Rio Bravo is a city in Webb County, Texas, United States. It lies16 miles south of Laredo on U.S. Route 83, on the left bank of the Rio Grande. Founded in 1982 by Cecil McDonald, a property developer who also founded neighboring El Cenizo, Rio Bravo was incorporated as a city in 1989. It had a population of 4,450 at the time of the 2020 census.