The architecture of Roma mirrors its sister city of Ciudad Mier on the Mexican side of the river, as well as Guerrero Viejo upriver.

[3] The historic district includes the 1928 Roma-Ciudad Miguel Alemán International Bridge, a State Antiquities Landmark, as well as the river wharfs and custom house.

The site offered a convenient crossing on the Rio Grande, which became known as El Paso de la Mula (Pass of the Mules).

While steamboats were able to access Roma through the mid-nineteenth century, lowering water levels as a result of development upstream ended river shipment by the 1880s.

The district is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) listed as Early Commercial Center, and includes several individual RTHLs.