State of Sonora

The shores of the state of Sonora line the Sea of Cortez in the Gulf of California. The state borders the state of Chihuahua to the east, Sinaloa to the south and Baja California to the northwest; to the north it shares an extensive border with the U.S. state of Arizona and a shorter one with New Mexico.

• Main Cities: Hermosillo, Ciudad Obregón, Nogales
• Population: 3,100,000
• Higher Education: The main institution of higher education is the University of Sonora (UNISON), There are 17 universities in Sonora, including 2 campuses of the ITESM (Monterrey Institute of Technology).
• Graduates from IT Careers: 1000 per year
• IT Infrastructure: Fiber‐optics rings infrastructure, high bandwidth communications and MPLS, several providers
• IT Industry: The industry in Sonora has been oriented to automotive, aerospace and electric/electronic enterprises, and is now quickly moving into Information Technology. In November 2007, Sonora opened a fully operational Technology Park designed specifically for the IT Industry, with its 2nd phase already under development, and has two other Technology Parks in the planning stage.

Why Invest in Sonora?

Sonora is one of the Mexican border states that has been most successful in retaining its citizens and professionals because of its proximity to the USA. This proximity, in combination with the high number of talented professionals (usually educated in the USA), prominent use of the English language, and significantly lower operations costs in Mexico make Sonora an interesting prospect to attract investments, and a natural option to serve the U.S. West Coast.

The government of Sonora is actively supporting foreign investments in IT. Through its “Softlanding” program, Sonora has custom‐made, tax and non‐tax, built‐to‐suit packages that provide incentives depending on the purpose of the investment, job creation, and location within the state. The state participates in the proSoft program that provides cash grants to investors in IT technology in the state.