Ricote is a Spanish
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
in the autonomous community of
Murcia
Murcia (, , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It has a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one ...
. It has a population of 1,509 (2004) and an area of 87.7 km
2.
Ricote had a community of
Moriscos until their
expulsion from Spain in 1609. Govert Westerveld
[Westerveld, Govert (2007). ''Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Ana Félix y el morisco Ricote del Valle de Ricote en "Don Quijote II" del año 1615''. (capítulos 54, 55, 63, 64 y 65). ] and Francisco Márquez Villanueva
[Marquez Villanueva, Francisco (2010) ''Moros, moriscos y turcos en Cervantes. Ensayos críticos.'' .] believe that the name of the Morisco character
Ricote in
Don Quixote
is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...
is derived from the village.
Demographics
3.79% of the inhabitants were foreigners in 2019. 2.21% are Africans, 1.34% are Americans. The table below shows the population trends.
Economy
23.2% of the surface is utilised as crop lands. The most widely grown products are the almonds, the lemons and the olives. 48.21 agreements were written for jobs in agriculture and fishing sector in 2019, and 35.16% were signed by crop lands labourers in the second half of 2016. 46.87% were written by enterprises of the service sector, and 13.19% were signed by waiters. Only 1.78% of the agreements occurred in the industry sector.
Since the onset of Covid in 2018 the local economy in Ricote Valley has been growing as rentals of
rural houses with no neighbours has become a source of income for locals. Thanks to apps like
booking.com
Booking.com, headquartered in Amsterdam, is one of the largest online travel agencies. It is a subsidiary of Booking Holdings.
History
In 1996, Geert-Jan Bruinsma, a student at Universiteit Twente, founded Bookings.nl.
In 2000, Booking.co ...
,
airbnb
Airbnb, Inc. ( ), based in San Francisco, California, operates an online marketplace focused on short-term homestays and experiences. The company acts as a broker and charges a commission from each booking. The company was founded in 2008 b ...
, and Spaniards' desire to vacation without neighbours this region of Spain has experienced a small boom in its economy. There are, as of January 2021, 298 country houses for rent, more than in any other part of Spain. As well since 2020 the building industry has taken notice of the post covid trend to build bedroom communities in the Ricote valley where Murcia residents live all year, not just on weekends or summer. The travel is 35 minutes to
Murcia
Murcia (, , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It has a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one ...
city.
Facilities
The municipality is home to a consultorio(a primary care centre with the fewest functions), an early childhood and primary education centre and a library.
Main sights
Some buildings with architectural and history values are listed below:
* Palacio de la Encomienda de Santiago
* Palacio de Llamas: It was built in 1702.
* San Sebastián Parish Church: It was built in the 18 century.
References
''This article contains information from the
Spanish Wikipedia article
Ricote, accessed on January 10, 2008.''
Municipalities in the Region of Murcia
Moriscos
{{Murcia-geo-stub