Linares, Nuevo León, Mexico

🇲🇽 Linares is a small city in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico. The city serves as the administrative centre for the surrounding municipality of the same name and it is the largest urban centre of the so-called "orange belt" region. The city and the municipality both rank tenth in population in the state. The municipality has an area of 2,445.2 km² (944.1 sq mi) and lies in the east-southeast part of the state on the border with the state of Tamaulipas. The municipality of Hualahuises is an enclave of Linares municipality.

It was founded on 2 April 1712 by Sebastián Villegas Cumplido and named in honour of the serving Viceroy of New Spain, Fernando de Alencastre Norona y Silva, Duke of Linares.

Linares has a small industrial park and is well-connected to both Monterrey and the Gulf of Mexico via a modern highway. It is also the main gateway to the southern part of the state.

Linares and its environs are the setting for Sofía Segovia's 2015 novel El murmullo de las abejas (The Murmur of Bees). The town is also where the legendary norteño band Los Cadetes De Linares originated from in the 1970s.

Geography It is found in the central part of the state, in the Región Citrícula or the Citrus Region.

Localities • El Chocolate

History The town was founded in the "Hualahuises" land on April 10, 1712. The name (Linares) derives from its previous name, Villa de San Felipe de Linares.

Demographics According to the Population and Housing Census done by the Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografía (INEGI), the municipality has a total population of 78,669. Of the total population, 39,104 (49%) are men and 39,565 (51%) are women.

Culture Linares is the first cultural centre outside of the metropolitan area of Monterrey. Linares has a theater house with a capacity of 600, a central library and two exhibition galleries where works from national and international artists are on display.

Six public libraries, eighteen cultural halls are present, along with three cultural halls in the more rural areas.

The city has a Culture House presenting free music, dance, theater, literature, and visual arts classes. Music includes include rounds, choirs and folklore ballet in addition to popular music.

The city hosts multiple festivals. These include two music festivals (in October and Holy Week), the plastic arts festival in November, and the Villaseca fair in August.

Linares is recognised for its caramel-like candies made from cow's and goat's milk. The most famous brand is "Glorias de Linares.

It was recently named Pueblo Mágico (Magical Town).