The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Laredo, Texas, USA.

18th-19th centuries

Part of a series on the
History of Texas
Timeline
Pre-Columbian Texas Early Spanish explorations 1519–1543 French Texas 1684–1689 Spanish Texas 1690–1821 Mexican Texas 1821–1836 Republic of Texas 1836–1845 Statehood 1845–1860 Civil War Era 1861–1865 Reconstruction 1865–1899 Years in Texas
Texas portal
v t e

• 1755 - May 15: Villa de Laredo founded by Tomás Sánchez and others in Spanish colonial Nuevo Santander, Viceroyalty of New Spain.^[1][2]
• 1760 - Chapel built.^{[citation needed]}
• 1767 - San Agustin Church founded.^[3]
• 1790 - Population: 708.
• 1821 - Laredo becomes part of independent Mexican Empire.^[4]
• 1840 - Laredo becomes capital of the Mexican insurgent Republic of the Rio Grande during the Mexican Federalist War.^[4]
• 1846 - Laredo taken by U.S. Texas Rangers during the Mexican–American War.^[5]
• 1847 - U.S. forces occupy town.^[5]
• 1848
  • Laredo becomes part of the U.S. per Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo at end of Mexican–American War.
  • Webb County, Texas created.^[6]
• 1849 - U.S. military Camp Crawford established.^[2]
• 1852 - Laredo "chartered as a Texas city."^[2][5]
• 1860 - Population: 1,256.
• 1872 - San Agustin Church rebuilt.^[3]
• 1880
  • Corpus Christi-Laredo railway begins operating.^[2]
  • Population: 3,521.
• 1881
  • Mexico-Laredo railway begins operating.^[2]
  • St. Peter's neighborhood development begins.^[3]
  • City plan for Laredo and Nuevo Laredo, "'Plano de los Dos Laredos' created by E.R. Laroche."^[3][7]
• 1882
  • Laredo Seminary^[5] and city water works^[8] established.
  • County Courthouse built.^[8]
• 1883 - Daily Laredo Times newspaper begins publication.^[9]
• 1888 - Laredo Improvement Company formed.^[3]
• 1889
  • Street railway begins operating.^[3]
  • "Foot and wagon bridge built across the Rio Grande" at Convent Avenue.^[3][8]
• 1890 - Population: 11,319.
• 1898 - Onion farming begins (approximate date).^[2]
• 1900 - Population: 13,429.^[5]

20th century

• 1904 - Laredo Academy established.^[10]
• 1907 - Laredo United States Post Office, Court House and Custom House built.
• 1908 - Discovery of natural gas in vicinity of Laredo.^[5]
• 1909 - Webb County Courthouse built.
• 1910 - Population: 14,855.^[5]
• 1911 - Liga Femenil Mexicanista (women's group) founded in Laredo.^[11]
• 1915 - Laredo public library active (approximate date).^[12]
• 1920
  • Texas Mexican Railway International Bridge opened.
  • Population: 22,710.
• 1922
  • International Bridge opens.^[3]
  • Azteca Theater opens.^[3]
• 1937 - Foundry Workers' Union of Laredo formed.^[13]
• 1938 - KPAB radio begins broadcasting.^[14]
• 1946 - Fort McIntosh, Texas de-activated.
• 1947 - Laredo Junior College established.
• 1950 - Population: 51,910.
• 1954 - Flood.^[3]
• 1956 - KGNS-TV (television) begins broadcasting.^[15]
• 1969 - Texas A&M International University established.
• 1970
  • River Drive Mall in business.
  • Population: 69,678.
• 1977 - Mall del Norte in business.
• 1978 - Aldo Tatangelo becomes mayor.^[16]
• 1980
  • Webb County Heritage Foundation established.
  • Population: 91,449.
• 1990
  • Saul N. Ramirez, Jr. becomes mayor.^[16]
  • Population: 122,899.
• 1993
  • Laredo Community College active.
  • Cinemark Movies 12 (cinema) in business.^[17]
• 1998 - Betty Flores becomes mayor.^[16]
• 2000
  • Roman Catholic Diocese of Laredo established.^[18]
  • Population: 176,576.

21st century

• 2001 - City website online (approximate date).^{[19][chronology citation needed]}
• 2005 - Henry Cuellar becomes U.S. representative for Texas's 28th congressional district.^[20][21]
• 2006 - Raul G. Salinas becomes mayor.^[16]
• 2007 - Cinemark Mall Del Norte (cinema) in business.^[17]
• 2008 - Rio Grande Detention Center opens, housing up to 1900 federal prisoners for the U.S. government ^[22]
• 2010 - Population: 236,091.^[23]
• 2014 - Pete Saenz becomes mayor.^[16]