Webb

Formed February 1, 1848 (75^th county)

Webb County (250,304), Laredo (236,091)

The stately yellow brick and concrete courthouse was built in 1909 at the corner of Houston and San Angustin.  Interstate Highway 35 terminates in Laredo three blocks east of the courthouse.  There is a modern 1992 Judicial Center within a block of this original structure.  An Administration Building was built in 2002.  Laredo has been the only county seat for three courthouses since the February 1, 1848 organizing.  Webb County was taken from Bexar and Nueces counties as the 75^th county.  Alfred Giles designed the latest courthouse.  Webb is named for Texas Secretary of State, James Webb.  Laredo gets its name from a Spanish location, Villa de San Agustin de Laredo.  The county is dry desert with the Rio Grande being the only significant water. 

Webb County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners.  One District Court Judge serves Webb and Zapata counties and Three District Court Judges and Three County Court Judges serve Webb County.  The county is located far south Texas with the Rio Grande providing the entire west and south borders with Mexico.  San Antonio, Texas is northeast and Corpus Christi, Texas is east of the county.  The county center is 39.9 miles Northeast of Laredo nearer Ranchitos Las Lomas.  The county is surrounded clockwise by La Salle, McMullen, Duval, Jim Hogg, and Zapata counties and Mexico and Maverick and Dimmit counties. 

The area of the county is 3376 square miles.  It is 6 out of 254 in the state.  It ranks 20 out of 254 in population in the state.  It has a density of 74.14 persons per square mile making it 52 out of 254 in the state.  Webb County has 97.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 35 enters from the north, La Salle County, and terminates in the county.  United States Highway 59 enters from Duval County on the east and terminates in Webb County.  United States Highway 83 crosses north to south from Dimmit County to Zapata County.  The county is shaped like a rocking chair facing toward the east.  Laredo is in the southern third of the county on the Rio Grande.  Laredo is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 94.3% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced LA-RAE-DOE.  This county is in the Laredo Metropolitan Statistical Area.