Laredo dates to 1755, and 8 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 83% of U.S. towns · #18 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Laredo was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1997. 8 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 324 buildings between them. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1849.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Laredo’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Laredo is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #18 of 642 in Texas. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Laredo’s overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Laredo ranks #110 on History.
Few Texas towns list much on the Register (a typical Texas town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Laredo’s 12.8 sits above most of its state (88% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 331 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% of U.S. towns.
Newer cities are common at Laredo’s size: in the typical U.S. city of 100,000 or more, 5% of homes predate 1940.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1755.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A+. The pre-1940 share (±0.5 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Laredo’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Spanish colonial settlement of Villa de San Agustín de Laredo was founded in 1755 by Don Tomás Sánchez de la Barrera, while the area was part of the Nuevo Santander region in the Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain. Villa de San Agustín de Laredo was named after 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 opposition to Antonio López de Santa Anna; it was brought back into Mexico by military force.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Laredo. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1965Laredo West sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Laredo.
Every building
Laredo, building by building, 1885–1925
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1755, according to Wikidata. Laredo’s post office opened in 1849, and the first U.S. census counted 708 people here in 1790.
How does Laredo rank for history?
Laredo is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #18 of 642 in Texas. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Laredo?
8 listings: 5 buildings and 3 historic districts, the San Augustin de Laredo Historic District, the Fort McIntosh and the Barrio Azteca Historic District, with 324 contributing buildings. 331 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Laredo?
3% of Laredo’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1997.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (8), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1892
1892
