military government in charge of the area to return the town to Mexico. However, this petition was rejected, and in response the bulk of the population moved over the river into Mexican territory to found the new town of Nuevo Laredo. The origin of name of Laredo is unclear. Some scholars say the name might stem from Glaretum which means "sandy, rocky place" others state that Laredo stems from Euskara and means "beautiful prairies". Laredo might also stem from Laridae which means gull or it might be made up of two Latin words lar which means home and edo which means birth. Economy Trade More than 47% of United States international trade headed for Mexico and more than 36% of Mexican international trade crosses through the Laredo–Nuevo Laredo port of entries. This is the reason that the borderplex's economy rotates around commercial and industrial warehousing, import, and export. The Laredo International Airport serves the Laredo area which has scheduled nonstop flights to Houston, Dallas, Orlando, and Las Vegas. The city of Nuevo Laredo has the Quetzalcóatl International Airport which has daily flights to Mexico City. These airports also handle merchandise to export to the neighboring country. The Laredo–Nuevo Laredo port of entry has five international bridges crossing the Rio Bravo in 2007. International Bridges Gateway to the Americas International Bridge Juárez-Lincoln International Bridge World Trade International Bridge (commercial traffic only) Colombia-Solidarity International Bridge Texas-Mexican Railway International Bridge Major highways Major highways in Laredo and their starting and ending points: Interstate 35 Laredo–Duluth U.S. Highway 59 Laredo–Lancaster U.S. Highway 83 Brownsville–Laredo–Westhope State Highway 255 Laredo–Colombia State Highway 359 Laredo–Skidmore Complete List of Highways in Laredo, Texas Major highways in Nuevo Laredo and their starting and ending points: Mexican Federal Highway 85 Nuevo Laredo–Mexico City Mexican Federal Highway 2 Matamoros–Nuevo Laredo–Colombia–Ciudad Acuña Tamaulipas State Highway 1 Nuevo Laredo–Monterrey Nuevo León State Highway Spur 1 Colombia–Anáhuac Retail Sales Retail sales also helps the Laredo–Nuevo Laredo economy, it attracts shoppers from Northern Mexico and South Texas. The major mall is Mall del Norte. The Streets of Laredo Urban Mall is an association created by businesses located in Iturbide Street in the San Agustin historical district to beautify and renovate the area. Media Newspapers Television According to Nielsen Media Research, the Laredo region (which includes Webb and Zapata counties) is ranked 185th market by population size in the United States. The first station to broadcast