LA PUERTA, TEXAS. La Puerta, on U.S. Highway 83 and the Border Pacific Railroad six miles east of Rio Grande City in Starr County, was formerly the headquarters for the La Puerta ranch. In 1991 it was a community of an estimated 1,500 residents, more than a dozen businesses, and St. Paul's Catholic Church, cemetery, and youth building. The name means "the door" in Spanish. Small communities form a solid front along U.S. 83 from La Puerta to Rio Grande City, although some irrigated farmland may still be seen from the road. In 2000 the population was 1,636.
