Votuporanga

Votuporanga
Municipality
The Municipality of Votuporanga
Aerial view of the town centre
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): City of the Soft Breezes
Location of Votuporanga
Coordinates: 20°25′02″S 49°58′22″W / 20.41722°S 49.97278°W / -20.41722; -49.97278Coordinates: 20°25′02″S 49°58′22″W / 20.41722°S 49.97278°W / -20.41722; -49.97278
Country	Brazil
Region	Southeast
State	São Paulo
Mesoregion	São José do Rio Preto
Government
• Mayor	Nasser Marão Filho
Area
• Total	424.11 km2 (163.75 sq mi)
Elevation	525 m (1,722 ft)
Population (2010/IBGE)
• Total	84,692
• Density	199.69/km2 (517.2/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-3 (UTC-3)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-2 (UTC-2)
Postal Code	15500-000
Area code(s)	+55 17
Website	Votuporanga, São Paulo

Votuporanga is a municipality in the Northwest of the São Paulo state, Brazil. The city is located 520 km from São Paulo. The population of the city, according to the IBGE, is 84,692 inhabitants.^[1] Votuporanga is the center of a Microregion with 139,475 inhabitants.

History

Votuporanga's history is closely linked to that of the coffee trade in Brazil. The land where the city is located originally belonged to the Marinheiro de Cima Farm, owned by Francisco Schmidt. Schmidt was forced to sell the land to Theodor Wille, owner of the Wille, Schmillinski e Cia. company, to settle outstanding debts.^[2] The land was thus divided up into plots and sold at a low price. Little by little the area's population began to grow, until at last, becoming part of the district of Vila Monteiro, now Álvares Florence, and the municipal district of Monte Aprazível.

The name, Votuporanga, was suggested by Sebastião Almeida de Oliveira, notary public for the local town of Tanabi. Votuporanga, in Tupi language, means "Good winds" or "Soft breezes". The town on Votuporanga was founded on August 8, 1937. Father Isidoro Cordeiro Paranhos celebrated a Catholic mass on this same day, thus becoming one of the pilars of the town's heritage.

In 1945 Votuporanga was decreed to be a municipal district, and center for the local county. The first mayor was Francisco Villar Horta. In the same year, an important development took place with the arrival of the Railroad Araraquarense, providing a vital rail connection to the Port of Santos. Two other principal features of the city are the Santa Casa de Misericórdia hospital and the contemporary Igreja de Nossa Senhora Aparecida (Church of Our Lady Aparecida).

In the 1970s, the state highway Rodovia Euclides da Cunha, SP-320, which connects Votuporanga to the state capital, was tarmacked, helping to develop the growth of the town. Also around this time, the educational institution UNIFEV was created. In the 1980s, the city experienced economic growth, mainly in the Furniture, agricultural machinery industry and metalworking for the haulage industry.

The Name

In the Tupi language, votu means "air", "breeze" and poranga means "nice", "good". Literally this term means "good air", "good winds" or "soft breezes".^[3] The city is known as the "City of soft breezes".

Economy

73.85% of the city's GDP is generated by the Tertiary sector, and 23.61% comes from Industry.^[4] Votuporanga has a significant furniture industry, characterized by small and medium companies. These firms employ around 15,000 workers.

Demographics

Votuporanga at night

The HDI of the city, measured by the UNDP, was 0.817 in 2000.^[5]

Urban structure

Healthcare

Votuporanga has 2 hospitals, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Votuporanga and Casa de Saúde e Maternidade Nossa Srª Aparecida. There are also 2 free access priority healthcare facilities for non-critical emergency treatment, Mini-Hospital "Fortunata G. Pozzobon" and an UPA 24hrs.^[6]

Education

There are 3 universities in the city: the UNIFEV, the REGES, and a branch of the FATEC (Faculdades de Tecnologia do Estado de São Paulo).

Infrastructure

Culture

Sports

The city has one professional football club, Clube Atlético Votuporanguense.

External links

• Official Votuporanga Website

References