Quilpué, Chile
Encyclopedia
Quilpué is a city and capital of the Marga Marga Province
in central Chile
's Valparaíso Region
. It is part of the Greater Valparaíso
metropolitan area
. It is widely known as "City of the Sun" (Ciudad del Sol) and the urban part of it also comprises the town of El Belloto, an area that showed rapid growth in the late 1990's.
, it has many more sunny days a year. It has metropolitan train
, highway and bus connections to Viña del Mar
and Valparaíso
to the coast, and also towards inland cities. Since housing is cheaper in Quilpué, thousands of people commute
every day to the coastal cities.
Quilpué is connected to Santiago through the Route 68, with an estimated travel time of 1.15h by car and 1.30h by inter-regional bus services, that departs and arrive mostly from Pajaritos metro and interchange station
, west of the national capital.
Local attractions include a Zoo (one of only three in Chile), and the rural
towns of Colliguay and the Marga-Marga Valley, both with facilities for camping
and hiking
.
gave the land to Rodrigo de Araya in 1547. Mining was the main economic activity for many years, until the land was further divided in the 17th century.
As a commune, Quilpué is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council
, headed by a Mayor (alcalde
) who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Mauricio Viñambres Adasme. The city hall is located at 684 Vicuña Mackenna street. The council has the following members:
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Quilpué is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
by Mr. Marcelo Schilling (PS) and Mr. Arturo Squella (UDI) as part of the 12th electoral district, (together with Olmué
, Limache
and Villa Alemana
). The commune is represented in the Senate
by Ignacio Walker Prieto (PDC) and Lily Pérez San Martín (RN) as part of the 5th senatorial constituency (Valparaíso-Cordillera).
Marga Marga Province
Marga Marga Province is one of the eight provinces in the central Chilean region of Valparaíso . Its capital is the city of Quilpué.-History:The province was created by Law 20,368 on August 25, 2009 and it became operative on March 11, 2010...
in central Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
's Valparaíso Region
Valparaíso Region
The V Valparaíso Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions.Valparaíso Region, 2006 With the country's third highest population of 1,539,852 million in 2002 and third smallest area of , the region is Chile's second most densely populated after the Santiago Metropolitan Region...
. It is part of the Greater Valparaíso
Greater Valparaíso
Greater Valparaíso is the third largest metropolitan area in Chile, after Greater Santiago, and Greater Concepción. It takes this name after the city of Valparaíso, the oldest city of the group and the most important harbour in Chile...
metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
. It is widely known as "City of the Sun" (Ciudad del Sol) and the urban part of it also comprises the town of El Belloto, an area that showed rapid growth in the late 1990's.
Etymology
There are various theories about the origin of the word Quilpué. According to some, Quilpué means place where there are pigeons, arguing that pigeons were found abundantly in the area and that the name derives from the aboriginal words cullpo (dove) and hue (place). Other authors suggest that it means place of the stone lancet, because the Pikunches (the indigenous people) were experts in the manufacture of these items that were used for medical procedures. Numbers of these stone lancets have been found in the area's archaeological sites, as well as the original formation which was quarried for them.Tourism
Quilpué is called Ciudad del Sol because compared to ValparaísoValparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
, it has many more sunny days a year. It has metropolitan train
Valparaíso Metro
Metro Valparaíso is the metro system serving the urban conglomeration of Gran Valparaíso, Chile , connecting the cities of Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Quilpué, Villa Alemana and Limache, this last one, outside of the conurbation...
, highway and bus connections to Viña del Mar
Viña del Mar
Viña del Mar , is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Its long stretches of white sandy beaches are a major attraction for national and international tourists. The city is Chile's main tourist attraction. Known as "La Ciudad Jardín" , Viña del Mar is a Chilean Municipality located...
and Valparaíso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
to the coast, and also towards inland cities. Since housing is cheaper in Quilpué, thousands of people commute
Commuting
Commuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study. It sometimes refers to any regular or often repeated traveling between locations when not work related.- History :...
every day to the coastal cities.
Quilpué is connected to Santiago through the Route 68, with an estimated travel time of 1.15h by car and 1.30h by inter-regional bus services, that departs and arrive mostly from Pajaritos metro and interchange station
Santiago Metro
Metro de Santiago is South America's most extensive metro system with 5 lines, 108 stations and 103 kilometres of track making it the second longest in Latin America after that of Mexico City. The metro system serves the city of Santiago, Chile. Three of the lines are rubber-tyred...
, west of the national capital.
Local attractions include a Zoo (one of only three in Chile), and the rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
towns of Colliguay and the Marga-Marga Valley, both with facilities for camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
and hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
.
City facts
- Surface area: 537 sqkm
- Population: 128,579 (67,249 females and 61,329 males) – 8.35% of the 5th Region's population.
- Urban population: 98.69%
- Rural population: 1.31%
- (Source: 2002 census)
History
Indigenous peoples had settled the area long before Governor Pedro de ValdiviaPedro de Valdivia
Pedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva was a Spanish conquistador and the first royal governor of Chile. After serving with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders, he was sent to South America in 1534, where he served as lieutenant under Francisco Pizarro in Peru, acting as his second in command...
gave the land to Rodrigo de Araya in 1547. Mining was the main economic activity for many years, until the land was further divided in the 17th century.
Administration
Quilpué was made province capital when the Marga Marga province became effective March 11, 2010. The province was created by Law 20,368 on August 25, 2009.As a commune, Quilpué is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council
Municipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...
, headed by a Mayor (alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
) who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Mauricio Viñambres Adasme. The city hall is located at 684 Vicuña Mackenna street. The council has the following members:
- Mr. Robert Knop Pisano (UDI)
- Mr. Heriberto Neira Robles (RNNational Renewal (Chile)National Renewal , is a liberal conservative political party belonging to the Chilean right-wing political coalition Coalition for Change in conjunction with the Independent Democratic Union and the Chile First movement...
) - Mrs. Urzula Mir Arias (RN)
- Mrs. Adriana Romaggi Chiesa (PSSocialist Party of ChileThe Socialist Party of Chile is a political party, that is part of the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. Its historical leader was the late President of Chile Salvador Allende Gossens, who was deposed by General Pinochet in 1973...
) - Mr. Cristian Cardenas Silva (PDCChristian Democratic PartyChristian democratic parties are those political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social teaching, and it continues to be influential in Europe and...
) - Ms. Roxana Sepúlveda Alarcón (PRSDSocial Democrat Radical PartyThe Social Democratic Radical Party is a social democratic party in Chile.The party is a member of Socialist International....
)
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Quilpué is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Chile
The Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Chile is the lower house of Chile's bicameral Congress. Its organisation and its powers and duties are defined in articles 42 to 59 of Chile's current constitution....
by Mr. Marcelo Schilling (PS) and Mr. Arturo Squella (UDI) as part of the 12th electoral district, (together with Olmué
Olmué
Olmué is a Chilean commune located in the Marga Marga Province, Valparaíso Region. The commune spans an area of .-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Olmué has 14,105 inhabitants . Of these, 10,379 lived in urban areas and 3,726 in rural areas...
, Limache
Limache
Limache is a Chilean city and commune in the Marga Marga Province, Valparaíso Region. Limache is the only commune of Chile that has two cities. First San Francisco de Limache is to the north of the Matting of Limache, towards the south is Limache Viejo...
and Villa Alemana
Villa Alemana
Villa Alemana is a city and commune in Chile's Zona Central. It was founded in 1896 by Italian and German immigrants. Villa Alemana is a part of the urban area known as Greater Valparaiso.- History :...
). The commune is represented in the Senate
Senate of Chile
The Senate of the Republic of Chile is the upper house of Chile's bicameral National Congress, as established in the current Constitution of Chile.-Composition:...
by Ignacio Walker Prieto (PDC) and Lily Pérez San Martín (RN) as part of the 5th senatorial constituency (Valparaíso-Cordillera).