San Pedro Garza García (also known as San Pedro or Garza García) is a city-municipality of the Mexican state of Nuevo León and part of the Monterrey Metropolitan area. It is a contemporary commercial suburb of the larger metropolitan city of Monterrey between Puente de la Unidad and the Alfa Planetarium, including areas surrounding Calzada del Valle/Calzada San Pedro. In 2018 it was evaluated as having the best quality of life in México. It has luxury shopping malls, large green areas, as well as important colleges and hospitals. Cerro de Chipinque and Chipinque Ecological Park are notable aspects of the city. The city hosts the headquarters of corporations such as ALFA, Cemex, Gamesa, Vitro, Pyosa, Softtek, and Cydsa. Geography The municipality has an area of and is primarily urban, located adjacent to the southwest side of Monterrey. It sits in a valley surrounded by mountains, most notably La Loma Larga and Sierra Madre Oriental. Government The Municipal President (Mayor) of San Pedro is Miguel Treviño de Hoyos, an independent candidate. San Pedro Garza Garcia was founded in 1596. The land was converted into a large plantation called "Los Nogales" which produced crops like corn, wheat, and beans. 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. Education Higher education The city is home to the Catholic university, Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM), which offers bachelor's degree and master's degree programs. The Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) has two of its graduate schools in San Pedro. The Escuela de Graduados en Administración y Dirección de Empresas (EGADE), ITESM's Graduate School of Business, and the Escuela de Graduados en Administración y Política Pública (EGAP), the Graduate School of Politics and Public Administration. Both campuses are located in Valle Oriente. There are no public universities in San Pedro. Elementary and secondary education San Pedro has 40 public pre-schools, elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools. The city also has 39 private schools. However, whereas public schools only