Webb County, Texas facts for kids

Webb County
Quick facts for kids Webb County
	County
	County of Webb
	Webb County Courthouse in Laredo
	Seal
	Seal
	Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Country	United States
State	Texas
Established	January 28, 1848
Organized	March 16, 1848
Named for	James Webb
County seat	Laredo
Largest city	Laredo
Area
• Total	3,375 sq mi (8,740 km2)
• Land	3,361 sq mi (8,700 km2)
• Water	14 sq mi (40 km2) 0.4%
Population (2020)
• Total	267,114
• Density	79.145/sq mi (30.558/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code	956
FIPS code	48479
GNIS feature ID	1384025
Website	webbcounty.com

The Texas tourism travel station is located at the intersection of Interstate 35 and U.S. Route 83 north of Laredo.

Typical Webb County ranch road north of Texas State Highway 359 (2012)

Webb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 267,114. Its county seat is Laredo. The county was named after James Webb (1792–1856), who served as secretary of the treasury, secretary of state, and attorney general of the Republic of Texas, and later judge of the United States District Court following the admission of Texas to statehood. By area, Webb County is the largest county in South Texas and the sixth-largest in the state. Webb County includes the Laredo metropolitan area. Webb County is the only county in the United States to border three foreign states or provinces, sharing borders with Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas.

Webb County is also nearly unanimously Hispanic, with 95.2% of the population of the county identifying as such. This makes Webb the county with the second-highest proportion of Hispanic people in the continental United States, and it has the highest proportion of Hispanic people among counties with a population over 100,000.

History

See also: Timeline of Laredo, Texas

Webb County was split in 1856. Encinal County was established on February 1, 1856, and was to have consisted of the eastern portion of Webb County. However, Encinal County was never organized and was finally dissolved on March 12, 1899, with its territory returned as part of Webb County.

Much of Webb County history is based on the prevalence of ranching in the 19th century and continuing thereafter. The Webb County Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit organization that seeks to preserve documents and artifacts of the past to guarantee that the regional history is not lost to upcoming generations. In 2015, the foundation, headed by President James E. Moore, presented Heritage Awards to such local notables as the artist Janet Krueger, the journalist Maria Eugenia Guerra, and the Laredo Community College art instructor Martha F. Fenstermaker (1943-2014).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,376 square miles (8,740 km²), of which 3,361 square miles (8,700 km²) is land and 14 square miles (36 km²) (0.4%) is covered by water.

Major highways

Main page: List of highways in Webb County, Texas

I-35
BS I-35
I-69W
US 59
US 83
SH 12
SH 20
SH 44
SH 255 Toll
SH 359

Adjacent counties and municipalities

Dimmit County (north)
La Salle County (north)
Duval County (east)
Jim Hogg County (southeast)
Zapata County (south)
Maverick County (northwest)
McMullen County, Texas (northeast)
Guerrero, Coahuila, Mexico (west)
Hidalgo, Coahuila, Mexico (west)
Anáhuac, Nuevo León, Mexico (west)
Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico (southwest)
Guerrero, Tamaulipas, Mexico (southwest)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	1,397	—
1870	2,615	87.2%
1880	5,273	101.6%
1890	14,842	181.5%
1900	21,851	47.2%
1910	22,503	3.0%
1920	29,152	29.5%
1930	42,128	44.5%
1940	45,916	9.0%
1950	56,141	22.3%
1960	64,791	15.4%
1970	72,859	12.5%
1980	99,258	36.2%
1990	133,239	34.2%
2000	193,117	44.9%
2010	250,304	29.6%
2020	267,114	6.7%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010 2020

2020 census

**Webb County, Texas - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	8,345	9,495	3.33%	3.55%
Black or African American alone (NH)	487	788	0.19%	0.30%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	95	135	0.04%	0.05%
Asian alone (NH)	1,320	1,300	0.53%	0.49%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	11	25	0.00%	0.01%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	130	458	0.05%	0.17%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	263	559	0.11%	0.21%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	239,653	254,354	95.74%	95.22%
Total	250,304	267,114	100.00%	100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2015 Texas Population Estimate Program

As of the 2015 Texas Population Estimate Program, the population of the county was 273,536. The racial makeup of the county was 99.8% White and 0.2% Black or African American. The ethnic makeup of the county was non-Hispanic whites 8,699 (3.2%), Black Americans 552 (0.2%), and other non-Hispanic 2,134 (0.8%). Hispanics and Latinos (of any race) 262,151 (95.8%).

Communities

Cities

El Cenizo
Laredo (county seat)
Rio Bravo

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Cactus
Callaghan
D-5 Acres Colonia
Darwin
East Gate Acres Colonia
La Moca Ranch Colonia
Las Tiendas
Minera
Old Milwaukee East
Old Milwaukee West
Palafox
Ranchitos los Mesquites Colonia
Ranchitos los Veteranos Colonia
San Pablo
San Ramon
Village East Colonia
Webb

Ghost towns

Gallery

Map of Webb and Encinal Counties in 1895
Webb County Courthouse in 1905
Webb County Courthouse today
Entrance to the William N. "Billy" Hall Administrative Building annex of the Webb County Courthouse in Laredo
The Webb County Appraisal District Office in Laredo appraises taxable real property for municipal and county governments, Laredo Community College, and both public school districts.
Entrance to the J. O. Walker, Jr., Piedra Parada Ranch in eastern Webb County
Opuntia cacti abound throughout much of Webb County.
The Cactus Jack Ranch in northwestern Webb County is named for U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's first vice president, John Nance Garner of Uvalde. Imported saguaro cacti are planted at the gate.
Entrance gate to La Esperanza (Hope) Ranch in northwestern Webb County near the Dimmit County boundary
This abandoned building along U.S. Route 83 in northwestern Webb County reflects the isolation of the South Texas ranch country.

Education

Three school districts serve Webb County:

Laredo Independent School District
United Independent School District
Webb Consolidated Independent School District

Prior to 1994, Webb CISD served only Bruni and Oilton. Mirando City Independent School District served the community of Mirando City from 1923 to 2005. Prior to 1994, all Mirando City children attended Mirando City ISD schools. After the spring of 1994, Mirando City High School closed. Therefore, from the fall of 1994 to July 1, 2005, WCISD served high schoolers from Mirando City, while Mirando Elementary School in the Mirando City ISD served pupils from kindergarten through eighth grade. On May 9, 2005, the Texas Education Agency ordered the closure of Mirando City ISD. The district closed on July 1, 2005, and all students were rezoned to Webb CISD schools.

The private Holding Institute is a former United Methodist boarding school operating as a downtown Laredo community center.

Images for kids

Map of Webb and Encinal Counties in 1895
Webb County Courthouse in 1905
Webb County Courthouse today
Entrance to the William N. "Billy" Hall Administrative Building annex of the Webb County Courthouse in Laredo
The Webb County Appraisal District Office in Laredo appraises taxable real property for municipal and county governments, Laredo Community College, and both public school districts.
Entrance to the J. O. Walker, Jr., Piedra Parada Ranch in eastern Webb County
Opuntia cacti abound throughout much of Webb County.
The Cactus Jack Ranch in northwestern Webb County is named for U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's first vice president, John Nance Garner of Uvalde. Imported saguaro cacti are planted at the gate.
Entrance gate to La Esperanza (Hope) Ranch in northwestern Webb County near the Dimmit County boundary
This abandoned building along U.S. Route 83 in northwestern Webb County reflects the isolation of the South Texas ranch country.
Road through Tamaulipan thornscrub, Webb County, Texas, USA (10 June 2016)
Road through Tamaulipan thornscrub, Webb County, Texas, USA (10 June 2016)