San Nicolás de los Garza

**San Nicolás de los Garza**, whiles kent anerlie as **San Nicolás**, is a ceety an coextensive municipality in the Mexican state o Nuevo León that is pairt o the Monterrey metropolitan aurie. It haes acome primarily a ceety for residencies an faimily hooses, awtho it still haes several factories that tend tae relocate tae the periphery o the metropolitan aurie. It is the third-lairgest ceety in the state, ahint Monterrey an Guadalupe.

It hooses the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (Autonomous University o Nuevo León), ane o the maist prestigious public schuils in Mexico an Laitin Americae.

Accordin tae Mexico's naitional development index, fowk that live in San Nicolás are amang the happiest in the kintra, an hae the greatest quality o life staundart in the naition. San Nicolás, awtho less populatit than Monterrey, haes the heicher population densitie.

## History
San Nicolás de los Garza wis foondit on 5 Februar 1597 an gien the name o Estancia de Pedro de la Garza (Pedro de la Garza's Establishment), then Estancia de San Nicolás (Saunt Nicholas' Establishment), an feenally Estancia de San Nicolás de los Garza. The first fowk that inhabitit the terrain wur natives, maistly nomads. Thay wur the Alazapas, the Ayalas an the Alincheños.

San Nicolás wis foondit richt efter Monterrey, whan Diego de Montemayor grantit permission tae inhabit the aurie tae his secretary, Diego Díaz de Berlanga; Pedro de Iñigo; Domingo Manuel; an Don Pedro de la Garza. The members o thir families are considered the first settlers o the ceety.

Diego Díaz de Berlanga wis the person that redactit Monterrey's Foondation Act, an authorizit the first land permissions tae its first settlers.

In 1830 the aurie wis declared tae the category o veelage, wi the name o San Nicolás de los Garza, in honour o the patron saunt o the toun. On 12 Mey 1970 it wis declared a ceety.

## Government
San Nicolás de los Garza is a municipality govrened bi a democratically electit *Presidente Municipal* (Municipal Preses or Mayor) for a period o 3 years wi nae richt tae reelection. The poleetical environment is ane o civility. Syne the decade o the 80's, the PAN haes remained in office.

The Ceety Cooncil o San Nicolás de los Garza (*Cabildo de San Nicolás de los Garza*) is an organ integratit bi the Mayor, the *Regidores* an the *Síndicos*. The Mayor is the executor o the determinations o the Ceety Cooncil an the person directly in chairge o the public municipal admeenistration. The *Regidores* represent the community an thair mission is tae collectively define the ceety policies in aw the subjects affectin it. The *Síndicos* are in charge o watchin an legally defend the ceety interests, as well as in chairge o watchin the Ceety Treasury status an the municipal patrimony.

The current Mayor o San Nicolás is Carlos de la Fuente (PAN), who wis electit in the past municipal election an will remain in office till 2012.

The poleetical pairties wi representation in the ceety are the Institutional Revolutionary Pairty or PRI, the Naitional Action Pairty or PAN, the Pairty o the Democratic Revolution or PRD, the Labor Pairty or PT, the Green Pairty, Convergence, an Nueva Alianza.

## Economy

In the first pairt o the 20t century, several important Mexican companies biggit factories in the municipality, makkin San Nicolás primarily an industrial centre. Companies lik Cemex (concrete), Vitro (gless), Peñoles an Hylsa (steel) wur kent for thair lairge facilities in the ceety.

In the 70's, San Nicolás increased its reputation as a guid place tae live, an the municipality experiencit a tide o hoose construction. This hoose construction buim wis possible acause thare wur a lot o lands available athin the territory o the ceety. In the 80's several industrial facilities muivit tae ither municipalities, mainly tae Apodaca, which is still athin the Monterrey Metropolitan Aurie, but farther frae dountoun.

At the end o the 80's an beginnin o the 90's, huge commercial centres or maws wur constructit tae serve the lairge population. The first economic activity became commerce insteid o industrial production. The maist important maws are La Fe (east), Las Plazas Outlet (northwast), Plaza Fiesta Anahuac (sooth), Sendero (north) an Universidad Avenue.

## Education

The main campus o the UANL, *Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León* (Autonomous University o Nuevo León) is locatit in this municipality. This varsity is the third lairgest Mexican varsity an is amang the maist recognizit schuils in Mexico, rankit bi the Reader's Digest-AC Nielsen Survey 2005 as the tap varsity (baith public an private) in the northeast region o Mexico. Its main campus is cried *Ciudad Universitaria* (University Ceety) wi an approximate aurie o 67,630,000 square meters.  The UANL seestem comprises 26 colleges (faculties), 22 post-graduate diveesions, 24 heich schuils (throughoot the metropolitan aurie o Monterrey), 1 centre o bilingual eddication an 3 technical heich schuils.

## Sports
San Nicolás de los Garza is the hame o the University's First Diveesion professional fitbaa team, the UANL Tigres.  Thair main rivals are the neebourin Club de Fútbol Monterrey.

## Sister ceeties
San Nicolás de los Garza haes five sister ceeties, as designatit bi Sister Cities Internaitional, Inc (SCI):

*  **[[Denton, Texas|Denton]],** Texas, Unitit States
*  **[[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]],** Missouri, Unitit States
*  **[[Seguin, Texas|Seguin]],** Texas, Unitit States
*  **[[Taipei]],** Republic o Cheenae
*  **[[Winnipeg]],** Manitoba, Canadae

## Notes

## References
* Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005  INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
* Nuevo León  Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México

## Freemit airtins
* Gobierno Municipal de San Nicolás de los Garza offeecial wabsteid