El Poblado, Medellín

Infobox Settlement
name = El Poblado
official_name = El Poblado Commune.
other_name = Barrio El Poblado.
native_name = Comuna de El Poblado
nickname = The Golden Apples.
settlement_type = Commune
total_type =
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map_caption = Location of El Poblado shown in red.
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subdivision_type = Urban commune
subdivision_name = Colombia
subdivision_type1 = State ("Department")
subdivision_name1 = Medellín
subdivision_type2 = Barrio
subdivision_name2 = Medellín Barrio
subdivision_type3 = City
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established_title = Settled
established_date = 1616
area_magnitude = 1.432,58
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area_total_sq_mi =8.89
area_land_sq_mi =5.52898
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elevation_m = 2.350,227
elevation_ft = 4.905
elevation_max_m =
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population_total = 94,704
population_density_sq_mi = 66
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latd=6 |latm=14 |lats=9.33 |latNS=N
longd=75 |longm=34 |longs=30.49 |longEW=W
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postal_code = Medellín 17001000
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El Poblado is a Commune of the Colombian city of Medellín within its Metropolitan Area with a 2005 population of 94.704 living in a land area of 143,258 hectares (5.52898 m2). It is the wealthiest district of the city. The commune consists of 24 barrios located at the south-east of the city. It is separated from the south west zone of Medellín by the river; its south has limits with the city of Envigado; its east with Santa Elena township and its north with the Central (La Candelaria) and Buenos Aires communes of Medellín .

El Poblado is also known as "Las Manzanas de Oro" (The Golden Apples)Los barrios de Medellín: " [http://www.lopaisa.com/barrios/poblado.html El Poblado] ". El Sitio Paisa. Link retrieved on May 31, 2008.] because it is the main center of the industrial and commercial life of the second largest economy of Colombia.

The name El Poblado derives from the first Spaniard settlement in the Aburrá Valley in 1616. "El Poblado" means in English "The Village", that was built in what is today its main square. In 1675 the Spaniard administration founded another village in "El Sitio de Aná" (The Aná Place) where is today the Berrío Square to become the center of the future Medellín, but El Poblado was to become the main economical center during the 20th century.

History

The Spaniard conqueror Francisco Herrera y Campuzano established by a royal edict of March 2 1616 the first European settlement in the Aburrá Valley in what is today El Poblado Square. The new village, called "San Lorenzo de Aburrá", had a population of 80 indigenous people. A later racist edict stated that indigenous people, white and mestizos could not live together, and therefore the Spanish administration moved the center to a new village in what is today the Berrio Square in Medellín 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 it had a plaza, streets and land for sell. At that time the most famous fincas were Provenza, Manila, Patio Bonito, Vizcaya, Castropol and Astorga, names that would remain afterward in their actual barrios.

At the beginning of the 20th century, El Poblado was a preferred place for the rich families of the city to buy rural villas. At the 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 Medellín - El Poblado Avenue, the land became valuable for urban settlements and the villas or fincas were built in Envigado. In the 1930s, farm 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 to be overpopulated and the land rose in prize.

In the 1970s, El Poblado became the place of the Medellín wealthy residents, the second urban center and was given nicknames like "Milla de Oro" (Golden Mile). The "Zona Rosa", an exclusive tourist area for business, night clubs and general activities for locals and visitors was established.

Geography

The Commune of El Poblado is 1.432,58 hectares, 39% of the Medellín municipality. It is located at the south-east zone of the city toward the eastern mountains of the Aburrá Valley. The Medellín River borders its western side separating it from the Guayabal Commune. From the river to the east starts the rising of the eastern range mountain of the Valley from 1.538 meters up the sea level to about 2.000 meters up the sea level in its highest picks.

Several streams descend from the eastern mountain looking for the Medellín River throughout El Poblado Commune, being the most important El Poblado and Aguacatala creeks.

Demography

According to the Annual Medellín Statistics report of 2005, [ [http://www.medellin.gov.co/alcaldia/jsp/modulos/anuarioEstadistico/listaTemas.jsp?ano=2005 Anuario Estadístico de Medellín 2005] . Link retraived on June 1, 2008.] El Poblado has a population of 94,704 inhabitants (53,561 males and 41.143 females). It is also a very young population, being 63.9% under 39 years old. 39.4% of the population has a range of age between 15 and 39 years old and only 5.6% is up 65 years old of age.

According with another report of the Medellín municipality of 2005 [ [http://www.medellin.gov.co/alcaldia/jsp/modulos/datosEstadisticos/obj/pdf/calidaddevida2005/03%20Vivienda%2001%20-%2024.pdf Estrato socioeconómico, Alcaldía de Medellín, Encuesta Calidad de Vida 2005.] , link retraived on June 1, 2008.] , 66.5% of the housing in El Poblado belongs to the richest class known in Colombia 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

The Commune is divided by 22 barrios: [The division was created by the Council Law Nº 997 of 1993]

Streets and transport

Streets

The main streets of the Commune are oriented north to south following the direction of the Medellín River. Due to the difficult relief of the area, there are many kind of streets:

* 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.
* Alto: 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 to use names for the streets rather than numbers, however, 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, being "Calle 1" at the south of the city and "Calle 120" at its north. However, "Calle 1" in El Poblado starts the increase of numbers of the streets from north to south, being distinguished by the word "sur" (South): Calle 1Sur is at the northerm part of El Poblado and Calle 10Sur is at its south.

El Poblado Avenue

This is one of the main Medellín Avenue [Avenida El Poblado, pictures by Carbet. SkyscraperCity, June 2005. Link retraived on June 1, 2008.] 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 this commune starting at its interjection 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, the place where Medellín was born in 1616 and "Calle 10" (the 10th Street), famous for its triving commerce and nightlife.

Las Vegas Avenue

The Avenue is oriented north to south and it is along the eastern side of the Medellín River being the urban limit of the Commune. It is also the continuation of the Industrialist Avenue ("Avenida los Industriales") that starts in the 33th Street until the 10th Street to become "Las Vegas" until the end of the Commune at its south.

Las Palmas Highway

This is a road that connects Medellín to the near eastern region of the Antioquia State (for example to La Ceja and El Retiro). The road is also the eastern limit of the Commune and has a lot commercial life, hotels, restaurants and places to view the Aburrá Valley. The road starts in the interjection of the 33th Street and the El Poblado Avenue. it is a long ascend to the eastern mountain that can be impressing for the wide contemplation of the Valley. There is also a small and twisting road that goes from the center of the Commune to the highway crossing woods and named as "La Cola del Zorro" (The Tail of the Fox road).

Other important ways

As an alternative in 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). As it is possible to notice, the main streets are oriented most of them from north to south, due to the risen of the mountain from west to east. However, the most known west-east streets due to their continuity until the 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 at its 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.

Transport

Metro de Medellín

The Metro of Medellín has three station in the territory of El Poblado, along the 1rst line going from north to south throughout 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 attend the public demand to the Commune 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 and Sabaneta cities cross also 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 contains some of the most finest squares and malls of Medellín.

* 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 not remains of that time however. The square is a very traditional Antioquian square that follows the Spaniard architecture where the main building is the Saint Joseph Church ("Iglesia San José del Poblado"). The square is on the interjection of El Poblado Avenue and the 10th Street, this last one a preferred place by young people because its nightlife and great commerce.

* The Lleras Park: It is located between the 9th and 10th streets and the 35th and 38th "carreras". It is called also as "Zona Rosa", that in Latin America means a place of nightlife, restaurants, discos, youth gatherings and different kinds of enjoyment. [Esteban Escobar Gómez: [http://www.elcolombiano.com.co/proyectos/feriaflores/2004/historias/rumballeras.htm El Lleras, un parque polifacético] . El Colombiano. Link retraived on June 2, 2008.]

As a commercial city, the Medellín's malls are considered among the best in Colombia and the ones in El Poblado open the way. Some of the most important malls:

* Monterrey Commercial Center: Located on the Las Vegas Avenue with the 10th Street, just in fronto to El Poblado Metro Station.
* Oviedo Commercial Center: Located in the Golden Mile ("Milla de Oro").

Education

The Commune has the highest level of education of the city with several private and government-owned schools and colleges.

* Eafit University: It is located on Las Vegas Avenue has a high reputation not only in the city but in Colombia. It was established in 1960 as a superior college for administration business, finance and industrial formation for the national development. In 2004 it was declared by the same administration as "Park University" as an ecological proposal for the city.

* Jaime Isaza Cadavid Polytechnic: Just besides Eafit University is this government-owned polytechnic founded in 1964 that offers professional and technical education.

* Idem El Poblado: A government-owned high school that is one of the biggest of the city and that is attended by youth from many other barrios of Medellín.

Private Schools

Among the private schools in "El Poblado" we can find:

-Marymount School

-Gimnasio Los Pinares

-La Enseñanza

The Castle Museum

One of the most beautiful museums of Medellín is in El Poblado. It is "Museo El Castillo", which architecture is the evidence of its main purpose as a shelter for fine art and antiquities. It was built in 1930 by architect Nel Rodríguez in a gotic European Middle Age style inspired in the French castles of Loira, France. The museum has gardens, libraries, rooms of exhibition and concerts. Its firts resident was José Tobón Uribe who brougth the plans from France. He lived there until 1943 when the industrialist Diego Echavarría Misas bougth the castle for his family. He donated the castle as a museum in 1971.

References

External links

* [http://www.vivirenelpoblado.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 Vivir en El Poblado (Living in El Poblado)] , newspaper in Spanish.