27 May 2008 328 views No Comment

Where in the world is Tamaulipas and why would real estate investors be interested in going there? Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states in Mexico, and shares all of its northern boundary with the State of Texas and its eastern border is the Gulf of Mexico. Real estate investors are flocking to Tamaulipas because they know that there will be a steady stream of new clients in Tamaulipas for the forseeable future. It is as simple as that.

The only question left for real estate investors now is determining which part of Tamaulipas most interests them and the State of Tamaulipas actually has an organization to help them with determining the answer to that very question. Tamaulipas has created an organization known as SARET (Fast Track to Opening a Business in Tamaulipas).

The Office of the Secretary of Employment and Economic Development has created one simple form to register a business, meet governmental requirements, register patents, and obtain barcodes for products. In addition, they provide a professional staff to supply statistics, procedural information, and to arrange visits to locations that fit the needs of the business (Buchanan).

The following is a list of towns and cities in Estado de Tamaulipas and the economic activity that is either underway or soon to be underway. After reading the descriptions of these towns and villages, the wise investor can explore all of Tamaulipas and get a feel for the terrain at Pueblos America.com or pack up the car, cross the border and tour the state for themselves. Gasoline is still under $3.00 USD per gallon and the fartherest point in the state (Tampico) is only about six hours away.

Locations to Consider:

Altimira (on the Gulf coast just north of Tampico): petro-chemical and plastics industries; BASF; Dupont of the U.S.; Mexichem (PVC); Japan’s Bridgestone Corp. (carbon black); $500 million dollar Shell, Total of France, and Mitsui of Japan plant supplying natural gas to Iberdrola of Spain and Electricite de France who, in turn, supply electricity to the Federal Electricity Commission; Posco of South Korea’s $200 million dollar steel plant, J Ray McDernott’s $220 million dollar site to construct deep-water oil rigs

Matamoros (across from Brownsville, TX): manufacture of fine furniture for South Africa’s Kwalu, manufacture of auto parts for Germany’s CRH

Reynosa (across from McAllen, TX): This city is doing so well that they have just had an ExpoVivienda (House Fair) to give people a better understanding of what is available, and how near housing developments are to schools and work. Nearly 30 different developers participated in the fair.

Nuevo Laredo (across from Laredo, TX): manufactures notebooks for China’s Apego

Ciudad Victoria (State Capital): $80 million dollar medical center underway, growing IT industry, a new call center with 500 employees

Nuevo Villa de Padilla (on Hwy 101, northwest of Lake Guererro): meat processing plant owned by Koreans and exporting to Seoul

Tula (on Hwy 101 south of Victoria): 6,000 acres of olive groves, largest olive groves in Latin America.

El Mezquital (50 miles from Matamoros): plans for port capable of handling 5 to 10 thousand metric ton ocean-going cargoes. More about El Mezquital (in Spanish).

La Pesca (at Soto La Marina): at the southern tip of a 1.4 million acre bioreserve that extends all the way into Texas. 17 miles of unspoiled beach front set aside for development, and at the mouth of the Soto La Marina River, which is not polluted in any way. Soto La Marina is an area that is only about 3 hours from the border and is one of the best “yet to be discovered” retirement areas in the world.

Lake Guererro (Hwy 101 before Victoria): a Google search for “Lake Guererro” will bring the potential investor to views of some of the best bass fishing and winged hunting in the world.

El Chorrito, Guadalupe Victoria, and the lake created by Presa (Dam) Pedro J. Mendez (Hwy 85 to the northwest of Victoria): Sure to become a tourist favorite, hill country bordering on mountains, a pilgrimage for the Virgin of Guadalupe, and a lake that is the stuff of dreams. Read about this area on pages 3-1, 3-2, 4-1, and 4-2 of Mexico With Heart.

To learn more about the Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, and Fishing industries in Tamaulipas, visit the State’s Rural Development site.

To learn more about Tourism in Tamaulipas, click here and to explore other functions of the Government of the State of Tamaulipas, click here.

By now, the average investor will be wondering what is happening to make this tiny ribbon of a Mexican state so attractive to industry, tourism, and retirement. The answer begins with Tamaulipas’ very long border with the State of Texas, as well as a significantly long and diverse coastal region. Four distinct seasons and a few waterfalls, spectacular lakes, and world class fishing and hunting are not negatives either. But is there something more at the root of this interest in Tamaulipas? Of course there is. It has 15 border crossings into the U.S. and soon will have a highway directly connecting it with the west coast of Mexico and the new multi-billion dollar port there. This will give Asian products a straight route across Mexico to the south Texas border of the U.S, burning inexpensive Mexican gasoline all the way. In addition, NAFTA rules are especially beneficial for foreign corporations who are located on the Mexican side of the border because these rules make it possible for foreign corporations to compete with their American counterparts inside the United States. None of this logic is lost on corporations around the world. As the price of oil goes up and shipping becomes more and more expensive, it is expected that many more foreign manufacturing companies will continue to come to Tamaulipas and, with them, a real estate investment boom that defies imagination.