956 Area Code: Laredo & the Rio Grande Trade Corridor

956 split from 210 in 1997 to serve South Texas along the Rio Grande border.

History & Coverage

956 spans Laredo, McAllen, and Brownsville, covering the entire Rio Grande Valley border region.

Why Businesses Choose 956

• Busiest inland port status: Laredo is the largest inland port in the United States by trade value, handling a massive share of US-Mexico commerce
• NAFTA/USMCA trade corridor: the region sits directly on the primary highway corridor connecting Mexican manufacturing to the US market
• Bilingual, bicultural workforce: deep binational ties make 956 businesses well-positioned for cross-border commerce

Key Industries & Neighborhoods

Laredo anchors trucking, customs brokerage, and warehousing, while McAllen and Brownsville support agriculture and cross-border retail.

Fun Facts

• Laredo handles more trade value than any other US land port, most of it trucked across the World Trade Bridge
• The Rio Grande Valley is one of the fastest-growing logistics regions in the US

Conclusion

For logistics, trade, and customs-related businesses, 956 sits at the very center of US-Mexico commerce.