Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Del Mar Hills : does anyone call it that anymore?

El/La _______ Con Safos



Like the old man in the SNL skit used to say "In my day". Well, I do have a recollection of "Del Mar" being referred to as Del Mar Hills and not being a part of Laredo. I also remember hearing of the Del Mar Water Conservation District....hmmm or did I imagine it? Regardless, this is an example of how the names of places and areas of Laredo (and vicinity) keep evolving. I think it was in the 1970's that Del Mar was finally annexed by the City of Laredo, not that Del Mar wanted any part of it. Calton Gardens was another area that gradually has become known as just another part of Laredo.

Given the above examples, it is even more remarkable that many of the city's oldest barrios have retained their names after so many years. At one time, especially when most of Laredo's youth still got around on foot, there was a pretty intense territorial aspect that went along with the different barrio names. The lines of demarcation were very well known to the younger generation. With the passage of time and increased mobility, the territoriality conflicts have lessened but the names of Laredo's oldest barrios still are going strong.

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