Two of my best friends from high school live in Boston and Washington D.C. We graduated from St. Augustine High School in 2009, and since then, they never came back to live in Laredo.
At 25, I am lumped into the “millennial” generation. I realize it would be irresponsible to speak for my entire generation, but what I can say, is that almost my entire graduating class of 126 students lives outside Laredo. I hope that my insight can shed a sliver of light on this phenomenon.
When I returned to Laredo after college, I ran into people telling me, “how wonderful” it was that I had had come back to my hometown. I worked as a reporter for two years, a job that I loved, yet always saw as a temporary position. After all, one could not build credit, buy a home, or raise a family on a reporter’s salary. While living in Laredo, I resided partially at my grandmother’s house and partially at my parent’s house.
One of the things that surprises me most about Laredo is not the fact that there are Trump supporters out there (possibly your neighbors, watch out), but rather the inaccessibility of affordable housing. A decent one-bedroom apartment could set you back upwards of $900, especially in North Laredo — an area that seems to be up-and-coming in terms of development.
Sure, there are plenty of ways to not live at your parents’ house without breaking the bank, but somehow splitting an apartment with three or four co-workers or friends does not sound all that appealing. I had a friend who split rent with two other co-workers, and his room was the garage — no A/C. Imagine that.
I had very little expenses, yet it was still so hard to save money. A critique of millennials that baby boomers and Gen Xers make is that we treat our income as disposable. We would rather spend our money on a daily Starbucks instead of saving. While this may be true on some level, I know people that eat out daily. I just think people spend their money on different things that enhance their quality of life. This could be anything from gym memberships to trips out-of-town to retail therapy to actual psychological therapy. While some may see enhancing one’s quality of life as a form of self-care, others may see it as selfish.
I left Laredo recently for a better quality of life. I have decided to put myself first, because it is in caring for myself and ensuring my own stability — financial and mental — that I can help others. Others can see this as selfish on my part for not helping with the family business in Laredo or feeling like I am “too good” for my hometown when this is completely not the case, but I can see how one might reach those conclusions.
I am currently paying $325 U.S. dollars, or $6,500 Mexican pesos in Mexico City for a two bedroom flat. It’s a bit smaller than what I am used to. (Everything is definitely bigger in Texas.)
And I am currently paying zero dollars for my Master’s degree at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Outside the U.S., when schools are public and receive federal funding, they are for the most part, free. In fact, I have a living stipend from the university so that my rent is covered. Why does this situation seem so unattainable in the U.S.?
This is where some readers might be scoffing and saying that millennials want everything for free and don’t want to work as hard as generations before them. “I put myself through college working three jobs,” some readers might say. It might be important to note that some students (who are millennials) are still working to put themselves through college. My cousin, whom I admire wholeheartedly, is currently working at a bank while attending Laredo Community College full-time. Education is still seen as a privilege rather than a right.
I graduated up to my eyeballs in debt, but it was a burden I chose in exchange for my education. I also worked two jobs on campus — at the library and as a professor’s assistant.
I left Laredo back in 2009 to attend college because I wanted to experience the world beyond my hometown, which was most recently named one of the least diverse cities in the U.S. I remember my first instance of culture shock in Massachusetts was listening to the cleaning ladies in the restroom speaking English. Any time I had heard a woman tasked with cleaning a public restroom in Laredo, she always spoke only Spanish.
Any millennial will tell you that growing up in Laredo was rough. It wasn’t rough in the way it might be growing up in Flint, Michigan or growing up black in inner city, USA. It was a more minor, subtle kind of rough. It was rough because it was so damn boring.
There was no LEA, no Uni-Trade, no coffee shops, not even a Starbucks. There was no Facebook, so there was not a way to have a listing of events to see what was going on around town. Laredo Morning Times’ ¿Que Pasa? section was my fix for knowing what was going on in the world of arts and leisure in town.
Older millennials will remember grassroots efforts to bring culture to Laredo, such as the hardcore punk and metal shows at Sal’s Pizza or the exhibits at Sound.Art.Space. Younger millennials like myself will remember that we were too young to enjoy these 18+ or 21+ events.
Because of the era my generation lived, “There’s nothing to do in Laredo,” has become a refrain that is heard at least once a day in the city. I used to agree — there was nothing to do in Laredo. However, if I hear someone say that now, I feel bad for them.
Now, more than ever, there is an explosion of arts and culture — a world I was enjoying immersing myself in before I left for Mexico City. There is still a tremendous amount of room for growth, but the Laredo of today is definitely not the Laredo I knew growing up. It has grown and evolved due in part not only to millennials who are slowly taking over the workforce, but also later generation Gen Xers who are starting to raise families and want to build a better Laredo for their kids.
When Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan visited Laredo recently and played an intimate show in San Agustin Plaza, my Facebook feed flooded with photos of friends who had gotten a chance to have their picture taken with Corgan. There was also an eye-opening post from veteran radio personality Sammy the House.
He wrote, “Dear fellow Laredoans. Stop asking celebrities WHY LAREDO? You sound like the clueless little brother who just met his brother’s hot new girlfriend and asks, ‘Why would you wanna’ date my stupid brother? Allow me to play big brother. Laredo is great! Some people can be clueless and hate on each other, but the city is rooted in culture, and it’s beautiful. Stop asking why. When celebrities hear that question, they get turned off. I’m glad Billy Corgan asked (back), ‘Well, why are you here?’ Just play it cool and lift each other up.”
People leave their hometowns for different reasons, and it’s nothing to be sad about. Living in Laredo will always form a unique perspective in the minds of its inhabitants, and if people take that with them around the world, then that is even better. We are not bound to our communities, but they do make us who we are.
Great article Gabriela! Cheers!
All of your classmates live outside Laredo because they were wealthy enough to go to St Aug, that’s all. Their parents were financially stable enough to support their fledgling pursuits elsewhere.
One of Laredo’s big problems is fairly dramatic income equality. Lots of upper middle class people leave their home towns for college, whether they’re from Laredo or Los Angeles.
Yup seems true. I got extremely lucky and if my family would have stayed not sure what my life might have become. I attended Farías elementary which is not in the best side of town. Left when I was in fifth grade and moved to Houston. I had a huge culture shock.
Some way or another my mother pushed school. She has only a GED education. The few times I have been there make me realize how lucky I am for as far as I have gotten.
No not everyone who went to St. Aug had money. My parents raised 6 kids who went to St. Augustine but by no means were they wealthy. In fact they still aren’t. My father exchanged work for our education. I will be forever grateful for him. I know for a fact that we six kids were not the only ones who had parents that worked at St Augustine for their kids education. I really wish the mindset of “you are rich because you went to St. Augustine” would change but unfortunately closed minds will never be open to that.
Must be nice to live off the old mans money
That’s a great point! I completely agree!
Not entirely true. I’m from Laredo my parents together make 50k but I busted my ass to get where I am in San Antonio because I wanted to leave Laredo so bad. Not because my parents are rich but because I really wanted it.
That’s just ridiculous. I didn’t go to St. Aug, my parents didn’t help me move or financially. Anyone has the ability to move out of there if they put their mind to it. I’m very happy to say I’ve been gone 10 years.
Nice piece! I’ve lived in multiple cities in 7 different countries and I’ve learned how exciting and different Laredo is from the rest of the country. It’s unique. The arts are blooming and hidden talent is slowly making an impact. I can’t wait to see how much it continues to grow in the next couple of years.
Nice. Thanks.
I want to echo one of the comments above. To speak for myself, I went to one of the magnets and I know one reason so many people I know moved out of Laredo has to do with the educational and/or class privilege of my peers. We were tracked into the magnet through GT programs and private schools and I think that’s an important thing to acknowledge. But, even in the bubble of the magnet school, I felt desperate to leave. Our fancy UISD high school had a fully funded football team, and but didn’t have enough money to pay for soap in the bathrooms or for there to be enough textbooks to go around. Our counselors made it clear that they only gave attention to students they knew who would leave Laredo for college.
Being a teenager in Laredo in the 00’s was a lot of self-hate. People across many circles had the same refran “Laredo sucks”, “Laredo’s so boring”. And in that message, I think there was some sort of belief that we don’t deserve something better? That we don’t deserve to be thriving? That it’s useless to work together to empower our community? I’m still trying to unpack that and understand what that harmful thing was that I internalized.
I think what I see in Laredo when I’m there (because I still don’t live there!!! Despite how much I miss it and love it) is this woundedness in some folks – a damaged self esteem. And for what? Because, we’re Mexican? Because we’re Mexican-American? Because we’re a community that has found ways to adapt to larger systems of state and federal oppressions? To survive despite that our mayor is in the pockets of el Orange Chupacabra? To survive despite the fact that people who make decisions for our community are people from Washington, D.C. who could never picture such a brown American city? I still don’t know.
But, now I’ve written you a novel. Thanks for writing this – it’s helped me think about it more and this is a conversation we should be having with more depth across Laredo’s diaspora.
Gabriela, you get it and appreciate it so much. I come from a single mom, low-income household. I attended schools that many deemed as problematic and motivated teachers were hard to come by. Thanks to programs like Gear Up and teachers that believed in me, I managed to go to Texas State. I moved back and Laredo has definitely changed, although the self-defeating mentality/hatred still lingers. I think you touched on some very good points and you’re article was extremely validating. I hate to admit this but when I read that you were from San Augustin, my wall immediately went up. Privelege rang loudly through my head but I kept on reading and I was impressed. Thank you for your contribution.
you should have made fun of Hillary supporters too (the reason why Trump won the Election)
How did she make fun of them. She simply noted that the perception that Laredo didn’t have Trump supporters was not accurate.
One thing for sure I’m glad for the growth that it has made since I still have lots of family there.
Haz escuchado el dicho, “there is no heaven on earth”? Soy de la preparatoria United South. Tengo amigos que dejaron Laredo y ahora viven en otras ciudades. Algunos regresan, otros no. Tengo conocidos que han triunfado en Laredo, y otros fracasan. Gracias por compartir tu opinion, que tengas exito en DF. Al final del dia todo depende de la persona… No tiene caso listar mis logros pero no me ha ido nada mal en este pueblo que es usualmente apuñalado por sus propios ciudadanos. Si tan solo pudieran quitarse el velo que cubre sus ojos y darse cuenta que para miles de personas este pueblucho es el paraiso que otros tamto anhelan. Pero bueno, saludos!
Tienes mucha razón y no cambio Laredo por nada!! Claro q me gustaría conocer ciudades espectaculares y otras culturas pero siempre regresare a mi pueblucho!! Jaja lo amo!!!
I enjoyed reading your piece, Gabriela. Although, I can’t help but notice it comes from a very specific viewpoint that is still in the minority in Laredo. Most who are raised in Laredo and are over 18 have not and are not leaving Laredo. In fact, Laredo continues to grow because of folks moving to Laredo. About 27% of Americans have a Bachelors degree and that number is probably less in Laredo and with many going to TAMIU, most will decide to stay in Laredo. Our assumptions sometimes come because we may have limited contact with those who are not like us. We seem to want to forget that Laredo continues to have a 37% residents under the poverty level with a median household (mostly families) income of $40K – who the “average” Laredoan is is probably not the one reading LareDOS on a computer in the comfort of our home office who has lived in various cities and has degrees under her belt (me & you).
Preach, Viky! I really appreciate your comment. This is such an important observation that people seem to overlook. Our privilege carries us far. (and privilege is not reserved to just money/financial support but other resources like family/kin support, school dynamics, etc.)
You are correct. Webb county is one of the poorest counties in the entire nation! This writer obviously lives in a privileged bubble if all of her friends were able to leave. To be fair, if you are an exceptional student or live in extreme poverty, many universities offer full rides. Nonetheless, you can’t ignore the fact that people who come from the lower end of the socioeconomic latter don’t have the same priveleges as these St. Aug. students. Money aside, I know damn well that those upper class people don’t really know all the problems that South and West Laredo have such as family violence, gangs, teenage pregnancies, drug abuse, etc. Or maybe they do, but they have usually never seen it upclose and personal. Kids from Cigarroa, Martin, etc. often live with single mothers who are uneducated, young, and on federal assistance. You can’t underestimate how all these circumstances affect them. Here is the chart of the counties in the US by income. There are 3,143 counties and Webb is #3, 081 to give you an idea of the dire financial situation. List if from census data: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_counties_by_per_capita_income
I love my Laredo and I try to make a difference everyday by starting with raising my kids to count their blessings instead of complaining of what we don’t have in our town. To teach them to have a serving heart to serve our community at a young age to make it a better city. We have lots of work to do to make it a great city but it starts at home and with our attitude. Love your city and take care of it!
I think I know who you are 😉
And yes! You do make a difference in our city and for that I’m very thankful! Keep up the great work! Our Laredo is a work in progress thanks to people like you that returned and invest in our city.
I left Laredo for college, but I come back every chance I get. I’ve brought back with me friends from Houston, India, Venezuela, and France…and they have all loved our “jewel” of a city. There’s something about the culture and atmosphere that will forever hold a cherished place in my memories and theirs’. I recall on various occasions telling them it’d be a boring place to visit, but we found even the simplest of things like walking around historic downtown to be exciting and enjoyable. People will leave town or move into it, that’s just the way it works for every city. There is nothing wrong or right about our city, you just have to decide if you want to enjoy it for what it has to offer or want to experience something else.
Every City has the same issues take Austin, most of the locals can’t wait to leave.
http://kut.org/post/despite-fast-paced-growth-55000-people-are-leaving-austin-every-year
With millennials, it becomes more of an issue because the definition of a “satisfied” millennial is “baby boomer”. In the end, if you can make it in NYC, you can make it anywhere, if you can’t make it in Laredo, you can’t make it anywhere. Best of luck to the millennials, hard work will resolve all your issues.
It’s difficult but there are so many reasons to leave. Nature is so scarce unless you own a huge ranch. I never camped or went for a hike in Laredo because that wasn’t really possible. I’m forever grateful to Laredo because being bilingual is so useful here in Austin. If I had been raised here then I would have to go to Laredo for work because they love ❤️ folks from out of town so much.
It’s difficult but there are so many reasons to leave. Nature is so scarce unless you own a huge ranch. I never camped or went for a hike in Laredo because that wasn’t really possible. I’m forever grateful to Laredo because being bilingual is so useful here in Austin. If I had been raised here then I would have to go to Laredo for work because they love ❤️ folks from out of town so much.
Part of why the progress of our town has been slow is because so many of the ones that stay behind don’t like new ideas from those that come back home after venturing out. Why do you think we have such a strong “good ok boy” system here? Also, it’s discouraging for many to come back because while we see growth, we also see no progress mentally or behaviorally. We get and lose so many nice things because the greater part of the population don’t respect the progress trying to be made. The LEA is now in danger, the max golf course was in trouble too…if millenials (like me) who venture out and come back to help progress and grow our city keep being shut down or told that we are “too good” for laredo then yea, it’s like us taking 2 steps forward and 1 back. The point we have to remember reguardless is that we ALL have to get out, vote, work, and take hold of what we want for Laredo. It doesn’t matter where you went to school or what side of town you live on. Use your voice respectfully and make it happen.
Yes, housing is costly, work is underpaid but why not help the lower neighborhoods get cleaned up and bring them up too? We all deserve a better laredo so that we can showcase how great of a place this can be.
I LOVE Laredo!!!!!!! One thing I dislike from anyone who lives in Laredo and bad- mouths LAREDO but yet there still here. “Don’t Bite the hand(city) that feeds you”
I left laredo to persue a career in the military. I have hrown so much since I left but it will always be home. I have lived in so many different that are smaller and so much different from laredo but it will always be home and we can’t change that.
I held a lot of contempt for my hometown of Laredo. I managed to get through a debilitating drug addiction that was quite easy to sustain especially in this city and lost many friends from it. Then again, I made a lot of those friends through music and art like being in bands in the punk scene mentioned in the article or the well established Slam poetry scene that’s been thriving. I realized through sobriety and clarity that everyone paves their own path no matter where they are. Sure, a person’s economic and societal environment can factor in the equation, but we can mold our own futures if we’re focused enough. The thing with some gen-Xers and millenials is that most of us float without direction and frankly, the idea of leaving our small, boring hometown is appealing; I know I’ve done it when I moved to Austin. It’s like “they” say, though, “home is where the heart is,” and right now, my family is my heart. We make what we can with what we have, and although I feel I have a lot here which I’m grateful for, there’s always room for growth for Laredo and I’m willing to grow with it.
Guess watch out for us…” Trump Supporters”😂😥…. We also left Laredo but decided to come back and give back because these principles of appreciating your roots is part of what comprises us…. being a Trump supporter doesn’t make you bad btw. We’re all entitled to our own opinions and we have very valid reasons to support him and we do so while respecting others who differ from our beliefs. Respect should be across the board.—-this is also part of the progress we can all see more of believe it or not. Moving past that, perspective is a good thing. Leaving Laredo and living in the East Coast or West Coast and even overseas can really help ones perspective greatly. I recommend it to all young Laredoans. If they so choose, they can come back and contribute to this lovely little city with tons of culture and offer a diversified view of life. .Best of luck young lady. Sincerely.
#MAGA🖒🇱🇷🇱🇷
I my self am not a Laredo born
However when I was 14 I moved to Laredo with my mom from Corpus at first I hated Laredo everyone spoke Spanish even the teachers fefussed to teach in English
How ever I soon found out nothing happens here I could walk to the streets at night and don’t have to worry about getting mugged in corpus you can’t do that
I am now 22 close to being 23 with a dude and daughter and it is safe to say I want to raise my daughter here in Laredo
It may seem like Laredo is backward Town with nothing to do
But no Laredo is growing at a rapid rate changes are happening I may not be the best at understanding Spanish and night still wanna need my wife to translate when we go anywhere but that is changing more and more people are thinking differently from when I first got here
I can honestly say I love Laredo and it’s my home
Gabriela,
A famous democrat once said something to the effect of, “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
One of my favorite quotes as well! #MAGA #millennial
You were a reporter, but not a permanent job you said. Well speaking politically in a column might speak the same towards writing your articles.
We are worlds apart. 98% of my class is still here in town.
What the heck did I just read? How can I get my 10 mins back?
I bet her parents paid for her college and dorm life. #blessed
Wow fan imaging article. I can’t tell you how much this hit home for me. I joined the army at 18 to get money for college and make something of myself and have lived many different places. I met my wife, currently live in Boston, rescieved all my eduction from top 10 schools in Boston. My myself , my wife and children Currently reside just north of Boston.
What I have come to appreciate is the endless opportunity my kids will have growing up in such a diverse and academic environment (best hospitals in the country , medical schools, MIT, Harvard etc.). So when compared to Laredo it is an easy call. For the future of my kids with respect to education but sorely lacks in any type of. Distinguished culture.
But the most important fact is that when someone asks me where I am from I proudly tell them from the great state of Texas born bred and raised. I too grew up when everyone knew everyone’s family just by your last name. Never have I experienced this in any city I have lived in period. The culture is unique in that we all have the same culture (which is not a bad experience by any means , trust me my wife is 100% Italian and as close as it is in culture is is not Tex-Mex by far). I miss Whataburger, going to the casa blanca golf course and knowing everyone there. My heart is with my family I doubt, but my soul longs to be in Laredo. I miss all my family (90% still living in the same house in Laredo ).
There have been many interesting comments: affordable housing , economy, jobs, poverty and guess what these problems exist in every city. The only way to make a change is by grabbing your boot straps and continue moving forward period. I graduated with enough loans to last me a life time SO WHAT. The loans will always be there. I send them the required minimal monthly payment and continue living. Without education the next level can not be attained (no longer possible as it was before with just a HS diploma which was becoming more evident and I graduated in the 90’s). It is time your ether drink the koolaid of moving up in life through education and hard work or be happy with where you are in life.
In the end, I love Laredo. I miss it with all my heart. I cannot move back there and pass on the opportunities for my kids to do better in life than I have done. But what hurts the most, is thtcibkearned all my hard working ethics working as a mechanic, dock foreman, forklift driver since the age of 10 (father owed a small local trucking company for a period of time). The person I am today directly reflect on being born and raised in Laredo and am trying to instill just a fraction of this quality into my kids so they grow up to be just as blessed as I have become.
Thank you for your story/ stories.
I grew up in the 60’s, left to go to college and never returned. There is no perfect place but cities like New York, Chicago and London have a lot to offer and it’s hard to think of living in Laredo after you’ve experienced other places. My three siblings and I were encouraged by our parents to move on and see the world. I don’t regret it. They made a lot of sacrifices for us to do it.
Why would anyone want to live in a town where people look down on change and if you’re different you are an outcast? A city where people bad mouth each other and pretend like it never happened. A city where even your teachers, coaches, politicians, and parents take advantage of children and get away with it. A city where abuse runs like a wild fire. I’ve had the opportunity to travel the world since i left at 18 with only $300 in my account- I have traveled and lived in different countries -I can actually have the balls to admit that Laredo is down at the bottom for best places to settle down. I could never raise my children there, in fact, I don’t want to live in fear. And it’s sad to have to say I am from there because I am still healing from all the negative things that happen there and to the people I grew up with. Fortunately, if it wasn’t for Laredo, I would have taken advantage of the opportunities out there. Now as an adult, I work for a billionaire and I am surrounded by healthy, education individuals who help each other and respect one another. Life outside of Laredo is good. Why would anyone stay besides for family? Get out. There’s a better life out there for you. I’m telling you!
Great read…hope all is going well for you in Mexico.
It’s always good to leave if it is for something better, but if it’s because “there’s nothing to do” or because “the clubs/bars suck here”, then that’s a sad reason to leave any city (beer and liquor taste the same everywhere).
Great article!
I left Laredo for college as soon as I graduated and haven’t looked back since. I’ve been living in LA for 9 yrs.
I went to college all 4 yrs out here, like you, “am in student debt up to my eyeballs” but I wouldn’t change it for a second. Alot of people are quick to jump on the “your parents had money that’s why you left” 100% not the case for me. That wasn’t ever going to stop me and that shouldn’t be the reason for anyone.
Experience the culture shock of diversity anywhere else. Whether that be 200 miles north in San Antonio or 1400 miles to CA.
Now that u are in Mexico can you tell me why Mexicans are leaving Mexico?