São Bernardo do Campo

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São Bernardo do Campo (Portuguese for Saint Bernard of the field) is a municipality located in the Greater São Paulo, in the state of São Paulo in Brazil.

[edit] History

The city was founded by João Ramalho in 1553 and was known as Vila de Santo André da Borda do Campo de Piratininga, soon transferred to another nearby place, safer from hostile tribes. The original settlement was then resettled as São Bernardo, became a parish in 1812 and became a municipality in 1890. In 1938, it became a part of the Santo André district only to be separated again in 1945.

The area where today is located not only São Bernardo do Campo, but also Santo André, São Caetano do Sul and Diadema was once a farm owned by Beneditine monks, who had even African slaves. By the second half of the XIX century, European immigrants started to come to the area, mainly from Italy. The Italians settled cottages, in the rural area of São Bernardo do Campo, the so-called colonies (colônias). Every year there are events celebrating the immigration. Also, by the beginning of the XX century, Japanese came to the city, most of them going to the neighborhood called Cooperativa.

Industry, in particular the metallurgical industry, thrived in the city during the 1960s, when São Bernardo do Campo became known as Brazil's Automobile Capital (Portuguese: a Capital do Automóvel). Many of these plants have since relocated to other regions but the automobile industry remains a vital part of the history of São Bernardo do Campo. The city is also known for its furniture industry, that was first developed by Italian immigrants, that influenced São Bernardo do Campo to be a Hi-Tech industrial pole.

The industries also brought migrants from the Brazilian northeastern, especially from poor regions, by the 1960s. One of them was Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The now president then worked in automobile factories in São Bernardo do Campo during the 1970s.

[edit] Today

In 2005, the population of São Bernardo do Campo stood at 788,560 with a population density of 1,937.02/km².

The city is a core part of the ABC region (A = Santo André, B = São Bernardo do Campo, C = São Caetano do Sul).

Public transportation in São Bernardo do Campo is provided by ETCSBC (Empresa de Transporte Coletivo de São Bernardo do Campo) and EMTU (Empresa Metropolitana de Transportes Urbanos, "Metropolitan Urban Transport Company").

The city is known for important universities such as the Universidade Metodista de São Paulo and Centro Universitário FEI.

Northwest: Diadema	North: São Paulo (except for Diadema)	Northeast: São Caetano do Sul and Santo André
West: São Paulo (except for Diadema)	São Bernardo do Campo	East: Cubatão
	South: São Vicente	Southeast: Cubatão