page_title: Laredo, Texas
section_title: Economy
hierarchical_section_title: Laredo, Texas / Economy
caption_attribution_description: English: Picture of long-time BBQ restaurant in Laredo
context_page_description: Laredo is a city in and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Laredo has the distinction of flying seven flags. Founded in 1755, Laredo grew from a village to the capital of the brief Republic of the Rio Grande to the largest inland port on the Mexican border. Laredo's economy is based on international trade with Mexico. Many major transportation companies have a facility in Laredo. The city is on the southern end of I-35, which makes it close to the manufacturers in northern Mexico. It has four international bridges and one railway bridge.
  According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091, making it the 10th-most populous city in Texas and third-most populated on the Mexican border, after San Diego, California, and El Paso, Texas. Its metropolitan area is the 178th-largest in the
  U.S. and includes all of Webb County, with a population of 250,304. Laredo is also part of the cross-border Laredo–Nuevo Laredo Metropolitan Area with an estimated population of 636,516.
context_section_description: Laredo has four South Texas banking institutions: Falcon International Bank, International Bank of Commerce, BBVA Compass, and Texas Community Bank.
  Laredo is the largest inland port in the United States, and Nuevo Laredo the largest in Latin America. This is due to their respective locations, served by Interstate Highway 35 / Mexican Federal Highway 85, the effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), dozens of twin assembly plants on the Mexican side, and dozens of import export agencies to expedite trade. In January 2014, the Laredo customs district processed "$20 billion in two-way trade with Mexico", about half that for the entire US with Mexico for the month. Laredo is a shopping destination for Mexican shoppers from Northern Mexico. In 2015 the San Antonio Express-News reported the number of Mexican shoppers has declined due to drug war-related violence in Nuevo Laredo.
caption: The former Cotulla Barbeque on McPherson Road at Taylor Street was closed, razed in 2012, and replaced by office buildings.
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