El Poblado, Medellín
Encyclopedia
El Poblado is a comuna in the metropolitan area
of the city of Medellín
, Colombia
. According to a 2005 census the population is 94,704 distributed among its land area of 1432.58 km². It is the wealthiest district of the city. The comuna consists of 24 barrios
and is located at the south-east of the city boundaries. Its western boundary with the comuna of Guayabal runs along the Medellín River
; it limits to the south with the city of Envigado
, to the east with the township
of Santa Elena and to the north with the comunas of La Candelaria and Buenos Aires.
El Poblado is also known as "Las Manzanas de Oro" (The Golden Apples) because it is the main center of the industrial and commercial life of the second largest economy of Colombia.
The name El Poblado ("The Village") derives from the first Spanish
settlement of the Aburrá Valley
in 1616 that was built in what is today its main square. In 1675 the Spanish administration founded another village in El Sitio de Aná (The Aná Place), today's Berrío Square, designed to become the center of the future Medellín but El Poblado instead became the main economical center during the 20th century.
, in what is today El Poblado Square, by a royal edict of March 2, 1616. The new village called "San Lorenzo de Aburrá" had a population of 80 indigenous people
. A later edict stated that indigenous people, white and mestizo
s, could not live together and the Spanish administration moved the center to a new village in what is today the Berrio Square by 1675. El Poblado became a marginalized township
until the 20th century.
In 1845 the parish was given the name "San José del Poblado" and had a plaza, streets and land for sle. At that time the most famous finca
s were Provenza, Manila, Patio Bonito, Vizcaya, Castropol and Astorga that would remain in the barrio names.
At the beginning of the 20th century El Poblado was a preferred place for rich families of the city to buy rural villas. At that time travel between El Poblado and Medellín was difficult but the area was attractive for the industrialists and business families that settled Barrio Prado in what is now the downtown area. With the construction of the Medellín - El Poblado Avenue the land became valuable for urban settlements and the villas or fincas were built in Envigado
. In the 1930s farming families from outlying areas came to Medellín looking for new opportunities and attracted by the industrial revolution
of the city in El Poblado. This inspired the creation of a new barrio, Barrio Lleras, financed by Banco Central Hipotecario.
In the 1950s El Poblado was included in the city due to the extension of industrial activities along the Medellín River
to the south. The rich families of Barrio Prado started to move to El Poblado because La Candelaria became overpopulated and the land rose in price.
In the 1970s El Poblado became the place for Medellín's wealthy residents and the second urban center and was given nicknames such as "Milla de Oro" (Golden Mile) and the "Zona Rosa" was established – an exclusive tourist area for business, night clubs and general activities for locals and visitors.
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. The Medellín River
borders its western side separating it from the Guayabal Commune and its elevations east of the river rise from approximately 1,538 meters (5,046 feet) above sea level to over 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) at its highest point.
Several streams descending from the eastern mountain flow into the Medellín River and pass throughout El Poblado with the most important ones being El Poblado and Aguacatala creeks.
According to the 2005 Annual Medellín Statistics Report, El Poblado has a population of 94,704 inhabitants (53,561 males and 41.143 females). It is also a very young population, with 63.9% being under 39 years old. 39.4% of the population has a range of ages between 15 and 39 years old and only 5.6% is over 65 years old.
Additionally, another 2005 report from the Medellín municipality estimates that 66.5% of the housing in El Poblado belongs to the richest class in Colombia known as estrato 6; 27.5% belongs to the high-middle class (estrato 5); 4.2% belongs to the middle class; 1.3% to the low-middle class and 0.5% to the poor class.
The Commune is divided by 22 barrios:
El Poblado follows the Medellín tradition of using names for the streets rather than numbers though it has its own kind of numbering its street (calles), different to the rest of the Medellín municipality. The number of the calles (those that go from east to west) increase from south to north: "Calle 1" at the south of the city and "Calle 120" at its north. However "Calle 1" in El Poblado which starts the increasing of numbers of the streets from north to south is distinguished by the word "sur" (South): Calle 1Sur is at the northern part of El Poblado and Calle 10Sur is at its south.
This is one of the main thoroughfares in Medellín and it changes name several times along the eastern mountain of the city connecting the most northern barrios of Medellín like Manrique to the southern Envigado
. In El Poblado it has the name of the comunas starting at its intersection with the 30th Avenue (Calle 30) at its north and connecting with the El Poblado - Envigado at its south. The Avenue passes by El Poblado Square where Medellín was born in 1616 and Calle 10 (the 10th Street) which is noted for its thriving commerce and nightlife.
and El Retiro
). The road is also the eastern limit of the Commune and has a lot commercial buildings, hotels, restaurants and places to view the Aburrá Valley. The road starts in the intersection of the 33rd Street and El Poblado Avenue. It is a long ascent to the eastern mountain which gives a good view of the Valley. There is also a small and twisting road that goes from the center of the Commune to the highway crossing and named La Cola del Zorro (The Tail of the Fox road).
The Commune is connected to the Guayabal Commune in the west by 4 bridges crossing the Medellín River in the following streets:
The buses from Medellín to Envigado
and Sabaneta
cities also cross El Poblado.
El Poblado contains some of the more well known squares and malls of Medellín.
As a commercial city the Medellín malls are considered amongst the best in Colombia and the ones in El Poblado lead the way. Some of the more important malls are:
The Commune has the highest level of education of the city with several private and government-owned schools and colleges.
Among the private schools in "El Poblado" we can find:
One of the more well known museums of Medellín is in El Poblado. The "Museo El Castillo" has architecture which appropriate for its present purpose as a shelter for fine art and antiquities. It was built in 1930 by architect Nel Rodríguez in a gothic European middle age style inspired by castles of Loire
, France
. Its first resident was José Tobón Uribe who brought the plans from France. He lived there until 1943 when the industrialist Diego Echavarría Misas bought the castle for his family. He donated the castle as a museum in 1971. The museum has gardens, libraries, rooms of exhibitions and concerts.
Metropolitan Area of Medellín
The Metropolitan Area of Medellín or the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley is a metropolitan area and subregion in the Colombian Department of Antioquia...
of the city of Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. According to a 2005 census the population is 94,704 distributed among its land area of 1432.58 km². It is the wealthiest district of the city. The comuna consists of 24 barrios
Barrio
Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
and is located at the south-east of the city boundaries. Its western boundary with the comuna of Guayabal runs along the Medellín River
Medellín river
The Medellín River , called Porce River during most of its course, is a river that flows though the Colombian city of Medellín and its metropolitan area...
; it limits to the south with the city of Envigado
Envigado
Envigado is a city of Colombia in the department of Antioquia, located at the south of the Aburrá Valley and belonging to the Metropolitan Area of Medellín. It has limits at its north with El Poblado, Medellín; at its south with Sabaneta; at its east with El Retiro and Caldas and at west with Itagüí...
, to the east with the township
Township
The word township is used to refer to different kinds of settlements in different countries. Township is generally associated with an urban area. However there are many exceptions to this rule. In Australia, the United States, and Canada, they may be settlements too small to be considered urban...
of Santa Elena and to the north with the comunas of La Candelaria and Buenos Aires.
El Poblado is also known as "Las Manzanas de Oro" (The Golden Apples) because it is the main center of the industrial and commercial life of the second largest economy of Colombia.
The name El Poblado ("The Village") derives from the first Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
settlement of the Aburrá Valley
Aburrá Valley
Aburrá Valley , is the natural basin of the Medellín River and one of the most populous valleys of Colombia in its Andean Region with near 3 million inhabitants. The valley is located on the Central Range, over the Antioquian Mountain just between the Magdalean and Cauca valleys from east to west...
in 1616 that was built in what is today its main square. In 1675 the Spanish administration founded another village in El Sitio de Aná (The Aná Place), today's Berrío Square, designed to become the center of the future Medellín but El Poblado instead became the main economical center during the 20th century.
History
The Spanish Francisco Herrera y Campuzano established the first European settlement in the Aburrá ValleyAburrá Valley
Aburrá Valley , is the natural basin of the Medellín River and one of the most populous valleys of Colombia in its Andean Region with near 3 million inhabitants. The valley is located on the Central Range, over the Antioquian Mountain just between the Magdalean and Cauca valleys from east to west...
, in what is today El Poblado Square, by a royal edict of March 2, 1616. The new village called "San Lorenzo de Aburrá" had a population of 80 indigenous people
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
. A later edict stated that indigenous people, white and mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
s, could not live together and the Spanish administration moved the center to a new village in what is today the Berrio Square by 1675. El Poblado became a marginalized township
Township
The word township is used to refer to different kinds of settlements in different countries. Township is generally associated with an urban area. However there are many exceptions to this rule. In Australia, the United States, and Canada, they may be settlements too small to be considered urban...
until the 20th century.
In 1845 the parish was given the name "San José del Poblado" and had a plaza, streets and land for sle. At that time the most famous finca
Finca
Finca is a board game published by Hans im Glück. Players collect fruit by stepping around a windmill and then selling the fruit in specific combinations to the various towns on the game board.The game was nominated for the Spiel des Jahres in 2009....
s were Provenza, Manila, Patio Bonito, Vizcaya, Castropol and Astorga that would remain in the barrio names.
Envigado
Envigado is a city of Colombia in the department of Antioquia, located at the south of the Aburrá Valley and belonging to the Metropolitan Area of Medellín. It has limits at its north with El Poblado, Medellín; at its south with Sabaneta; at its east with El Retiro and Caldas and at west with Itagüí...
. In the 1930s farming families from outlying areas came to Medellín looking for new opportunities and attracted by the industrial revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
of the city in El Poblado. This inspired the creation of a new barrio, Barrio Lleras, financed by Banco Central Hipotecario.
In the 1950s El Poblado was included in the city due to the extension of industrial activities along the Medellín River
Medellín river
The Medellín River , called Porce River during most of its course, is a river that flows though the Colombian city of Medellín and its metropolitan area...
to the south. The rich families of Barrio Prado started to move to El Poblado because La Candelaria became overpopulated and the land rose in price.
In the 1970s El Poblado became the place for Medellín's wealthy residents and the second urban center and was given nicknames such as "Milla de Oro" (Golden Mile) and the "Zona Rosa" was established – an exclusive tourist area for business, night clubs and general activities for locals and visitors.
Geography
El Poblado consists of 1,432.58 hectares (approx. 3,539 acres), encompassing 39% of the Medellín municipality. It is located in the southeastern zone of the city towards the mountains of the Aburrá ValleyAburrá Valley
Aburrá Valley , is the natural basin of the Medellín River and one of the most populous valleys of Colombia in its Andean Region with near 3 million inhabitants. The valley is located on the Central Range, over the Antioquian Mountain just between the Magdalean and Cauca valleys from east to west...
. The Medellín River
Medellín river
The Medellín River , called Porce River during most of its course, is a river that flows though the Colombian city of Medellín and its metropolitan area...
borders its western side separating it from the Guayabal Commune and its elevations east of the river rise from approximately 1,538 meters (5,046 feet) above sea level to over 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) at its highest point.
Several streams descending from the eastern mountain flow into the Medellín River and pass throughout El Poblado with the most important ones being El Poblado and Aguacatala creeks.
Demographics
| Range of age | Nº of inhabitants | % % |
|---|---|---|
| 0 - 14 | 23.216 | 24.5 |
| 15 - 39 | 37.328 | 39.4 |
| 40 - 64 | 28.775 | 30.3 |
| 65 y más | 5.385 | 5.6 |
| Total | 94.704 | 100.0 |
According to the 2005 Annual Medellín Statistics Report, El Poblado has a population of 94,704 inhabitants (53,561 males and 41.143 females). It is also a very young population, with 63.9% being under 39 years old. 39.4% of the population has a range of ages between 15 and 39 years old and only 5.6% is over 65 years old.
Additionally, another 2005 report from the Medellín municipality estimates that 66.5% of the housing in El Poblado belongs to the richest class in Colombia known as estrato 6; 27.5% belongs to the high-middle class (estrato 5); 4.2% belongs to the middle class; 1.3% to the low-middle class and 0.5% to the poor class.
Barrios
|
|
Streets and transport
Streets
The main streets of the Comunas are oriented north to south following the direction of the Medellín River. Due to the undulating and varied relief of the area there are many kind of streets and are often named due to their orientation:- Avenidas: A main street. It has normally a name.
- Carrera: It is a street that goes from north to south.
- Calle: It is a street that goes from east to west.
- Loma: It is a street that goes to a specific hill.
- Circunvalar: It is a street that goes around a specific area.
- Transversal: It is a street that is not oriented east to west.
El Poblado follows the Medellín tradition of using names for the streets rather than numbers though it has its own kind of numbering its street (calles), different to the rest of the Medellín municipality. The number of the calles (those that go from east to west) increase from south to north: "Calle 1" at the south of the city and "Calle 120" at its north. However "Calle 1" in El Poblado which starts the increasing of numbers of the streets from north to south is distinguished by the word "sur" (South): Calle 1Sur is at the northern part of El Poblado and Calle 10Sur is at its south.
El Poblado avenue
Envigado
Envigado is a city of Colombia in the department of Antioquia, located at the south of the Aburrá Valley and belonging to the Metropolitan Area of Medellín. It has limits at its north with El Poblado, Medellín; at its south with Sabaneta; at its east with El Retiro and Caldas and at west with Itagüí...
. In El Poblado it has the name of the comunas starting at its intersection with the 30th Avenue (Calle 30) at its north and connecting with the El Poblado - Envigado at its south. The Avenue passes by El Poblado Square where Medellín was born in 1616 and Calle 10 (the 10th Street) which is noted for its thriving commerce and nightlife.
Las Vegas avenue
The Avenue is oriented north to south and runs along the eastern side of the Medellín River and is the urban limit of the Commune. It is also the continuation of the Industrialist Avenue (Avenida los Industriales) that starts in 33rd Street finishing in 10th Street where it becomes Las Vegas until the end of the Commune in the south.Las Palmas highway
This is a road that connects Medellín to the near eastern region of the Antioquia State (for example to La CejaLa Ceja
La Ceja is a town and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia. Part of the subregion of Eastern Antioquia.-External links:...
and El Retiro
El Retiro
El Retiro can refer to:* El Retiro: a former estate in Lake Wales, Florida, United States* Parque del Buen Retiro: a park in Madrid, Spain* El Retiro, Antioquia: a municipality in Colombia* El Retiro, Coahuila: a town in Mexico...
). The road is also the eastern limit of the Commune and has a lot commercial buildings, hotels, restaurants and places to view the Aburrá Valley. The road starts in the intersection of the 33rd Street and El Poblado Avenue. It is a long ascent to the eastern mountain which gives a good view of the Valley. There is also a small and twisting road that goes from the center of the Commune to the highway crossing and named La Cola del Zorro (The Tail of the Fox road).
Other important ways
As an alternative from going north to south through El Poblado there are two transversales (Transverse streets): the Transversal Inferior (Bottom Transverse Street) and Transversal Superior (Top Transverse Street). It should also be noted that the main streets are oriented mostly from north to south, due to the rising mountainous terrain running from west to east. The most well known west-east streets following the rising terrain to highest spot of the Commune are:- The 10th Street (Calle 10).
- The 14th Street (Calle 14).
- The 5th South Street (Calle 5Sur)
- The Los Balsos Hill Street (Loma de los Balsos).
The Commune is connected to the Guayabal Commune in the west by 4 bridges crossing the Medellín River in the following streets:
- The 37th Street.
- The 29th Street.
- The 10th Street.
- The 12th South Street.
Metro de Medellín
The Metro of Medellín has three stations in the territory of El Poblado along the "1rst line" going from north to south through the Industrials and Las Vegas Avenue.- El Poblado Station on the cross of Las Vegas Avenue and the 10th Street. It is also near to the bridge of the 10th Street that connects with Guayabal Commune.
- Aguacatala Station near the 12th South Street.
- Ayurá Station, the last Metro station within the municipality of Medellín.
Buses
Five bus companies provide services in the comunas from Medellín downtown:- The Poblado 130.
- The Poblado 131 Barrio Colombia.
- The Poblado-Exito 132.
- The Poblado-San Lucas 133.
- The Poblado Intercontinental-Las Lomas 134.
The buses from Medellín to Envigado
Envigado
Envigado is a city of Colombia in the department of Antioquia, located at the south of the Aburrá Valley and belonging to the Metropolitan Area of Medellín. It has limits at its north with El Poblado, Medellín; at its south with Sabaneta; at its east with El Retiro and Caldas and at west with Itagüí...
and Sabaneta
Sabaneta
Sabaneta could refer to either of the following:*Colombia**Sabaneta, Antioquia*Dominican Republic**Sabaneta, Dominican Republic*Venezuela**Sabaneta, Barinas- See also :* Savaneta, Aruba* Sabanetas * Sabanetas...
cities also cross El Poblado.
Metroplús
The Metroplus is a new project in transport for Medellín that will integrate the subway stations to different sectors of the city. In the case of El Poblado, it will go from the Industrialists Station by El Poblado Avenue to the Zúñiga Creek. It will have 12 stations.Squares and malls
- El Poblado Square: It is the main square that is important for being the exact spot where the Spaniards founded the first European settlement in the Aburrá Valley in 1616 and it is considered the first seed of Medellín. There are no remains of that time however. The square is a very traditional Antioquian square that follows the Spaniard architecture with the main building being the Saint Joseph Church (Iglesia San José del Poblado). The square is on the intersection of El Poblado Avenue and the 10th Street, this last one a preferred place by young people because its nightlife.
- The Lleras Park: It is located between the 9th and 10th streets and the 35th and 38th carreras. It is also known as Zona Rosa which in Latin AmericaLatin AmericaLatin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
means a place of nightlife, restaurants, discos, youth gatherings and other kinds of recreation.
As a commercial city the Medellín malls are considered amongst the best in Colombia and the ones in El Poblado lead the way. Some of the more important malls are:
- El Tesoro Commercial Parkhttp://www.eltesoro.com.co
- Oviedo Shopping Mall: Located in the Golden Mile ("Milla de Oro").
- Santafé Shopping Mall
Education
- Eafit UniversityUniversidad EAFITUniversidad EAFIT , is a Colombian university located in El Poblado District - Medellín, This private university was created by the enterprise groups of Medellín in order to create a professional background for the development of the industrialization process in Colombia.It was approved by the...
: It is located on Las Vegas Avenue has a high reputation nationally and internationally. It was established in 1960 as a college for administrative business, finance and industrial formation for national development. In 2004 it was declared by the same administration as "Park University" as an ecological proposal for the city. - Universidad CEShttp://www.ces.edu.co: It is located in the Transversal Superior near Calle 10. It started in 1979 as Instituto Ciencias de la Salud (Institute for Health Sciences) but has since expanded and now has several schools: School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, School of Veterinary and Zootechnics, Law School, School of Psychology and School of Biomedical Engineering (in association with Escuela de Ingeniería de Antioquia EIA). It has a high reputation within the country and internationally.
- Jaime Isaza Cadavid Polytechnic: Located next to Eafit University this government-owned polytechnic was founded in 1964 and offers professional and technical education.
- INEM José Félix de Restrepo: A government-owned high school that is one of the biggest in the city and attended by youths from many other barrios of Medellín.
Among the private schools in "El Poblado" we can find:
- Marymount School
- Gimnasio Los Pinares
- La Enseñanza
- Montessori School
- Fontán School
The Castle Museum
Loire
Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Its first resident was José Tobón Uribe who brought the plans from France. He lived there until 1943 when the industrialist Diego Echavarría Misas bought the castle for his family. He donated the castle as a museum in 1971. The museum has gardens, libraries, rooms of exhibitions and concerts.
External links
- Vivir en El Poblado (Living in El Poblado), newspaper in Spanish.