It has become primarily a city for residences and family houses, although it still has several factories that tend to relocate to the periphery of the metropolitan area.

Diego Díaz de Berlanga was the person that redacted Monterrey's Foundation Act, and authorized the first land permissions to its first settlers.

In 1830 the area was declared to the category of village, with the name of San Nicolás de los Garza, in honor of the patron saint of the town.

The mayor is the executor of the determinations of the City Council and the person directly in charge of the public municipal administration.

In the first part of the 20th century, several important Mexican companies built factories in the municipality, making San Nicolás primarily an industrial center.

[citation needed] In the 1970s, San Nicolás increased its reputation as a good place to live, and the municipality experienced a tide of house construction.

In the 1980s several industrial facilities moved to other municipalities, mainly to Apodaca, which is still within the Monterrey Metropolitan Area, but farther from downtown.