Near the end of the 19th century, the capital of Minas Gerais physically outgrew the valley in which it was located. The state government turned to a large but sparsely populated valley, located in the center of the state and with a temperate climate, and committed to building a city larger than any other in Minas Gerais where previously there were only cattle. Belo Horizonte was inaugurated as the new capital in 1897. Within thirty years of its founding, it grew into Brazil's first true inland metropolis: where once the hinterlands of Minas Gerais simply exported its raw materials to the coast, now they supply thriving steel mills and cement plants in the capital. Such rapid growth necessitated sweeping infrastructure expansion under mayor Juscelino Kubitschek in the 40s; thus began the career of a man who would one day be president and apply his approach to urban development nationwide. Belo Horizonte itself enjoys a diversifying and growing economy, and continues to grow as fast as ever. It seems almost certainly destined to surpass Recife as Brazil's 3rd largest city in the near future.