Envigado

Envigado
City

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Location of the municipality and town of Envigado in the Antioquia Department of Colombia
Envigado

Location in Colombia

Coordinates: 6°10′19″N 75°34′49″W / 6.17194°N 75.58028°W / 6.17194; -75.58028
Country  Colombia
Department Antioquia Department
Founded 1775
Government
 • Mayor Raúl Cardona
Area
 • City 78.78 km2 (30.42 sq mi)
Elevation 1,675 m (5,495 ft)
Population (2012)
 • City 199,276
 • Density 2,500/km2 (6,600/sq mi)
 • Metro 3,312,165
Demonym(s) Envigadeño
Time zone Colombia Standard Time (UTC-5)
Area code(s) 57 + 4
Website Official website (Spanish)

Envigado (Spanish pronunciation: [embiˈɣaðo]) is a town southeast of Medellin, Colombia which belongs to the department of Antioquia.

It is located in the southern region of the Aburrá Valley and is a part of The Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley. It has limits at its north with El Poblado, Medellín, at its south with Sabaneta, at its east with El Retiro and Caldas, and at its west with Itagüí.

In 2015, Colombia's Department of National Planning released a document, which placed Envigado among the top-three best places to live in Colombia.

Even though today the Aburrá Valley has one of the lowest homicide rates in Colombia, 6 for every 100,000 people,[1] it is still widely recognized for being the hometown of the notorious Pablo Escobar and his Medellin cartel.[2]

Envigado is also the hometown of the Colombian philosopher Fernando González. His house, Otraparte, today is a cultural center and museum dedicated to his memory and works.

Envigado is also famous for keeping the paisa traditions and architecture, one of the best standards of living in Colombia and for its promising football team: Envigado Futbol Club.

Demographics

Envigado neighborhoods.

The population in the 1993 census was 115,484 inhabitants, and in 2012, it had a population of 199,276. In 2013, Envigado was estimated to have a total population of 212,235 according to a projection from a 2005 DANE census.

Envigado's demonym is "Envigadeño."

History

Iglesia de Santa Gertrudis

Envigado was founded in 1775 and was declared a municipality in 1814.

Some researchers suggest that its name comes from the large trees that were once found there and which were used for the rafters (vigas) in constructing houses.

Spaniards in search of gold arrived in the Aburrá Valley for the first time in August of the year 1541. They left only a month after to continue their quest for gold, but returned 90 years later, at the beginning of the 17th century, to stay.[3]

The rural Envigado was inhabited by wealthy Spanish families, which lived in prosperous residences that produced nourishment for Antioquia for about 150 years.

The urban Envigado only appeared after 1775 with the creation of the Santa Gertrudis Parish, which is now in the center of Downtown Envigado known as "El Parque de Envigado."

On July 10 2016 Envigado became part of the Metropolitan Area, which brings together the other nine municipalities of the region - Caldas, La Estrella, Sabaneta, Itagüí, Medellín, Bello, Copacabana, Girardota , Barbosa.

Economy

Envigado boasts a great and modern industry, with manufacturing as its main economic activity. Among the most outstanding locally based companies is the Renault-Toyota assembly plant Sofasa.↵In addition, Envigado hosts the headquarters of Almacenes Exito, the largest chain of supermarkets of Colombia, particularly for textiles, soaps, and perfumes.

Sports

Envigado is home to a football (soccer) team called Envigado Fútbol Club which plays in the Colombian first division.

Inder Envigado

Inder Envigado is Envigado's Institute of Sports, Recreation, and Good Use of Free Time, which was founded as a decentralized institution on June 25, 1998. Its purpose is offering the community sporting and recreational activities in an effort to strengthen Envigado's human development.

One of Inder's main projects is Envigado's cycleway, which is a weekly activity that takes place Sundays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. During that time, Inder restricts the passage of vehicles on one Envigado's main streets, La Avenida del Poblado, and opens it exclusively to Envigadeños for running, biking, skating and walking. Inder also offers several activities on the cycleway, such as outdoor community Yoga and Zumba sessions.

References

  1. ↑ "Los cinco mejores 'vivideros' de Colombia según planeación nacional". El Universal Cartagena. Retrieved 2016-04-18.
  2. ↑ "Pablo Escobar | Profile". colombiareports.com. Retrieved 2016-04-18.
  3. ↑ ".:Envigado:.". www.envigado.gov.co. Retrieved 2016-04-17.

External links

Coordinates: 6°10′N 75°34′W / 6.167°N 75.567°W / 6.167; -75.567

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/24/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.