San Pedro Garza García
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| San Pedro Garza García | |
| Nickname: San Pedro | |
| Motto: Libertad con Orden y Justicia (Freedom with Order and Justice) | |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | Mexico |
| State | Nuevo León |
| Founded | November 20, 1596 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Fernando Margáin Berlanga (PAN) |
| Area | |
| - City | 69.4 km² (26.8 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 540 m (1,772 ft) |
| Population (2005) | |
| - City | 122,009 |
| - Metro | 3,664,334 |
| - Metro Density | 1,758/km² (4,553.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Central Standard Time (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | Central Daylight Time (UTC-5) |
| Website: http://www.sanpedro.gob.mx | |
San Pedro Garza García, commonly referred to as either San Pedro or Garza García, is city and a municipality of the state of Nuevo León, Mexico. It is a residential and commercial suburb of the larger metropolitan city of Monterrey. 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. San Pedro is one of the few suburbs/cities in Mexico with the look of an american city. 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.
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[edit] 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.
[edit] Government
The current municipal president (mayor) of San Pedro is Fernando Margáin Berlanga representing the National Action Party (PAN).
[edit] 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.
[edit] Education
San Pedro has always been categorized as having the best private school in the country, even in all Latin America. The following are the most important Private Schools in this municipal.
[edit] Basic
The American School Foundation of Monterrey, a private school in Mexico[citation needed], 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 distingushed 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 differentiated system (girls only) makes the students learn better, because of the focus the school gives to its subjects. Its campus is located among on the best areas of the city, in front of Plaza Fiesta San Agustin mall.
[edit] High School
Prepa Tec Campus Santa Catarina is a popular Private High School among San Pedro's affluent families, although it is actually located in the neighboring municipality of Santa Catarina. It is regarded as one of the most important Private High Schools in the country. Prepa Tec offers three different multicultural and multilingual programs (including the IB Diploma Programme) and is part of the ITESM: Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, one of the most important school systems in Mexico.
The American School Foundation of Monterrey, a private school in Mexico that starts from[citation needed], offers a non-religious, and mixed-gender co-educational schooling experience. ASFM provides a U.S.-type education to international and Mexican students, and is the most rigorous school in the city. 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.
[edit] University
The Catholic Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM) ranks among the top universities in the country [1]. 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.
[edit] 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 [1]
