San Pedro Garza García

Infobox City
official_name = San Pedro Garza García
native_name =
nickname = San Pedro
motto = Libertad con Orden y Justicia (Freedom with Order and Justice)


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mapsize = 220px
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = Mexico
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Nuevo León
subdivision_type2 =
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government_type =
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Fernando Margáin Berlanga (PAN)
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established_title = Founded
established_date = November 20, 1596
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area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 69.4
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area_urban_km2 =
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population_as_of = 2005
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population_total = 122,009
population_density_km2 =
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population_metro = 3,664,334
population_density_metro_km2 = 1758
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timezone = Central Standard Time
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = Central Daylight Time
utc_offset_DST = -5
latd = 25| latm=40 | lats= | latNS=N
longd = 100 | longm=18 | longs= | longEW=W
elevation_m = 540
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website = http://www.sanpedro.gob.mx
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San Pedro Garza García, commonly referred to as either San Pedro or Garza García, is a city and a municipality of the Mexican state of Nuevo León, as well, the city is part of Monterrey's Metropolitan Area. It is a residential and commercial suburb of the larger metropolitan city of Monterrey.San Pedro Garza Garcia is also called "Orgullo de Mexico" pride of Mexico, is the equivalent of Beverly Hills, due to the economic power house and the high concentration of wealth.

With a population of 121,977 (city) and 122,009 (municipality) at the 2005 census, it is the seventh-largest city and eighth-largest municipality in Nuevo León. It sits in a valley surrounded by mountains; most notably La Loma Larga and Sierra Madre Oriental. The city is highly developed with many parks, private schools, gardens, and corporations. It hosts the administrative offices of important companies like Alfa, Cemex, Gamesa, Vitro, Pyosa and Cydsa. It is often regarded as Latin America's most affluent suburb. Also, San Pedro is one of Mexico's cleanest and safest cities thanks in part to its wealthy citizens taking such an active part in their community. The municipality has an area of 69.4 km² (26.8 sq mi) and is almost entirely urban, lying adjacent to the southwest side of Monterrey. Due to its fast urban and commercial development many wealthy citizens of San Pedro are moving out towards the southern area of the city, mainly to Valle Alto and Santiago, both areas consider as a potential next-to-succeed San Pedro Garza Garcia as exclusive sectors.

History

Two months after the foundation of its neighbor, Monterrey, in 1596 the land on which San Pedro Garza García lies was turned into a large plantation called "Los Nogales", where crops like corn, wheat, beans, and many other foods were produced. During the 18th century, the plantation often went by the name of "San Pedro", in honor of Saint Peter. The city was not elevated to the status of "Villa" (Village) until December 14, 1882, when it was given the name Garza García, in honor of the governor of Nuevo León, Genaro Garza García. It was not until 1988 that the mayor at the time, Alejandro Chapa Salazar gave the city its current name, adding the reference to what it was called centuries before.

Government

The current municipal president (mayor) of San Pedro is Fernando Margáin Berlanga representing the National Action Party (PAN).

Landmarks and sightseeing

1. Chipinque Park (see below under "Natural Areas")

2. Centro Cultural Alfa. A science interactive museum, the first one of its kind in Mexico. It is located within a tilted column-shaped structure and surrounded by lush gardens. It is worth to visit, especially for kids. There is a good planetarium, and an impressive masterpiece glasswork by Rufino Tamayo.

3. Auditorio San Pedro. A middle-size auditorium for plays and concerts.

4. Shopping Malls. The Paseo San Pedro, Plaza Fiesta San Agustín and Galerías Valle Oriente malls with some of the best stores in town. Paseo San Pedro is the newest mall in San Pedro. Paseo San Pedro is a big mall with a movie theater, a hotel, an ice skating rink, and a food court. Paseo San Pedro is similar to Houston's Galleria .

5. Calzada del Valle/Calzada San Pedro. Beautiful three lane intersecting gardened boulevards. Some of the most exclusive stores lie right here. Joggers can be seen in the mornings. In Christmas time trees are lit by thousands of lights to add splendor to the zone.

6. Opened in 2003, the Puente de la Unidad (sometimes called "Puente atirantado") is a suspension bridge that crosses the Río Santa Catarina and joins San Pedro Garza García with Monterrey.

7. El Centrito. A traditional place to drink a good coffee, have dinner or meet friends in a casual environment. Many restaurants and nightclubs are located here.

8. The CNCI Tower. The tallest building in the Monterrey metropolitan area, and the tallest in Mexico outside Mexico City. Previously named Dataflux Tower.

Education

San Pedro has some of the best private schools in the entire country. The following are some of the most important Private Schools in this municipality.

Basic

The American School Foundation of Monterrey, a private school in MexicoFact|date=February 2007, offers a non-religious, and mixed-gender co-educational schooling experience. ASFM provides a U.S.-type education to international and Mexican students. While the school offers a curriculum similar to U.S. schools in many respects and is fully accredited in the U.S., it is incorporated and licensed in Mexico.

Instituto San Roberto offers trilingual education that ensures that students communicate with clarity, purpose and understanding of audience in Spanish, English, and French. Instituto San Roberto is an exclusive elite school that ensures wealthy families the best education for their children.

The Legion of Christ, a strong and growing Catholic order among Mexico’s elite, holds three different private Catholic schools in this suburb. The first two offer a bilingual same-sex educational program. Instituto Irlandes de Monterrey is an all boys prep school and C.E.C.V.A.C. is the all girls version of the same. Both schools offer pre-school (Irish Valley), primary, secondary and preparatory (Bachillerato Anahuac) schools. Instituto Himalaya is the Legion’s new pre-school and primary school which offers a bilingual co-educational program. All three of these schools require daily formal uniforms and are part of Oak International Academies.

The American Institute of Monterrey (AIM) is a mixed-gender school which offers a bilingual education from lower preschool to junior high. Along with its bilingual program, the AIM offers its students a wide spectrum of technological knowledge. Students in junior high can decide between taking a diverse variety of Optative Courses in order to learn a third language or develop new extra-academic skills. In 2002, the American Institute of Monterrey received its accreditation by the New England Association of Schools (NEASC) and the European Council of International Schools (ECIS).

Other schools like , Euroamerican School of Monterrey and Colegio Ingles offer other excellent bilingual programs.

The Liceo de Monterrey, a Catholic school under the personal labor of Opus Dei; is one of the most distinguished girl school of the country. It offers: trilingual education (Spanish, English, and French), the KUMON math system, and SOI -a learning/studying system-, and -the same as ITESM- the IB Diploma Programme for high school. Its campus is located among on the best areas of the city, in front of Plaza Fiesta San Agustin mall.

University

The Catholic Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM) ranks among the top universities in the country [http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranking_de_universidades_mexicanas] . Although much smaller in size and endowment than ITESM, it offers competing bachelor and master degree programs. The university's main campus is located within the suburb of San Pedro and it also offers several high school programs in separate campuses. Today is one of the most expensive private schools in the country, and fully accredited by more than 52 universities in the United States.

Graduate

The Escuela de Graduados en Administración y Dirección de Empresas (EGADE) is the Graduate School of Business of the Tecnológico de Monterrey. The EGADE Monterrey Campus is located in Valle Oriente, an elite commercial and residential zone in San Pedro Garza García. In 2008, it ranked as the best Graduate Business School in Latin America. [QS Top MBA Rank 2008]

The Escuela de Graduados en Administración y Política Pública (EGAP) is the Graduate School of Politics and Public Administration of the Tecnológico de Monterrey. The EGAP Monterrey Campus is located also in Valle Oriente, besides the EGADE Monterrey Campus. EGAP offers different graduate programs including one jointly with the Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Nightlife

San Pedro has the most nightlife social activity in the city, similar to the Barrio Antiguo area in downtown Monterrey, some of the nightclubs are:
*La Havana
*Dolce
*Privatt
*George
*Classico
*Nachos and Gangas

Natural areas

San Pedro boasts one of the best preserved national parks in the country, the "Chipinque" park, within the "Parque Nacional Cumbres de Monterrey". See [http://www.chipinque.org.mx/ Chipinque website] .

The park is located at the foothill of the breathtaking Sierra Madre, and is the only naturally forested spot in metropolitan Monterrey. It's an excellent place for biking and jogging. There is a resort hotel within the park, with facilities for small business conventions.

A good number of tree species, birds and mammals can be seen within the park. Fires are a continuous threat during the dry hot summers and have caused devastation in the past.

Sister cities

*flagcountry|USA: South Padre Island
*flagcountry|USA: Plano

References

* [http://www.inegi.gob.mx/est/contenidos/espanol/sistemas/conteo2005/localidad/iter/ Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005] INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
* [http://www.e-local.gob.mx/wb2/ELOCAL/EMM_nuevoleon Nuevo León] Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México
* [http://www.topmba.com/research/top_100_business_schools/4_top_business_schools/44_latin_america/] QS Top MBA Rank 2008

External links

*es icon [http://www.sanpedro.gob.mx San Pedro Municipal Website]