| Retiro | |
| Native Name Lang: | es |
| Settlement Type: | Town and Commune |
| Flag Alt: | Flag |
| Shield Alt: | Coat of arms |
| Map Alt: | Location of the Retiro commune in the Maule Region |
| Pushpin Map Narrow: | yes |
| Pushpin Map: | Chile |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Map Alt: | Location in Chile |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Chile |
| Coordinates: | -36.0333°N -117°W |
| Coor Pinpoint: | city |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Chile |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Maule |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Linares |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1937 |
| Government Type: | Municipality |
| Government Footnotes: | [1] |
| Leader Party: | PDC |
| Leader Title: | Alcalde |
| Leader Name: | Patricio Contreras Contreras |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Footnotes: | [2] |
| Area Total Km2: | 827.1 |
| Elevation M: | 143 |
| Population Total: | 18754 |
| Population As Of: | 2012 Census |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Urban |
| Population Blank1: | 4708 |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Rural |
| Population Blank2: | 13779 |
| Demographics Type1: | Sex |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Men |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 9,451 |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Women |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 9,036 |
| Timezone: | CLT[3] |
| Utc Offset: | -4 |
| Timezone Dst: | CLST[4] |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -3 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 3640000 |
| Area Code: | 56 + 73 |
Retiro is a town and commune in Chile, located in Linares Province, in the seventh region of Maule.
Retiro is located 335km (208miles) to the south of Santiago, 27km (17miles) to the south of the city of Linares (the provincial capital), and 15 km to the north of the city of Parral. The municipality has a surface of 827.1sqkm[2] and is bordered by San Javier and Longaví on the north, by Parral on the south, by Cauquenes (Province of Cauquenes), on the west and by Longaví on the east.
The commune was founded officially on December 22, 1891. President Ramón Barros Luco owned a manor house in this area. Retiro was, therefore, visited frequently by well-known politicians and statesmen of the time, and in general by those that contributed to the decision-making process in the country affairs. The name of "Retiro" (Retirement) was given to the commune on account of being the place of retirement - leisure - of President Barros Luco.
According to data from the 2002 Census of Population and Housing, the population of the commune of Retiro was 18,487; of these, 4,708 (25.4%) lived in urban areas and 13,779 (74.5%) in rural areas. At that time, there were 9,036 women and 9,451, men.[2] The town of Retiro, has 3,300 inhabitants, whereas Copihue, the second most populated locality in the commune has 1,300 and the village of Villaseca, slightly more than 300. Between 1992 and 2002, the communal population dropped by 6.2% from its 1992 population of 19,703 (a drop of 1,216 persons).[2] During the same period of time, the population of the town of Retiro grew only marginally (70 people).
Agriculture, in particular wine producing and cereals cultivation constitutes the main economic activity of Retiro. The commune lies within the Maule Valley subregion of the Viticultural Region of the Central Valley of Chile.
In the area of Copihue (in the southern border of the commune, next to the Pan-American Highway or Ruta 5 Sur), lies the larger poplar wood of the country. It is owned by the "Compañía Chilena de Fósforos".
As a commune, Retiro is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Patricio Contreras Contreras (PDC).[1]
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Retiro is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Guillermo Ceroni (PPD) and Ignacio Urrutia (UDI) as part of the 40th electoral district, together with Longaví, Parral, Cauquenes, Pelluhue and Chanco. The commune is represented in the Senate by Hernán Larraín (UDI) and Ximena Rincón González (PDC) as part of the 11th senatorial constituency (Maule-South).