El Cenizo, Texas
El Cenizo is a small border city in Webb County, sitting on the banks of the Rio Grande about 14 miles south of Laredo in the brushy South Texas borderlands. It grew from a low-income colonia settled in the 1980s into an incorporated city, and it drew national attention in the late 1990s when it adopted local ordinances making Spanish its official language of government business.
Place essentials
Official Census snapshot- Census place type
- City
- July 2025 population
- 2,457
- Change from 2020 base
- -3.2%
- Land area
- 0.5 sq. mi.
- County footprint
- Webb County
Place type, county footprint, and land area use the Census Bureau's January 1, 2025 geography. Population uses Vintage 2025 estimates through July 1, 2025; change compares that estimate with the April 1, 2020 estimates base. Geography file | Population file
Property here runs through the appraisal district and tax office for Webb County. The homestead exemption, appraisal cap, protests, and any MUD, PID, or special districts all sit at the parcel level.
Official routes
Use the office for the parcel address; a mailing city is not always the governing city.
County context
What to know around El Cenizo
County lines carry much of the property, land, water, and outdoors context around El Cenizo.
History
Laredo Was the Founding Site of the Republic of the Rio Grande
In 1840, Laredo was where leaders declared the short-lived Republic of the Rio Grande, a federalist rebellion against Mexico that lasted about 10 months.
Property Tax
Who Handles Property Taxes in Webb County
Two separate offices handle property taxes here: the appraisal district sets your home's value, and the tax assessor-collector sends the bill.
History
Webb County Was Created in 1848 After the Mexican-American War
The Texas legislature created Webb County in January 1848, naming it after a judge, after the Rio Grande became the new international boundary.
Nearby
Places near El Cenizo
Nearby counties
Local notes for nearby counties
Next steps for El Cenizo
Compare nearby places
Put Census population, land area, county footprints, and official office routes side by side.
Open comparison ->Estimate property tax
Model school and local rates, the homestead exemption, and the appraisal cap.
Open estimator ->Look up another place
Every Texas town and all 254 counties.
Find a place ->