Valinhos () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

(''município'') in the state of

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. It is the birthplace of Adoniran Barbosa. Valinhos is famous for its purple fig, the theme of its annual Fig Fest. It is part of the

Metropolitan Region of Campinas The Metropolitan Region of Campinas () is an administrative division of the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It was created in 2000, and consists of the following municipalities: * Americana *Artur Nogueira *Campinas * Cosmópolis * Engenheiro Coe ...

. The population is 131,210 () in an area of . Its elevation is . Its name means 'little valleys' in Portuguese.

History

The city was founded on 2 December 1732 by Alexandre Simões Vieira. A passage between the villages of

and

Jundiaí Jundiaí is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo, in the Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region of Brazil, located north of São Paulo. The population of the city is 443,221, with an area ...

had been opened. The main economic foundation of the town in the 19th century was the production of coffee, figs and grapes. Later on, a railway was created to transport the products to the Port of Santos. Since the fig has been a town's symbol, the city counsel organizes the Festa do Figo (a traditional Fig Fest, attended by more than 75,000 people yearly). The city is mainly composed by closed neighbourhoods, condominium complexes and some residential buildings. There is also a Colégio Visconde de Porto Seguro.

Geography

Mostly two thirds of the area is a rural community scattered around , however, the urban area is growing as soon as the neighbourhoods are built. Around the city are the most important highways of the state of São Paulo, which are named Anhanguera, Bandeirantes and Dom Pedro I. They connect all parts of the state and are considered the best highways in the country.

Economy

Part of the greater

Campinas Campinas (, ''Plains'' or ''Meadows'') is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in São Paulo (state), São Paulo State, part of the country's Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region. According to the 2020 estimate, the city's popul ...

, Valinhos hosts branches from several multinational companies;

Vermeer Johannes Vermeer ( , ; see below; also known as Jan Vermeer; October 1632 – 15 December 1675) was a Dutch painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. He is considered one of the greatest painters of the Dutch ...

, Wenger, Cogna Educação, Chr. Hansen, Eaton, Unilever, Schlegel-Giesse and many others. According to the magazine Exame, Valinhos is the 12th best city in Brazil in terms of life quality.

Demography

* 2018: 127,123 citizens Population (in percentage) * Urban 95% * Rural 5% Area * Urban * Rural

Health, security and education

These three sections are provided by the government and are well designed in the town, as well as the children and teenagers have the chance to learn, have their free time, play some sports and are within a secure area. There are two new hospitals in the town that looks after partly two thirds of the population, where it's not paid. However, there is another one, which is private that attends the other third.

Media

In telecommunications, the city was served by Telecomunicações de São Paulo. In July 1998, this company was acquired by Telefónica, which adopted the Vivo brand in 2012. The company is currently an operator of cell phones, fixed lines, internet (fiber optics/4G) and television (satellite and cable).

International relations

References

Municipalities in São Paulo (state) {{MesoregionCampinas-geo-stub