Why moving to Monterrey might just be your Mexican dream

When you imagination astir surviving successful Mexico, you whitethorn deliberation of formation edifice towns similar Playa del Carmen oregon the historical cities of Mexico City and Guadalajara. But if you inquire america astatine Mexico News Daily, there’s 1 metropolis you whitethorn not person thought of that decidedly deserves to beryllium connected that list: Monterrey successful the bluish authorities of Nuevo León.

Surrounded by the Sierra Madre mountains, the gleaming, modern concern metropolis of Monterrey is simply a spot defined much by ambition and manufacture alternatively than wide tourism. The metropolis made it into planetary quality a fewer years agone erstwhile Elon Musk announced helium would unfastened a Tesla gigafactory there, a program that has since been enactment connected clasp owed to US tariffs. But determination were plentifulness of reasons Musk was funny successful expanding into Monterrey.

Monterrey is the concern superior of Mexico

Monterrey is considered the concern superior of Mexico. (Unsplash/David Liceaga)

The metropolis calls itself “the concern superior of Mexico,” and with bully reason: it has a thriving aerospace, tech, biotech and automotive manufacture and respective large companies are based determination — on with a younger demographic of Mexicans who person moved determination to instrumentality well-paying jobs astatine these companies. Driving this seemingly never-ending concern is Nuevo León’s affable young governor, Samuel García, who travels the satellite regularly to speech up Nuevo León arsenic a basal for Latin American enlargement for U.S., Asian and European manufacturers and tech companies. 

Perhaps emblematic of Monterrey’s modern, ambitious vibe is the city’s Torre Obispado, the tallest skyscraper successful each of Mexico. Not contented with that status, Monterrey is besides gathering the Torre Rise, which aims to go the tallest skyscraper successful each of Latin America, featuring luxury condos, concern offices, hotels, bars and restaurants.

Unlike Mexico’s older municipality hubs, Monterrey doesn’t beforehand its past and tradition; its youthful imaginativeness is pointed firmly guardant toward the future.

‘Dallas, but successful Spanish’

The city’s economical occurrence is partially owed to its determination adjacent the U.S. border, which has besides resulted successful plentifulness of cross-pollination with the U.S., some economically and culturally. In Mexico, Monterrey has the estimation of being the astir Americanized metropolis successful Mexico.

Culturally, it boasts a beardown norteño identity, acknowledgment to its proximity to Texas cities similar Laredo and San Antonio, truthful it’s not antithetic to spot cowboy hats connected Monterrey’s streets, and perceive the norteño sounds of Los Tigres Del Norte and Ramón Ayala astatine parties. Many Monterrey natives person household successful the U.S. and person spent extended clip there, which means a large request for U.S.-style amenities and culture. The city’s young, well-educated population, if not fluent successful English, tends to talk astatine slightest some. 

Mexico’s Tec de Monterrey actively recruits English-speaking overseas students, with classes conducted successful some Spanish and successful English. (Tec de Monterrey)

Thanks to Monterrey’s highly Americanized environment, it tin beryllium an appealing enactment for well-educated, younger workers from the U.S., who cognize Spanish, whose English tin beryllium a boon for planetary companies looking for workers who are fluent successful the concern world’s lingua franca.

Monterrey’s estimation for high-ranking universities besides attracts young foreigners from the U.S. and different countries seeking to gain a less-expensive but inactive well-regarded assemblage grade successful an situation with plentifulness of bully jobs. An undergraduate grade from adjacent 1 of Mexico’s astir prestigious, and astir expensive, backstage universities, the Tec de Monterrey, tin outgo good nether US $20,000 a year, importantly cheaper than successful the U.S. At the Autonomous University of Nuevo León, a nationalist university, planetary students tin wage arsenic small arsenic US $1,000 successful yearly tuition. 

Mexican-American Kata Lucia, a Mexican American engineering pupil astatine Tec de Monterrey, sees the metropolis arsenic a bully enactment for Mexican-American students who privation to link with their roots successful an situation that doesn’t consciousness wholly foreign. 

“Although I similar to telephone Monterrey ‘Dallas, but successful Spanish’ owed to however Americanized it is, I’ve truly fallen successful emotion with the feeling it gives me,” she said. “It’s similar being location successful Texas, but besides being successful the chartless astatine the aforesaid time.”

A welcoming environment

Other expats successful Monterrey we interviewed pointed to the lukewarm consciousness of assemblage they encountered there. Andrea Zavala, a section vigor announcer for Monterrey’s Classic 106.9 FM and erstwhile Spanish immersion teacher successful Ohio, highlights however benignant the Monterrey assemblage is towards outsiders, peculiarly to those with kids successful the schoolhouse system.

Expats who’ve moved to Monterrey, particularly from the U.S., accidental they find the metropolis welcoming and adjacent a spot similar home. (Unsplash/Gabriel Tovar)

“There’s a WhatsApp radical for each of our kids’ classrooms. The parents and kids from each people adjacent conscionable up to observe Christmas, Halloween and Mexico’s Independence Day. They usage thing arsenic an excuse to get together,” she said. 

Also, she said, she encountered a “lot of enactment from the start.”

“If your kids request a thrust oregon assistance with homework, parents from the assemblage are determination with a sincere and helping hand.”

After the gentrification protests successful Mexico City past summer, a would-be overseas migrant to Monterrey mightiness wonderment if outsiders volition beryllium welcome. But since Monterrey doesn’t person galore tourists oregon galore impermanent overseas residents, foreigners who settee successful Monterrey are viewed much arsenic caller members of the community.

“I genuinely similar however affable the radical are. Being from the southeast U.S., determination are galore similarities successful the [two] culture[s]: greeting strangers, smiling, and making oculus contact,” said April Bounds, an American who moved to Monterrey with her household past September. “The wealthiness inequality is stark here, but it’s important to retrieve that determination are mostly kind, hardworking radical who are trying to get by similar the remainder of us.”

There are, of course, immoderate challenges, particularly if you don’t person a large bid of Spanish, says Steen Kirby, an American expat who has lived successful Monterrey for astir 2 years. Adapting to Monterrey besides means adapting to beingness successful a large municipality halfway and each that comes with it, including sitting successful rush-hour postulation jams.

Tecate Pa’l Norte is 1 of Monterrey’s biggest yearly euphony festivals, attracting large planetary acts. (Wikimedia Commons/Joo Murga)

But Kirby finds Monterrey to beryllium a portion of Mexico filled with unexpected gems. 

“There are companies similar [outsourcers for] Tesla, Hyundai and Cemex here, truthful it makes for an absorbing spot to beryllium successful Mexico,” helium says. “The skyscrapers and mountains besides marque for a fantastic backdrop to the metropolis I telephone home.” 

Kirby besides cites “the amenities and infrastructure successful Monterrey, specified arsenic the fantastic malls and buying plazas” and the phenomenal euphony country Monterrey has compared to different parts of Mexico, with 2 large festivals a twelvemonth — Tecate Pa’l Norte and Machaca Fest. These festivals gully artists similar Karol G, J Balvin, 50 Cent, Blink 182, and Kings of Leon to the metropolis arsenic an casual stopover from confederate U.S. cities. If you besides see Festival San Lucas successful the equation, a taste lawsuit with much accepted noteño music, it makes for a year-round, euphony paradise for those who bask concerts. 

“But the biggest happening for maine is however welcoming the norterños of Monterrey are towards radical who are visibly not Mexican,” Kirby says. “I’ve lived successful different parts of the north, similar Tijuana, and felt little invited determination compared to being successful Monterrey arsenic a gringo.”

Stories similar these show however foreigners tin flourish successful Monterrey, a uncommon mediate crushed betwixt cultures wherever Americans, Mexicans, and virtually anyone who settles determination tin consciousness welcome. Maybe, with Monterrey acceptable to big four World Cup games adjacent June, others volition commencement to autumn successful emotion with this unsocial gem successful Mexico. 

What has been your acquisition successful Monterrey? Let america cognize successful the comments below.

Ian Ostroff is an indie author, journalist, and copywriter from Montreal, Canada. You tin find his enactment successful assorted outlets, including Map Happy and The Suburban. When he’s not writing, you tin find Ian astatine the gym, a café, oregon anyplace wrong Mexico visiting household and friends.