Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas

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City of Nuevo Laredo
Coat of arms of City of Nuevo Laredo
Coat of arms
Motto: Siempre Con La Patria
Settled 1847
Government
 - Presidente Municipal Daniel Peña
Area
 - City 1,334.02 km² (515.07 sq mi)
Population (2006 census)
 - City 348,387
 - Metro 589,309
  metro area includes Laredo, Texas, Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Rio Bravo, Texas, El Cenizo, Texas, Laredo Ranchettes, Texas. Larga Vista, Texas, Ranchos Penitas West, Texas, & La Presa, Texas
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CST (UTC-5)
Codigo Postal 88000
Area code(s) 876
Airport: Quetzalcoatl International Airport MMNL
Website: Municipio de Nuevo Laredo

Nuevo Laredo is a city located in the Municipality of Nuevo Laredo in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The city lies on the banks of the Río Grande, across from the United States city of Laredo, Texas. The 2005 census population of the city was 348,387, and that of the municipality of which it serves as municipal seat was 355,827. Nuevo laredo is part of the Laredo-Nuevo Laredo Metropolitan Area with a total population of 589,309. The municipality has an area of 1,334.02 km² (515.07 sq mi). Both the city and the municipality rank as the third largest in the state.

The city is connected to Laredo, Texas, across the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo) river by four international bridges and a rail bridge. The city is larger than its U.S. counterpart, but is younger, having been established after the state of Texas broke away from Mexico. It is the largest inland port in Mexico, just as its counterpart across the border is the busiest inland port in the United States.

Crossing the border into Mexico (southbound) costs USD $3.00 per non-commercial vehicle. Northbound, the toll is USD$2.20, or MXN $24 (pesos). El Mercado is a large open air market a few blocks away from the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge that sells traditional Mexican handcrafts.

Contents

Map of Laredo in 1892 Nuevo Laredo is shown at the bottom of the map
Map of Laredo in 1892 Nuevo Laredo is shown at the bottom of the map

Nuevo Laredo was founded on May 15th, 1848, as a result of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (Tratado de Guadalupe-Hidalgo) ended the Mexican-American War. Laredo, Texas had been founded 93 years earlier, in 1755 by the Spaniard Tomás Sánchez in the northern part of the Rio Grande. According to the agreements between Mr. José de Escandón and the King of Spain, this population remained unified for 100 years, until the war of 1847, when the Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty divided it into two cities. Only 17 families, who identified themselves with Mexico, its history and cultural customs decided to keep their Mexican citizenship, so they moved to the southern part of the Rio Grande, founding Nuevo Laredo.

Nuevo Laredo is now the most important border of Latin America, 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 expanding rapidly since the late 1980s. Urban growth tends to go the west side of the city, a large heavily populated area with poverty conditions locally called el Poniente (the West). Districts that stand out as trying to improve their living conditions are Nueva Era, 20 de Noviembre, La Fe, El Carrizo, and Union del Recuerdo. Districts with extreme poverty, no streets, no lighting and scarce water supplies are Blanca Navidad and Bruno Alvarez.

Central districts enjoy far better living conditions. Commercial areas and restaurants are usually located around or within these districts. Up-scale districts are Madero, Jardin, Alamos, Campestre. Nevertheless, it is worth pointing out that these districts have typically been regarded as drug-lord havens and experienced the first and worst violence wave in Nuevo Laredo. As of today, it is estimated that 35% of Colonia Madero is now vacant.

Nuevo Laredo is located on the primary trade route connecting Canada, the United States and Mexico. Both Nuevo Laredo and Laredo, TX are now the gateway to Mexico’s burgeoning industrial complex, offering diverse markets, business opportunities and profit potential, which both business and industry cannot not 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.

70% of all Mexican exports to the United States are exported through Nuevo Laredo. Nuevo Laredo is considered to be the largest inland port in Latin America. There are four bridges in the Nuevo Laredo area: The Old and New (Juarez-Lincoln; no pedestrians) bridges; the Free Trade (Libre Comercio) Bridge (inaugurated in 1999) with Laredo, Texas (cargo only); and the Colombia-Solidaridad bridge, located about 20 miles NW from the city; there are no urban areas on either side of this bridge.

There are six universities in Nuevo Laredo. The Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas offers International Trade, Computer Systems, Business Administration, Law, and Accounting programs it currently has 3,500 students enrolled. The Instituto Tecnologico de Nuevo Laredo offers Architecture, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Systems, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Business Administration, and Accounting programs. It Currently has 2,418 students enrolled. The Universidad Valle del Bravo in Nuevo Laredo offers Law, Psychology, Graphic Design, International Trade, International Marketing, Business Administration, Communications, Industrial Administration, Computer Systems, and Dentistry. It currently has 800 students enrolled. The Universidad Tecnologica de Nuevo Laredo offers Harmonized Tariff Specialist / Customs Clearance Specialist, Transportation Logistics Administration, Electronics & Automated, Industrial Maintenance, and Distribution programs. It currently has 498 students enrolled.

Nuevo Laredo has two teachers' schools: The Normal Basica Cuauhtemoc, which trains Elementary and Kindergarten teachers, and The Normal Superior De Tamaulipas, which opened its doors on August 2005 and instructs future Physical Education and Middle School teachers. The Normal offers specialties such as Spanish, mathematics, and English instruction.

There is a fairly large array of night-time entertainment venues. These clubs, bars, and restaurants are located in downtown Nuevo Laredo in its historical district. In addition to a large array of standard night-time entertainment venues, Nuevo Laredo has a red-light district, where legalized prostitution persists.

As a border town, Nuevo Laredo is known for its turf war in which two drug cartels, the Sinaloa and Gulf Cartel, compete for control of the drug trade into United States.

The violence escalated in August 2003, when rival drug cartels battled at the important intersection of Paseo Colon and Reforma. Police officers who aided one of the cartels were also attacked simultaneously at different districts. A deployment of the Mexican army from the 1er Batallon Motorizado intervened at the battle. Grenades and bazookas were used during those attacks.

Cartels began using former members of Mexico's special forces, known as Zetas, to carry out their operations. Among those killed were twenty-one police officers. On June 16, 2005 the city's police chief, Alejandro Domínguez, was gunned down just seven hours after his inauguration. He was replaced by Omar Pimentel.[1] Under new leadership, the police with help from military forces was able to bring order and security to Nuevo Laredo.

On the 20 February 2007, Horacio Garza Garza, a federal congressman for the PRI, was seriously wounded by gunmen, and his driver was killed.[2]. Violence apparently has reduced in the last months.

See Also Online Laredo Newspapers & Media

  • Tamaulipas Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México

Coordinates: 27°30′N, 99°31′W

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuevo_Laredo%2C_Tamaulipas"
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