Envigado () is a town southeast of
Medellín
Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...
,
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
in the department of
Antioquia. It is located in
the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
. It borders
El Poblado
El Poblado is the 14th commune in the metropolitan area of the city of Medellín, Colombia. According to a 2005 census the population was 94,704, distributed among its land area of 23 km2, and by the year 2015, it had a population of 128,8 ...
, Medellín to the north,
Sabaneta to the south,
El Retiro and
Caldas to the east, and
Itagüí
Itagüí () is a city of Colombia, located in the south of the Aburrá Valley in the Antioquia Department. It is part of The Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley.
Demographics
The population at the 2005 census was 230,272. Its density is 17&nb ...
to the west.
Envigado is known for maintaining the traditions of the
Paisa Region
A Paisa is someone from a region in the northwest of Colombia, including part of the West and Central ''cordilleras'' of the Andes in Colombia. The Paisa region is formed by the departments of Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío. ...
and for its architecture. It also has one of the highest standards of living in Colombia and according to the Colombian magazine
Semana
''Semana'' (Spanish: ''Week'') is a weekly magazine in Colombia.
History
''Semana'' was founded in 1946 by Alberto Lleras Camargo (who would become president of Colombia in 1958) and that folded in 1961. It was relaunched by journalist Felipe L ...
, it has the lowest rate in the country of, what the magazine calls, “people with unmet basic needs”.
Its recent history is closely associated with
Pablo Escobar
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (; ; 1 December 19492 December 1993) was a Colombian drug lord and narcoterrorist who was the founder and sole leader of the Medellín Cartel. Dubbed "the king of cocaine", Escobar is the wealthiest criminal in h ...
and the
Medellin cartel. Despite its connection with Escobar, the Aburrá Valley now has one of the lowest homicide rates in Colombia: 6 for every 100,000 people,
Envigado is the hometown of the Colombian writer and philosopher
Fernando González
Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi (; born 29 July 1980) is a Chilean former professional tennis player. During his career he made it to at least the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slam tournaments. He played his only major final at the ...
. His house, ''Otraparte'', today is a cultural center and museum dedicated to his memory and works.
Demographics
![Barrios de Envigado-Colombia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Barrios_de_Envigado-Colombia.svg)
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 212,437 according to a projection from a 2018 DANE census.
Envigado's
demonym
A demonym (; ) or gentilic () is a word that identifies a group of people (inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place (hamlet, village, town, city, region, province, ...
is "Envigadeño."
History
![Iglesia deSanta Gertrudis-Envigado](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Iglesia_deSanta_Gertrudis-Envigado.jpg)
Envigado was founded in 1775 and was declared a municipality in 1814. The founders were José Antonio Isaza y Atuesta, Lucas de Ochoa y Tirado, and Vicente Restrepo.
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
Aburrá Valley (in Spanish ''Valle de Aburrá''), is the natural river basin of the Medellín River and one of the most populous valleys of Colombia in its Andean Region with near 4 million inhabitants in its biggest urban agglomeration: The Me ...
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.
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
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a r ...
is the main economic activity. This includes 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
Envigado Fútbol Club () is a Colombian professional football team based in Envigado, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at the Estadio Polideportivo Sur.
The club is renowned for the quality of its yo ...
which plays in the Colombian first division.
Inder Envigado
Inder Envigadois 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.
It counts with multiple sports venues as the Envigado Recreational Park, Alto De Los Sueños, Centro Polideportivo Las Cometas and the main venue Polideportivo Sur de Envigado, that is equipped with multiple sports courts including a
BMX place for earlier training of Olympics gold medalist
Mariana Pajón
Mariana Pajón Londoño ODB OLY (born 10 October 1991) is a Colombian cyclist, two-time Olympic gold medalist and BMX World Champion. , Estadio Polideportivo Sur, Olimpic Swimming pool.
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.
See also
*
Saint Joseph's Church, Envigado
The St Joseph's Church (in Spanish, ''Iglesia de San José'') is a simple gothic revival Roman Catholic church located in Colombia, exactly in Envigado, Antioquia; near ''Rosellón'', and old textile factory, and part of the Roman Catholic ...
References
External links
City of Envigado Municipal GovernmentMi Pueblo, Envigado
{{Coord, 6, 10, N, 75, 34, W, region:CO_type:city, display=title
Populated places established in 1775