Laredo, Texas, the Worst City in the U.S.

Worst-City.com has named Laredo, Texas the worst city in the U.S., due to its high unemployment, high rate of alcoholism, high crime rate, and minimal number of people with college degrees. Plus its Jamboozie Festival.

I looked it up, but I still don't know what a Jamboozie is.

Wait -- every city in Texas is Hell on Earth.  I hated every minute of my 9 months stuck there.  It was a big, giant, unending morass of misery and despair, where I spent my time counting the seconds until I could leave.  And never go back.  How can Laredo be significantly worse than Texas in general?

Let's look at the stats:

Violent Crime Rate: 322 per 100,000.  Better than Texas in general.
Property Crime Rate: 2,484 per 100,000.  Better.
Average High School Test Scores, 69%. Worse.
College Graduates: 17.9%.  Worse
Annual per capita income $16,000.  Much Worse.
Under poverty level 31%.  Much Worse
Unemployment 3.3%.  Better.
Voted for Trump: 22%.  Much Better.
Evangelical Protestants: 5%.  Much Better.
Municipal Equality Index (how many rights LGBT people have):  6%. Much Worse

Doesn't sound awful, comparatively.

Plus:

1. Museum of the Republic of the Rio Grande, consisting of three Mexican states that seceded in 1840. The independent nation lasted for 9 months. Laredo didn't become part of the United States until the Mexican-American War of 1846.

2. The Second and Charles Used Bookstore.

3. A dozen Mexican restaurants.

4. 85% of the population is Hispanic.

5. Mexico is right across the river.

6. Beefcake: Texas A&M International University, Laredo College (previously Laredo Community College) and a lot of high schools: Alexander, Cigarroa,  Nixon (not Richard), Johnson (Lyndon), Martin, Saint Augustine, United, South, plus a Christian Academy.

Crossfit.













The annual Mr. Laredo Bodybuilding Competition.









The Laredo Tritons Swim Team

And boxer Orlando Canizales

Maybe I'll have another look at that Jamboozie Festival.