Just how bad is Laredo...Really?? (Houston, Dallas: how much, to buy, high school)

[lowviolette]

i live in laredo since my husband is a federal agent here. violence is erupting in nuevo laredo right now so it is naive to think this still does not spill over to the US side. corrpution is widespread in local govt. here. this is no place to raise a family. most of the violence in Nuevo Laredo does not make it to the news because the Zetas have bombed the the media building in the past for publicizing the violent nature of the cartels. the local govt here in laredo does their best to cover it up also because the loss of tourism has taken its toll on local vendors. it sad to think you cant trust you neighbor because it hard to distinguish who the smugglers/dealers are around here. i cant wait to move back home. laredo is the armpit of texas.

[crhone]

This city is literally without any redeeming qualities. I was transferred down here to work in a hospital here. I have lived all over the country, and traveled to 5 continents, and have never found a place so devoid of culture. Our hospital is overrun with junkies, criminals, illegals and the extremely poor. The south side of town is ghastly, and no matter what anyone says, Nuevo Laredo is not safe, especially for whites. The cartels are mounting an offensive on both sides of the border, and recent assassinations and murders stay out of the news for fear of lost tourist dollars. Plenty of my coworkers have relatives working for the Border Patrol and other law enforcement agencies- they all are on high alert, as is the National Guard, for what is about to go down here. The border is completely porous, and many of the cartel members are already across.
The city has very little to offer in the way of outdoor recreation. No dog parks or book stores. The heat is downright intolerable in the summer. The residents here treat their own community like a giant garbage dump. Even my gated community is full of trash. The drop out rate is over 50%, as is the illiteracy rate (in both Sp and English). Homes cost more than San Antonio due to lack of available land. Highways are clogged with semis, belching out pollution and breaking windshields in record numbers. The city is controlled by a few wealthy families, and politics here make Chicago look tame in terms of corruption. Personally, I can tell you the quality of physicians here is awful, with most just here exploiting generous Medicare and Medicaid payments. I will admit that I don't feel unsafe living on the north side of town, and salaries for health care workers are great, but seriously, I can't wait to get out of the nightmare.

[Chelito23]

I have said it in previous posts: Laredo is no where near as bad as some people make it out to be. It gets a bum rap for numerous reasons, but the bottom line is that Laredo is NOT Nuevo Laredo and the issues that Mexico is facing are not present in Laredo, TX. Of course the border is fluid and people come and go, legally and illegally, but the lawlessness is on the other side of the border. It has no need to come to Laredo, the cops are on the take over there, the drug lords run the show, they don't need to do that here, their US operations are much more sedate and not just in Laredo but in every medium and large city in the country.

What is going on in Juarez, Nvo. Laredo and Tijuana is not going to burst at the seams and happen here or any other border city, it would have done that by now, especially since other people have posted the border is "porous."

Laredo is not devoid of culture unless you have a narrow definition in the sense that you have to have world class museums and a symphony orchestra at your doorstep. Laredo has a rich history and if you take the time to learn about it, it is really interesting and unique. It may not be glamorous or flashy, but it is what it is and no one should judge Laredo's "lack" of culture based on their not being a chain bookstore here. Is there a Barnes and Nobles at Ellis Island? Is there a Border's at Jamestown, Virginia? I guess those places are devoid of culture too. Laredo has it's history and culture, it just isn't commercialized and publicized like the mainstream American culture. That's all.

Now it is a legitimate complaing that we don't have a Barnes and Noble but nowadays you have online dealers who sell books...to supplement the trips to San Antonio. Laredo also has those old fashioned things before Barnes and Nobles went national 15 years ago, what are they called?? Oh yeah, libraries. And they are free. But honestly most of those bookstore chains have Engish centric merchandise and a border city that is over 90% Spanish-speaking isn't their ideal market. If this void is so gaping, why not open a book store here? It sounds like it would do great and serve anunderserved market.

The hospitals here are not anymore overrun with junkies, criminals or illegals than anywhere else. And I love that people know that they are illegals, are they going around carding people, or are they just making assumptions? Anyways, go to any public hospital and you will see the same, in any city. Personally I am thankful that even society's castaways are able to get health care in Laredo. I would be horrified if this population was wayward and unattended out on the street as some "worldly traveler" might prefer, since seeing this indigant population being treated in local hospitals bothered him or her. Fortunately that lack of caring attitude is not the norm in Laredo and I think it speaks more to their disposition and view of life than it does to Laredo.

The border is a hot zone, there is a drug war going on, that is no secret. But it just isn't like Laredo is Bagdad on any level. Just because you hear stories from border patrol doesn't mean that those cases will happen in your front yard. The drug war goes on in the US too when dealers and gangs fight over territory to seel drugs also. Why isn't this as scary? The drugs may flow through Laredo, but I would rather them pass through here on transit to somewhere else as opposed to this being their final destination. It seems like crime is always more scary when it happens in a place we are not native too. Many locals in Laredo believe it is much more dangerous to live in Dallas or Houston with all the crime, vs. little old Laredo...so it is all relative.

I agree that there is little outdoor recreation, I suppose Laredo like many sub tropical, arid cities in the US Southwest are the same....many months of the year it is too hot to be out for most people. There are complaints about the summer heat, but where are the raves about the mild winters when it's in the 60s, while it's snowing everywhere else in the country? There are parks here, just not as many as in other places...fortunately, owning a home here is a possibility so you can have you own piece of land, build an outdoor patio and grill, enjoy being outdoors at home, etc. if you are inclined. Plant trees and attract wildlife and birds to your yard. That would make more sense, to creat an oasis for nature, as opposed to just being part of the problem and griping about it.

There are no dog parks here, but you can take your dogs to most places anyways...very few people will stop you or be uptight about it.

The homes are over priced, agreed on that front. I guess it is due to supply vs. demand, there just isn't much of a profit margin for building housing in Laredo and considering the local economy and what people can afford, most developers don't go into the home construction business here. Most homes would be affordable and a developer would rather build commercial and make more. Then, those who do build housing jack up the prices due to a lack of competition. It sucks, but it isn't like Laredo is prices as if it was New York City, it is just higher for this region of Texas.

Corruptions exists in local government here as it does in most places. Here it is more evident since it is a small city. If you want to tackle this issue, I applaud you. Run for office or get together some caring neighbors. Once again, don't be part of the problem and just trash the place, try to make a difference, if not to change the community, to make it more liveable for you.

Yes truck traffic is bad. This is an inland port. The semis are on 1-35 and other roads that lead to border crossings and industrial zones. These semis aren't barrelling down side streets. This is another reason to plant more trees to help reduce the heat, creat more shade and to purify the air.

I highly doubt the American Medical Association grants parallel medical degrees that are substandard for the local physicians. Just because you have met inscrepulous medical providers, doesn't mean the whole lot of them are bad just because it's Laredo. You need to change you primary care physician, make friends with people from the area and get referrals from them until you find someone you like.

Being an outsider is never easy, but being resentful about a certain place and griping with others in your position won't help you nor will it necessarily be indicitive of another person's experience in Laredo.

To people who have relocated here, reach out to the local culture with an open mind, be friendly, outgoing and positive. Don't dwell on the negative and be proactive in making your time here more enjoyable for yourself and for those with who you interact. I have found people along the border to be very nice and helpful and they will treat you like family, but you have to let go of the judgements and preconceived notions in oder to have this same experience.

Laredo is not everyone's cup of tea and it will never be Austin or San Francisco, but it doesn't have to be your personal hell. That is a choice that you make, the city doesn't make it for you.

[shootertoo]

Laredo is a very nice city but Neuveo Laredo, across the river in Mexico is dangerous night and day.

[edward237828]

funny i moved to nuevo laredo and lived there for a few months and i never had any problems...

[lowviolette]

Chelito, spoke like a true "Laredoan"...be Laredo proud. Proud of what, i dont exactly know. This place is like i stated before, THE ARMPIT OF TEXAS! You are naive thinking that whatever goes on in N.L does not spill over to this side. Corrpution is wide spread in Laredo just like it is in N.L, except deals are made in $$ and not bullets.

But you make this place seem tolerable with your post, but this place is anything but tolerable.

[orbius]

If you grew up in a Mexico city slum Laredo probably seems like heaven. A lot of how one perceives a place is down to personal perception. Not to say Laredo doesnt have a slew of problems.

[lowviolette]

Originally Posted by orbius

Not to say Laredo doesnt have a slew of problems.

understatement of the year

[Chelito23]

Just because Laredo isn't your cup of tea, doesn't make it the armpit of Texas. I think there are places like Port Arthur, desolate, dying towns in rural Texas and urban ghettos that would win that title. Laredo has thriving commerce being an inland port.

Anywhere can be hell if you make it out to be. That is a choice you have made, you want to be unhappy in Laredo, that is your business, but that isn't a universal reality for everyone else. If it is so bad for you, make it better. Do your part. But to just crap all over the place doesn't seem like something a contributing or caring citizen would do. You seem like you view the glass as half empty vs. half full. I never said Laredo is like London. It is what it is, but it certainly isn't anywhere near as bad as you have chosen to portray it on your post.

[AnthonySA]

Gotta love the confusion between opinions and facts. Just because you like or dislike a city doesn't mean everyone else is going to.