El Carmen, Nuevo León facts for kids

Quick facts for kids El Carmen, Nuevo León
Municipality and town
Coat of arms
Nickname(s):  Carmen
Country	Mexico
State	Nuevo León
Founded	1614
Government
• Type	Municipality
Area
• Municipality	104.3 km2 (40.3 sq mi)
• Town	7.13 km2 (2.75 sq mi)
Population  (2020 census)
• Municipality	104,478
• Density	1,001.7/km2 (2,594.4/sq mi)
• Town	11,583
• Town density	1,624.5/km2 (4,207.6/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Website	El Carmen

El Carmen, also called "Carmen", is a town and a municipality in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico. It is located in the northeastern part of the country. In 2020, the municipality had a population of 104,478 people.

El Carmen is in the Salinas Valley region. It is one of the smaller municipalities in Nuevo León. It shares borders with other municipalities. To the north and east is Salinas Victoria. To the south is General Escobedo. To the west are Abasolo and Hidalgo.

Many people are moving to El Carmen and nearby areas. This is because house prices are lower here than in Monterrey. The area is also growing because it is close to Monterrey. Monterrey's big city area is expanding and might soon include El Carmen.

Understanding El Carmen's Communities

El Carmen is made up of several smaller communities, or "localities." Each of these places has its own population and size.

The History of El Carmen

The area where El Carmen is today was first settled a long time ago.

Early Settlements

A captain from the Canary Islands, Bernabé de las Casas, came to this region. He and other Spanish settlers, many from the Canary Islands, started several communities. These communities were all in the Salinas Valley. Bernabé de las Casas owned a lot of land, mines, and small settlements.

The specific area that is now El Carmen was not settled at first. Bernabé de las Casas passed this land to his daughter, Juliana de las Casas, and her husband in 1614. They started a place called Hacienda de Chipinque. This small village stayed mostly empty. So, in 1616, the land was sold to Diego de Villarreal and his sons. They were also Spanish. The goal was to bring more Spanish people to the Salinas Valley.

Becoming a Municipality

On February 5, 1852, an important decision was made. The governor of Nuevo León at that time, Agapito García, signed a special document. His executive secretary, Santiago Vidaurri, also signed it. This document stated that the village of Chipinque and the land around it would become a new, independent municipality. They named this new municipality "El Carmen."

El Carmen's Economy

The people of El Carmen work in several different areas.

Main Activities

• Agriculture: This means farming, growing crops like corn or beans.
• Ranching: Raising animals, especially cattle, for meat or milk.
• Manufacturing Industry: Recently, many factories have been built in and around El Carmen. These factories make different products.

Future Growth

El Carmen and its neighbors like Hidalgo, Abasolo, Salinas Victoria, and Mina have a lot of potential. They are quite close to Monterrey, which is a very large city. These municipalities are now considered part of the larger Monterrey metropolitan area. This closeness helps them grow and develop.

Sports in El Carmen

Sports are an important part of life in El Carmen.

Baseball Culture

The most popular sport in El Carmen is baseball. The municipality has a baseball park and a small stadium. It is also home to the Academia de Béisbol (Baseball Academy). This academy is one of the most important baseball training centers in Nuevo León and northeastern Mexico. El Carmen also has a favorite team that plays in the San Nicolas Baseball League.

Other Sports

Besides baseball, there are many places in El Carmen to play other sports. You can find fields and courts for:

• Soccer
• Volleyball
• Basketball