Caxias do Sul

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Caxias do Sul skyline

Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul

Main Street in Caxias do Sul called Avenida Júlio de Castilhos

Multicolored houses adjacent to downtown Caxias do Sul

Caxias do Sul (population: 404,187) is a city in Rio Grande do Sul, south Brazil, situated in the state's moutainous Serra Gaúcha region. It was established by Italian immigrants on June 20, 1890. Today it is the second largest city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The demonym of the citizens of Caxias do Sul is caxiense.

The city is 760 m (about 2000 feet) above sea level. Its climate is subtropical. The average annual temperature is 16°C, with 22°C in January and 11° in July. Frosts are common in the winter, and there is on average one snowy day per year. Its record temperature extremes are -7°C and 36°C.

In Caxias do Sul, several small, medium, large and multinational companies were founded. The city is recognized as an Entrepreneurial-Exporting Hub in the country. Some of these companies are Marcopolo (buses and truck frames, present in six countries), Tramontina silverware company based in Carlos Barbosa with plants throughout Brazil, Grendene, a manufacturer of shoes based in neighboring Farroupilha, Todeschini, a manufacturer of furniture based in nearby Bento Gonçalves, the wine capital of Brazil, and Florense based in Flores da Cunha, (furniture, tailor-made kitchen cabinets) among others and several textile factories and wineries.

The per capita income in Caxias do Sul is one of the highest in Brazil according to IBGE. The city is located in the mountains of the Serra Gaucha.

As of January 2006, the mayor is José Ivo Sartori, of the PMDB party. He succeeds former mayor Pepe Vargas, of the PT party, who served two consecutive terms.

[edit] Soccer Teams

Caxias do Sul is home to the S.E.R. Caxias and Juventude soccer clubs. In general, Juventude is viewed as the team of the wealthy fan while the S.E.R. Caxias team is an underdog team favored by the working class. Even though both teams have recently claimed the Campeonato Gaúcho, Juventude has had greater luck at national level, since the team has been in the first division of the Campeonato Brasileiro for over ten years, whilst Caxias, as of 2006, plays in the third division. Juventude also has the third biggest population of fans in the state, just behind the two major teams of the state capital city, Porto Alegre.

[edit] Tourism

The city is home to the Festa da Uva, or Grape Festival, a celebration of the city's Italian heritage. Visitors taste cheese, grapes and various Brazilian wines. Visitors interested in the regions wine can also visit the Château Lacave Castle, a 6th Century-style medieval structure that currently functions as a winery. Caxias do Sul is also one of the four settlements along the beautiful Caminhos da Colônia scenic tourist route in the Serra Gaúcha.