Possible move to Laredo, TX (Miami: crime, houses, luxury)

[NOTAM]

thank God i dont live in liberal areas like that, or in the State of Nevada. THANK GOD I AM IN TEXAS, and i will stay on THIS side of the border, thank you.

[David Pristupa]

Laredo is an interesting place......however the housing shortage has left me with a very cold feeling about the city. I can rent a an aprtment in SA or
ELP or Brownsville for less. The mystique of a border town is its low cost as
well as those things that often keep people away. The poverty, smuggling
etc etc that people associate with a border town are interesting in a way.
I have here for two weeks for an Americorp position but can't live on the stipend and have taken a position in another state. High housing costs REALLY turn me off more than crime etc etc.

Originally Posted by AMAPO

hello NEKOUT,

I'm from Laredo, Texas

Malls:
Currently there are 2 malls and 2 being built at this time. Laredo has one of the largest malls in South Texas (Mall del Norte) with over 1,198,000 squared feet. Mall del Norte The other mall is half the size and its called El Portal Mall it is currently being remodeled and will become an indoor outlet mall in the near future.

Currently being built:
Piazza del Sol to open 2009 Open Air / Indoor Mall
Laredo Town Center to open 2009 Indoor Mall

Housing Costs:
Apartment monthly rent $500-$1000 (1 or 2 bedroom)
House monthly rent $1000+

The best place to live is either in North Laredo or Central Laredo (near mall del Norte. Try to avoid south Laredo (lots of traffic / poverty)

Violence:
You should do your own research on that but from my 25 years living here I'd say its low to average.

Laredo Morning Times - News - Top Stories (broken link) (Laredo's Newspaper)


Good luck! I hope you become one of Laredo's newest residents.

[RGV]

oh i am sure it's alot of fun to contract STD's! for those who do "partake", i will see ya, with culture swab in my hand...and trust me, it aint a pleasant experience, for me nor the patient!!

Oh my goodness. We need more smiley icons so I can click on the laughing hysterically and rolling on the ground ones.

[loves2read]

another poster on different thread mentioned the lack of housing in Laredo
might be tough to find a home you like and think you will find schools are a disappointment coming from your local area--will probably want private schools for your children if you have them...

[wankel7]

I lived down there for almost three years and rented an apartment off McPherson and Hillside.

Rent is a weird thing down in Laredo...its high...really high. I never could figure it out. I would pick up an apt guide book for SA and was surprised how much cheaper and how much competition there was between different apts in SA. However, Laredo not so much....its like they gotcha down there....where the hell else are you going to rent? Cotulla? LOL.

Anyways, I would say crime is not that bad in certain areas of Laredo. Now, if you decide to buy a house or rent right on the border your mileage may change on that.

Laredo is growing like nothing else....obviously the whole city is growing north. There is so much money down there its nuts...i am sure a lot is from drugs. But I would guess a lot is from importing/exporting. Laredo is the nations' largest inland port.

Overall, I enjoyed my time down there...had a blast going across of course There is some great mountain biking to be done at the morelos ranch up Old Mine road too. And oddly enough there are a lot of sushi restaurants.
Rancho Morelos Mountain Bike Trail in Texas

Anyways, now that I am dallas...I am much happier of course But I would say there are worse towns to be stuck in. Laredo has at least 10 flights a day out of there (American eagle to dallas and continental express to houston).

[Laredo2007]

I've been here 12 years and want out. Drivers are rude and drive dangerously. I would guess that 70% of the vehicles are oversized pickup trucks and SUVs driven by people talking on their mobile phones instead of paying attention to driving. It's a city of only 200,000 with the traffic problems about like Houston's. Others' experiences may vary, but I find people to be far too individualistic here, and have a corrupted sense of community (for example, wealthy customs brokers paying their employees minimum wage; the loud back yard parties till all hours of the night; drivers cutting you off in traffic; drivers not letting you into traffic; people honking horns to let someone know they've pulled up in the driveway instead of getting out and ringing the door bell; garbage dumped anywhere and everywhere. . . these are just a few of many such examples.) My own observation is that manners matter less here than many other parts of the country. In short, it's a relatively uneducated place, and the stat's in the media bear this out.

The land developers run the politics here, and they've created quite an ugly city. The ugliness they inflict on nature and the people here is protected by their political power and the lack of sufficient ordinances and code enforcement.

I have found it to be a horrible place for single professional people. The locals regard "outsiders" as just that. . .outsiders forever, even if you know more about the local history and know better Spanish than the multi-generational locals. If you're not a member of one of the self-ordained local "important" families, forget about having much of a social life here outside of your immediate co-workers. And I say this as someone who speaks both English and Spanish.

I prefer other border cities that I've visited (McAllen, El Paso) and San Antonio. As soon as I find a decent job elsewhere, I'm outta here.

On the plus side, Laredo is not yuppieville Austin, thank goodness, and we have absolutely no natural disasters. I believe there are more than 300 days of sunshine a year. Violent crime is surprisingly low. I never feel in any danger. I can honestly say this is not at all a boring place. . .there is always something surreal going on that has me and other "outsiders" I know shaking our heads in amazement.

[luv txs]

Hi everyone I want to move to Laredo what I want to know is which are the nice neighborhoods not where is expensive but happy median I want to move in maybe two years from now from Chicago I hate the weather up here

[TedH71]

Lots of illegals. I've been there and don't like the town. Enuff said.

[CaliforniatoTexas]

Originally Posted by TedH71

Lots of illegals. I've been there and don't like the town. Enuff said.

How did you figure out they were illegals, did you ask too see some sort of I.D.? or becasue they look/are mexican you figure they were illegal?! Laredo is a border town and more than likely alot of people from Mexico come over and shop and or work, legally.... I have been there a few times, and I really enjoyed it and like Laredo, infact we will be moving there soon

[love roses]

There are illegals in Laredo, how could you think there weren't? Yes, some people do cross legitimately, but there are many who don't. Of course there are lots of Mexican Americans (legal) who live there. They live all over the U.S. As for living there, too much underhanded stuff going on there, plus it's not all that nice of a place. McAllan and El Paso are much nicer.