Sant Boi de Llobregat

infobox catalan municipio
native_name=Sant Boi de Llobregat
native_language=Spanish|Catalan
arms = Escut de Sant Boi de Llobregat.svg
spanish_name=San Baudilio de Llobregat
community_link=Catalonia
community=Catalonia
province_link=Barcelona (province)
province=Barcelona
comarca_link=Baix Llobregat comarca=Baix Llobregat
population=80,738
date-population=2002
area=21.94
density=3680
altitude=30
demonym="Jaume Bosch i Puges"

Sant Boi de Llobregat (Spanish: "San Baudilio de Llobregat") is a town of 80,000 inhabitants (2004) Barcelona province, Catalonia, Spain, located aside the Llobregat river.

The town distributes its territory into six districts: Ciutat Cooperativa-Molí Nou, Marianao-Can Paulet, Barri Centre, Vinyets-Molí Vell, Camps Blancs-Canons-Orioles and Casablanca.

It limits to the north with the towns of Santa Coloma de Cervelló, Sant Joan Despí and the village of Sant Climent, to the east with the town of Cornellà de Llobregat, to the west with Viladecans and to the south with El Prat de Llobregat, having a narrow land extension to the south that enters into the Mediterranean Sea.

Economy

Though the main business activity is centered in the trading and service sector, Sant Boi has also a remarkable industrial activity, especially for metallurgy; agriculture is stimulated by the fertile alluvial lands at the mouth of Llobregat river and a mild climate, producing a wide variety of vegetables like the famous Llobregat's delta artichokes.

Politics

The mayor is Jaume Bosch i Puges (PSC). The city council's seats are as follows:

:PSC 13 (social democrat):ICV 3 (ecologist, socialist and regionalist):PP 3 (right-wing, Christian democracy):CiU 3 (liberaldemocracy and regionalist):ERC 2 (independentist and socialist):C's 1 (pro-Spanish)

History

The finding of archeological remains corresponding to Iberian colonies (VI-I bC) and the Romans (I-V aC) - a noteworthy Roman bath is located near the river - suggests that the origins of Sant Boi can be found in pre-Roman times.

Like most of the surrounding lands, from the 7th to the 12th century the town was controlled by the Moors, until their expulsion from Iberia during the Reconquista. The Moors called it "Alcala", which means castle, due to the existence of a hillock from where the river and the valley were dominated. Its present name derives from the name of Saint Baudilus, known as Boi or Baldiri in Catalonia. [ [http://personales.ya.com/binban/samboal.html Samboal ] ]

During the Middle Ages the village was progressively populated, growing from the surroundings of the castle to adjacent zones. A baroque style church is built during the XVI century. The growth keeps on during the following centuries, giving rise to numerous "Masies" (typical Catalan agricultural housing) near the river and the most fertile lands. At the end of the nineteenth century Sant Boi was a village of nearly 5000 inhabitants, with an economy mainly based in agriculture.

At the beginnings of the twentieth century the first industries flourished in Sant Boi, ranging from brick manufacture to metalwork. With the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939 there is a massive inflow of immigration coming from diverse points of the Spanish geography. These flows of population consisted mainly in people from villages and small towns searching a job and career opportunities in the town of Barcelona, stimulated by the increasing demand of workmanship in the regrowth of the Catalan industry during the postwar period. The population rises from 10.000 people in 1940 to 65.000 in 1975. This period is characterized by the construction of complete quarters (Casablanca, Camps Blancs, Cooperativa) dedicated to housing for the immigration.

Nowadays Sant Boi is a town with more than 80,000 inhabitants, with well-established industrial and services sectors, and a healthy cultural and recreational offer.

Demography

infobox catalan municipio demography
pop_1900=5,311
pop_1930=8,867
pop_1950=10,811
pop_1970=50,051
pop_1986=75,789
pop_latest=80,738
latest_year=2002

Notable places

*Sant Baldiri's church
*Termas Romanas.
*Sant Ramon hermitage.

Prominent people from Sant Boi

*Pau Gasol - NBA player
*Marc Gasol - professional basketball player
*Oriol Ripol - professional rugby player

References

* Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria (1989). "Guia de Catalunya", Barcelona: Caixa de Catalunya. ISBN 84-87135-01-3 (Spanish). ISBN 84-87135-02-1 (Catalan).

ee also

*UE Santboiana - the local rugby team

External links

* [http://www.poblesdecatalunya.cat/municipi.php?m=082009 Artistic and historical buildings in Sant Boi de Llobregat] (in Catalan)
* [http://www.vilaweb.cat/santboi Vilaweb-Sant Boi News and Information in Catalan]