Quilicura ( ; ) is a commune of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

located in capital

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

. Founded in 1901, it was originally a satellite town on what were then the outskirts of the city of Santiago. In recent times, ongoing

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted ...

has quickly urbanized the area, transforming it from what was once prime agricultural land into an integrated part of the Santiago metropolitan area.

Etymology

The origin of the name Quilicura is from the

Mapuche The Mapuche ( , ) also known as Araucanians are a group of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging e ...

language Mapudungun and comes from the words ''kila'' meaning three and ''kura'' meaning stone. The "Three Stones" are the three hills which separate the area and form the border with Renca.

Location

Quilicura is located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region, at the northwestern edge of Chile's capital Santiago. It borders Renca to the south (naturally separated by Renca Hill), Pudahuel to the west, Huechuraba and Conchalí to the east, and Lampa and Colina to the north. Quilicura has relatively little green space compared to wealthier neighborhoods in the city, as it remains a predominantly industrial area.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census, Quilicura spans an area of and has 126,518 inhabitants (62,421 men and 64,097 women). Of these, 125,999 (99.6%) lived in

urban area An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...

s and 519 (0.4%) in

rural area In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

s. The population grew by 207.7% (85,397 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. According to the 2012 census preliminary data Quilicura is now home to 203,946 residents. Note: Data are preliminary. In 2005, the regional quality of life index for Quilicura was rated at a medium level of 72.53, ranking 34th out of 52. In 2003, the commune's

Human Development Index The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistical composite index of life expectancy, Education Index, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income i ...

was recorded at 0.782, placing it 19th out of 341.Las Trayectorias del Desarrollo Humano en las Comunas de Chile (1994-2003)
."

UNDP The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...

, ''Gobierno de Chile, Mideplán'' In 2011, the average annual household per capita income was estimated at US$39,302 ( PPP). According to the 2017 census conducted by the National Institute of Statistics, the population of the commune increased to 210,410 inhabitants, of whom 103,456 (49%) were men and 106,954 (51%) were women, which corresponded to a masculinity index of 96.7. In recent years, Quilicura has become home of a large Haitian community.

Transport

Quilicura is located about 12 km from Santiago's international airport and is served by the Américo Vespucio Norte Highway as well as the

Pan-American Highway The Pan-American Highway is a vast network of roads that stretches about 30,000 kilometers (about 19,000 miles) from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in the northernmost part of North America to Ushuaia, Argentina, at the southern tip of South America. I ...

. RED public buses connect Quilicura to the centre of Santiago and run frequently in both directions. The first phase of the Santiago Metro Line 3 connecting the commune with the rest of the network was completed on 22 January 2019, with phase 2 being completed in 2023. Currently, the closest metro station to Quilicura is Los Libertadores which is the northern terminus of Line 3.

Administration

As a commune, Quilicura is a third-level

administrative division of Chile The administrative division or territorial organization of Chile exemplifies characteristics of a unitary state. State administration is functionally and geographically decentralized, as appropriate for each authority in accordance with the law ...

administered by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...

, headed by a mayor who is directly-elected every four years. The 2024-2028 mayor is Paulina Bobadilla Navarrete (Ind/ FA). The communal council has the following members: * Daniela San Martin Pizarro (Ind/ PAVP) * Claudio Sáez Belmar ( RN) * Mario Muñoz Chacón ( REP) * Nicolás Quiroz Venegas ( PAVP) * Leslie Pérez Jiménez ( PDG) * Gonzalo López Pizarro ( PH) * Alexandra Arancibia Olea ( PL) * Danae García Ibarra (Ind/ FA) * Daniela Cuevas Fuentes ( PCCh) * Sebastián Guerrero Pradenas ( PPD) Within the

electoral divisions of Chile This article covers the electoral division of Chile, which involves two distinct systems: # Chamber of Deputies of Chile, Chamber of Deputies and Senate of Chile, Senate: Chile is divided into electoral districts and senatorial constituencies for ...

, Quilicura is part of electoral district No. 8 together with the commune of Colina, Lampa, Pudahuel, Maipú, Til Til, Cerrillos and Estación Central. On the other hand, the commune belongs to the VII Senatorial District that represents the entire Metropolitan Region of Santiago.

Notable people

* Carmen Romo Sepúlveda

References

External links

*
Municipality de Quilicura
*
Quilicura TV Canal 6 Comunitario

In Mapudungun
{{Authority control Populated places in Santiago Province, Chile Geography of Santiago, Chile Communes of Chile Populated places established in 1901 1901 establishments in Chile