OECD has recognized Aguascalientes as having a good business climate. It is a strong business and economic center in the Bajío region. Its strategic location and infrastructure have made it a regional hub and a location for international headquarters. Also home to two of Nissan's largest and most important manufacturing plants in Latin America. Other important companies located in Aguascalientes include Jatco, Coca-Cola, Flextronics, Texas Instruments, Donaldson, and Calsonic Kansei.
Because of its services and hotel industry, Aguascalientes is one of the most important centers in Mexico for entertainment, gastronomy, leisure activities, arts and recreation.
The city of Aguascalientes was founded on October 22, 1575, by Juan de Montoro as a postal service rest stop between the cities of Zacatecas and Mexico City, though it is known that the site already featured a small population by the time it was granted an official status. Although its founders did not envision it becoming a major city, it became the capital of the newly formed state of the same name when its territory separated from the adjacent state of Zacatecas in 1835. When the state separated from Zacatecas, Aguascalientes raced ahead in its development, while the state of Zacatecas remained behind in comparison.
The historical center of Aguascalientes was born out of four distinct neighborhoods. The oldest of these is the "Barrio del Encino", which is technically older than Aguascalientes proper. Founded in 1565 by the Andalusian Hernán González Berrocal, the neighborhood was originally named "Triana" after the neighborhood in Seville, Spain. The "Barrio del Encino" is home to the baroque-style "Templo del Señor del Encino", a Catholic temple built between 1773 and 1796. The "Cristo Negro del Encino" ("Black Christ of the live oak"), is a widely venerated religious icon symbolic of this neighborhood. The colonial square and the José Guadalupe Posada Museum, adjacent to the temple, are one of the main attractions in the city.
The second neighborhood is the "Barrio de San Marcos", which has its roots in the early 17th century as an indigenous settlement on the outskirts of the then-village of Aguascalientes. Between 1628 and 1688, some communal land was allocated to the community, but the indigenous people still worked on Spanish-owned farms and produced goods to sell in Aguascalientes. Meanwhile, they organized the construction of a simple hospital and a chapel. This original chapel was replaced by the current "Templo de San Marcos" completed on December 15, 1763; this church is the spiritual headquarters of the "Feria Nacional de San Marcos".
The third neighborhood is the "Barrio de Guadalupe", which began its development as a string of shops and trading posts alongside the road leading from Aguascalientes to Jalpa and Zacatecas during the latter half of the 18th century. The neighborhood's iconic "Templo de Guadalupe" was built between 1767 and 1789; it's recognized for its Spanish Baroque façade and its dome lined with Talavera tiles. Especially after the founding of the "Fundición Central Mexicana" ("Mexican Central Foundry"), the neighborhood developed quickly; by the early 20th century its roadside inns had mostly been converted into homes and its boundaries had blurred with those of the "Barrio de San Marcos".
The final neighborhood is the "Barrio de la Salud", which has its roots in a small chapel and a cemetery developed towards the end of the 18th century to deal with a number of disease epidemics that had struck the area. Gravediggers established homes near the cemetery, and others took advantage of the open land to establish orchards. Though the orchards began to disappear during the early 20th century, clues as to the neighborhood's roots still remain. First of all, the fact that property lines generally followed irrigation ditches can still be seen in the neighborhood's haphazard street grids today. Second, the neighborhood's working-class character is visible in its primarily single-story homes featuring simple façades.
A fifth neighborhood, the "Barrio de la Estación", is often grouped in with the city's original neighborhoods. However, this neighborhood is considerably more modern, with much of its development dating from the final decades of the 19th century or later. Therefore, despite its important role in the history of Aguascalientes, it's not strictly accurate to consider the "Barrio de la Estación" one of the city's original historical neighborhoods.
Under the Köppen climate classification, Aguascalientes has a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). Most of the precipitation is concentrated from June to September.
The name originates from the Spanish words "aguas calientes", meaning "hot waters" although a more accurate translation is "hot springs", part of the original name of "Villa de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de las Aguas Calientes" (Village of our Lady of Assumption of the Hot Springs). When the city was first settled by Juan de Montoro and twelve families, it was given this name for its abundance of hot springs. These thermal features are still in demand in the city's numerous spas and even exploited for domestic use. People from Aguascalientes (both the city and the state) are known by the whimsical Spanish demonym "hidrocálidos" or "hydrothermal" people.
Aguascalientes today identifies itself as at the confluence of tradition and industry. Its preserved colonial downtown testifies to its rich architectural heritage and cultural vision. On the other hand, the precisely planned peripheral expressways, as well as its first class avenues and lanes, are surrounded with industrial parks that employ thousands of people. The state reports a high index of migrants, especially from other states, seeking to acquire a better quality of life.
As of 2010, the city of Aguascalientes proper had a population of 797,010. The two other municipalities considered parts of the Aguascalientes metropolitan area are Jesús María and San Francisco de los Romo; they had populations of 99,590 and 35,769, respectively. As such, the Aguascalientes metropolitan area had a total population of 932,369.
According to the latest census by the National Institute of Statistics, Geography, and Data Processing (INEGI), Aguascalientes City was the 13th largest metropolitan area by population in the country. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in Mexico.
The city had a Human Development Index of 0.82 in 2000, placing it in the very high development category. Open heart surgeries and heart and kidney transplants have been performed in Aguascalientes for the past 20 years; by comparison, these same surgeries were first performed in the United States 28 years ago. The life expectancy of 76 years is similar to that which can be found in Denmark, Ireland or Portugal.
100% of the population has Medical Service Coverage. In addition, two more government-controlled Medical Services exist for those who work in a job affiliated with them. There are also plenty of options in the form of private medical centers.
According to the World Bank, Aguascalientes has the most business friendly environment in Mexico and is one of the best places in the world to invest. 240 multinationals were installed during the last 30 years, representing the United States, Japan, Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, and Brazil among others. 70% of Japan's investment in Mexico is in Aguascalientes.
25 companies from the industry of IT & Software cluster. Softtek, the largest software development company in Mexico, has large operations in Aguascalientes.
Aguascalientes is home to two large Nissan manufacturing plants, including the most important outside of Japan. Among other models of cars, they manufacture the Sentra and the Versa. The Aguascalientes plants are responsible for the majority of Mexico's overall annual production of 850,000 Nissan automobiles. Due to their presence, the city has a significant Japanese population.