The state of Nuevo León is one of the driving forces of the Mexican economy and home to large pool of highly educated professionals, excellent infrastructure, and a great quality of life. Since it borders the United States, investors are also attracted by an American‐style business culture

While its traditional sectors remain strong, Nuevo León has also become a hotbed for Mexican IT services companies in the past decade. It is now a preferred location for companies that offer nearshore IT services, and many large Indian IT service providers have established their delivery centers in the state.

To attract even more activity, the state government offers incentives and tax exemptions to investors as well as cash grants provided by the ProSoft program. And local industry firms already abound, offering services including custom software development, ITO and BPO services, IT consulting, video game development, and support for SAP and Oracle solutions.

All this and more can be found throughout the state — especially in the bustling capital of Monterrey. Also known as Sultana del Norte (Lady of the North), the city is a modern industrial and business center with an official population of 1.1 million and a metropolitan area of at least 3.8 million.

The capital supplies the majority of Nuevo León’s US$81.4 billion GDP, and it has previously been ranked as the second best city do business in Mexico by América Economía magazine. In 1999, Fortune magazine even recognized Monterrey as the best city in all of Latin America to do business, noting its proximity and economic links to the United States as factors that make it a uniquely advantageous place to work.

As a result of its strong steel industry, Monterrey sometimes is referred to as the “Pittsburgh of Mexico.” Is prominent positions in steel — as well as sectors including cement, glass, auto parts, and beer production — can be traced back to an industrialization process that was accelerated in the mid-19th century by steel processor Compañia Fundidora de Fierro y Acero Monterrey.

Nowadays, Monterrey is home of transnational conglomerates such as cement giant Cemex (the world’s third largest cement company), FEMSA (Coca‐Cola Latin America), Alfa (petrochemicals, food, telecommunications, auto parts), Axtel (telecommunications), Vitro (glass), Selther (mattresses and bed systems), Gruma (food), and Banorte (financial services).

Quality of life is also a big benefit cited by those working in the state. Monterrey has ranked as high as 5th in Latin America in terms of quality ofl life, according to Mercer Human Resource Consulting, and this is largely credited to the wonderful education offered by schools throughout the capital. Monterrey’s population is widely considered to be the most educated in the nation, and the city, on a per-capita basis, has more colleges, universities, and institutes of technology than any other Mexican city.

The Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (Autonomous University of Nuevo León, UANL), is the third largest Mexican university and has been ranked by the Reader’s Digest AC Nielsen Survey as the top public university in northeast Mexico. Its main campus, Ciudad Universitaria (University City), covers approximately 17,000 acres, and the entire UANL system comprises 26 colleges, 22 graduate divisions, 24 high schools, three technical high schools and a center of bilingual education.

Most famously, Monterrey is the headquarters of the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (or Tec de Monterrey), a private university that has been ranked by the Reader’s Digest AC Nielsen Survey as the top university — public or private —in all Mexico. As the center of its own educational network, it has 33 campuses and exchange agreements with more than 400 universities worldwide.

Founded in 1969 with the support of local leading multinational corporations such as CEMEX, ALFA, FEMSA, GAMESA, PROTEXA & CYDSA, the Universidad Regiomontana is another private university offering preparatory, undergraduate, and graduate programs. With agreements with more than 200 universities across the globe, it is a member of GATE (Global Alliance for Transnational Education), FIMPES (Federación de Instituciones Mexicanas Particulares de Educación Superior) and holds an ISO 9001 Certification. Its urban campus attracts many working professionals who complement and enrich the academic experience.

“Mexico’s States of Innovation: Monterrey”

State of Nuevo León Key Facts

Location
The state of Nuevo León is located in northeastern Mexico. It borders the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has also a 9-mile border with the U.S. state of Texas.

Main Cities
Monterrey, Guadalupe, Apodaca

Population
4.5 million

Higher Education
Monterrey is home to two of the nation’s most prestigious universities, the National Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon, and the Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (Tec de Monterry). Other reputed universities include the University of Monterrey (UDEM) and the Universidad Regiomontana. The state has 44 higher education institutions in all, offering education to more than 111,000 undergraduate students and 10,000 grad students.

Graduates from IT Careers
3,000 per year

IT Infrastructure
Advanced high‐bandwidth, secure communications network, government supported research, and technology parks