredo and its Mexican neighbor, Nuevo Laredo, go crazy for several weeks in February and March in honor of George Washington’s Birthday, a tradition dating back to 1898. The annual party now spawns an array of parades, pageants, street parties, balls, concerts, fireworks, a carnival, jalapeño-eating contest and even an air show.
For food, there’s a good café and a more expensive Latin American restaurant, the Tack Room, inside the plaza’s stately La Posada Hotel ($100 and up; 956/722-1701). On the old US-83 route, just west of the I-35 freeway, the timeless La Reynera Bakery & Restaurant (956/722-6641), at 1819 San Bernardo Avenue, has been serving breakfast tacos (here called “margaritas”), plus pan dulce (sweet pastries) and lunch specials since 1928.
