Honky Tonk Foodie
Located at one point in which the border of Texas meets the border of Mexico, Laredo is one of the oldest crossing points along this international divide. As of 2019, it’s also the largest inland port of entry in the United States. An inland port is a port on a waterway within land boundaries, such as the Rio Grande River. Today, the city boasts four international bridges and one railway bridge. One new international bridge is proposed as well as two new railway bridges.
Photo: @marcelenef via Twenty20
Usurping the city of Los Angeles in March 2019, Laredo became the number one port in the country, including ports of land, sea, and air. In the same month, the trade value of Port Laredo was $20.09 billion; as comparison, at the Port of Los Angeles, it was $19.66 billion. Assisting Laredo with the bump over Los Angeles was its trade increase of almost 10% from February to March, while Los Angeles experienced a decreased of 10%. The vast majority of trade, 97%, coming across bridges in Laredo is with the country of Mexico. The year 2020 celebrates the 265th anniversary of the city’s founding.
Photo: @newwaytofly via Twenty20
The city of Laredo is located in South Texas and contains ports of entry between Laredo, Texas and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Listed as one of the United States’ busiest border crossings, per the US Bureau of Transportation and Statistics, in 2018, it was the third-busiest with pedestrians (3.7 million recorded), plus around 5.1 million personal vehicles.
Numbers for the Port of Laredo in 2018 were impressive, especially in terms of contributions to the economy of Texas. In total trade for 2018, the amount was $234.7 Billion, with the gross domestic product being $71.7 Billion. Additionally, employment tied to the Port, both direct and indirect, amounted to 474,400. Have you been to Laredo lately? Did it seem that busy to you?
