Nuevo Laredo
Nuevo Laredo () is a city in the Municipality of Nuevo Laredo in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The city lies on the banks of the Rio Grande, across from Laredo, United States. The 2010 census population of the city was 373,725. Nuevo Laredo is part of the Laredo-Nuevo Laredo Metropolitan Area with a population of 636,516. The municipality has an area of . Both the city and the municipality rank as the third largest in the state. The city is connected to Laredo, United States by three international bridges and a rail bridge. The city is larger and  younger than its US counterpart. As an indication of its economic importance, one of Mexico's "banderas monumentales" is in the city (these "banderas" have been established in state capitals and cities of significance). History. Nuevo Laredo was part of the territory of the original settlement of Laredo (now in Texas) which was founded in 1755 by the Spaniard Don Tomás Sánchez in the northern part of the Rio Grande. The settlement's territory was granted to José de Escandón by the King of Spain, and the settlement's territory and population remained unified for ninety years, until the war  of 1846–1848, the Mexican–American War. Early in 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo divided the territory attached to Laredo between the United States (Texas) and Mexico (Tamaulipas). Nuevo Laredo was founded on June 15, 1848, by seventeen Laredo families who wished to remain Mexican and therefore moved to the Mexican side of the Rio Grande. They identified with Mexico, its history, and its cultural customs, and decided to keep their Mexican citizenship. The founders of Nuevo Laredo even took with them the bones of their ancestors so they would continue to rest in Mexican ground. A shortage of natural  gas led to blackouts in Texas and along the border during the February 13–17, 2021 North American winter storm. Millions on both sides of the border were left without gas or electricity, heat or running water. Factories and restaurants were forced to close, and people lost their jobs. Mayor Enrique Rivas Cuéllar called upon the population not to panic. Also, as of February 19, 2021, Nuevo Laredo reported 4,714 cases of COVID-19. Drug-related violence. As a border town, Nuevo Laredo is known for its turf war in which drug cartels compete for control of the drug trade into the  United States. Nuevo Laredo is a lucrative drug corridor because of the large volume of trucks that pass through the area, and the multiple exploitable ports of entry. Nuevo Laredo is the base of Los Zetas, originally the armed wing of the Gulf Cartel; the two organizations separated in early 2010 and have been fighting for the control of the smuggling routes to the United States. As of 2012, Los Zetas are thought to be Mexico's largest criminal organization. Drug violence involving the Sinaloa and Gulf Cartels escalated in 2003, when the city was controlled by the Gulf Cartel . 2012 saw an unprecedented series of mass murder attacks in the city between the Sinaloa Cartel and Gulf Cartel on one side and Los Zetas on the other. Geography. Nuevo Laredo is in the northern tip of Tamaulipas on the west end of the Rio Grande Plains. The Rio Grande is the only source that supplies its citizens with water. El Coyote Creek supplies Nuevo Laredo's only natural lake El Laguito (The Small Lake). The area consists of a few hills and flat land covered with grass, oak, and mesquite. Climate. Nuevo Laredo features a semi-arid climate. Nuevo  Laredo's weather is influenced by its proximity to the Chihuahuan Desert to the west, by the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains to the south and west, and by the Gulf of Mexico to the east. Much of the moisture from the Pacific is blocked by the Sierra Madre Oriental. Therefore, most of the moisture derives from the Gulf of Mexico. Its geographic location causes Nuevo Laredo's weather to range from long periods of heat to sudden violent storms in a short period of time. Nuevo Laredo is cold for Tamaulipas standards during winter, the average daytime highs are around  and overnight lows around ; although it is rare for snow to fall in Nuevo Laredo, there was actually snow on the ground for a few hours on the morning of Christmas Day 2004. Nuevo Laredo experiences an average high temperature of about , and an average low of about during summer, and of rain per year. As Laredo sometimes undergoes drought, a water conservation ordinance was implemented in 2003. Government. Nuevo Laredo is governed by an elected "Cabildo", which is composed of the "Presidente Municipal" (Municipal President or Mayor), two "Síndicos", and twenty "Regidores". The PAN is in control of the  city government. The Mayor is in charge of the municipal administration. The "Síndicos" supervise the municipal budget and expenditures, and the "Regidores" are elected by the party. Public safety. Public safety is provided by three municipal departments: (1) municipal police ("Dirección de Seguridad Ciudadana"), (2) traffic control ("Dirección de Seguridad Vial"), and (3) the emergency services department ("Dirección de Protección Civil, Bomberos y Desastres"). As well as the State Police Force Tamaulipas ("Fuerza Tamaulipas") replacing former Acreditable State Police ("Polícia Estatal Acreditable") Because of the drug-related violence, Federal level departments take part in the security effort, SEDENA Military Police  ("Polícia Military") Mexican Army Troops, SEMAR Mexican Navy Troops and Federal Police. Economy. Nuevo Laredo (along with Laredo, Texas) is the most important trade border crossing of Latin America (approximately 8500 trucks cross the border each day). Its geographical position has enabled this city to grow and specialize in the international trade business. Nuevo Laredo has a very developed logistics and transportation industry, complemented with a variety of hotel chains, restaurants and a cultural center where events such as the Tamaulipas International Festival take place. Nuevo Laredo is on the primary trade route connecting Canada, the United States and Mexico . Both Nuevo Laredo and Laredo, Texas are now the gateway to Mexico's burgeoning industrial complex, offering diverse markets, business opportunities and profit potential, which both business and industry cannot find anywhere else. Nuevo Laredo is the only Mexico/U.S. border city strategically positioned at the convergence of all land transportation systems. The main highway and railroad leading from Central Mexico through Mexico City, San Luis Potosí, Saltillo and Monterrey join with two major U.S. rail lines at Nuevo Laredo and major American highway Interstate 35, thus offering fast access to the most important metropolitan areas and seaports of  Texas, as well as northern states and Canada. For more than a decade, Mexico's economic policies have greatly increased Mexico/U.S. trade and cross-border production in the Nuevo Laredo area. There are three bridges in the Nuevo Laredo area: International Bridge #1 (the oldest); International Bridge #2 (also known as Juarez-Lincoln; no pedestrians); International Bridge #3 (also known as the Free Trade or Libre Comercio Bridge; inaugurated in 1999; cargo only). Also the Colombia-Solidarity (Solidaridad) Bridge (located about NW of the city in Colombia, Nuevo León). There are no urban areas on either side of this  bridge. Nuevo Laredo is a strategic investment point. On this site there are six recognized industrial parks: Oradel Industrial Center, Longoria Industrial Park, Rio Bravo Industrial Park, Modulo Industrial America, FINSA Industrial Park, and Industrial Park Pyme. Education. The educational infrastructure amounted to 288 school sites which are 71 kindergartens, 148 elementary schools, 34 junior high schools, 14 high schools, 13 vocational schools and 12 universities. Higher education. There are twelve universities in Nuevo Laredo. Undergraduate studies normally last at least 3 years, divided into semesters or quarters, depending on the college or university. Every graduate gets a bachelor's  degree (Licenciatura or Ingenieria). Some of these universities also offer postgraduate studies. A "maestría" is a 2-year degree after a bachelor's degree, which awards the title of Master (Maestro). Nuevo Laredo has three teacher training programs: Transportation. Air. Nuevo Laredo is served by the Quetzalcóatl International Airport with daily flights to Mexico City. The neighboring Laredo International Airport in Laredo, Texas has daily flights to Houston (George Bush Intercontinental Airport) and to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Tri-weekly flights to Las Vegas, Nevada and bi-weekly seasonal (May–August) flights to Orlando, Florida. Mass transit. Transporte  Urbano de Nuevo Laredo (TUNL) is the mass transit system that operates in Nuevo Laredo with fixed routes with millions of passengers per year. TUNL works with a fleet of fixed-route buses. TUNL hub is located in downtown Nuevo Laredo. Major highways. Major highways in Nuevo Laredo and their starting and ending points: People and culture. Parks and zoos. Parque Viveros (en:Viveros Park) is a forest park that overlooks the Rio Grande on the eastern side of Nuevo Laredo. The park features a zoo, two large swimming pools, walking trails, and picnic areas with barbecue pits and playgrounds . Theaters. Nuevo Laredo has three main theaters the "Centro Cultural", "Teatro de la Ciudad", and "Casa de Cultura". The Centro Cultural (en:Cultural Center), is Nuevo Laredo's main theater with a sitting capacity of 1,200 guests. The theater has presented high level shows high level, plays, concerts and dance recitals and one independent Art Gallery "Casa Black" that opens 2 times a year for a single weekend. The theater has a museum, library, and a cafeteria. The Teatro de la Ciudad (en:City Theater) is a theater which presents plays, dance recitals, concerts and musical shows and special events . The Casa de Cultura (en:House of Culture) houses music, painting, dance and literature workshops and also presents major artistic and cultural events such as art exhibitions, concerts, film samples, dance recitals and plays, among others. Sports. Baseball. The Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos ("Owls of the Two Laredos") are a team in the Mexican Baseball League who split their games between Nuevo Laredo and Laredo, Texas. The Tecolotes were the Mexican League Champions in 1953, 1954, 1958, 1977, and 1989 and runner-ups in 1945, 1955, 1959, 1985, 1987, 1992, 1993. Their games in Nuevo Laredo are played in  Parque la Junta, which opened in 1947 and has a capacity of 6,000 people. The team left the park in 2003 for Estadio Nuevo Laredo, located on the west side of the city, a move that was criticized. In 2019, Parque la Junta was refurbished to once again host the Tecolotes. Football. The Bravos de Nuevo Laredo is a football club in the Tercera División in Nuevo Laredo. The Unidad Deportiva Benito Juárez (Benito Juárez Sport Complex) is their home stadium. The Bravos are an institution formed in 2004 by a groups of business people in Nuevo Laredo, whose objective  is to organize a football team in the city with aspirations it will become a professional football club. This has been the first team to have all of their games transmitted live via internet through www.arcanasa.com up to the end of the 2010 tournament. The Ciudad Deportiva ("Sports City") is a sports complex built in 2007 which main feature is a baseball park in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. It is home to the Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo Mexican Baseball League team. The Ciudad Deportiva can seat up to 12,000 fans at a baseball game. Phase one of this project has been  completed which only included the Baseball Park. Phase II of this project will include a new soccer stadium within Mexican Primera Division standards for a possible expansion of one of its teams to Nuevo Laredo. Phase II also includes a gym that will seat 1,500 fans to enjoy basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics among other sports. Basketball. The Toros de Nuevo Laredo is a basketball team in Nuevo Laredo, playing in the Mexican professional league Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). The Toros de Nuevo Laredo play in the Ciudad Deportiva Indoor Stadium. They entered the league in 2009 to join  the North Conference. Prior to the Toros de Nuevo Laredo, Nuevo Laredo had the Venados de Nuevo Laredo which played on the LNBP for the 2007–2008 season. Entertainment. The city has a variety of tourist attractions such as: There is a fairly large array of night-time entertainment venues. Most establishments (clubs, bars, and restaurants) are located in the historical district. Other restaurants (including chains such as Carl's Jr., Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and McDonald's) are located along Avenida Vicente Guerrero and Avenida Reforma. Nuevo Laredo has a red light district called Boy's Town, (or "La  Zona"). The city has some malls like Paseo Reforma, it was opened in May 2008, this mall has many commercial establishments, like Wal-Mart Super Center, The Home Depot, and Cinépolis. Other shopping centers are, Plaza Real, Plaza 2 Laredos, Plaza commercial La fe. Media. AM radio. Long-range AM stations. The following Clear Channel AM stations can be heard in Laredo: