Villa Alegre, Chile Explained

Villa Alegre
Native Name Lang:es
Settlement Type:City and Commune
Flag Alt:Flag
Shield Alt:Coat of arms
Map Alt:Location of the Villa Alegre commune in the Maule Region
Pushpin Map Narrow:yes
Pushpin Map:Chile
Pushpin Map Alt:Location in Chile
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Chile
Coordinates:-35.6747°N -71.7439°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:May 6, 1891
Government Type:Municipality
Government Footnotes:[1] [2]
Leader Party:PPD
Leader Title:Alcalde
Leader Name:Arturo Palma Vilches
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Footnotes:[3]
Area Total Km2:189.8
Elevation M:67
Population Total:14695
Population As Of:2012 Census
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Blank1 Title:Urban
Population Blank1:5456
Population Blank2 Title:Rural
Population Blank2:9269
Population Demonym:Villalegrino
Demographics Type1:Sex
Demographics1 Title1:Men
Demographics1 Info1:7,332
Demographics1 Title2:Women
Demographics1 Info2:7,393
Timezone:CLT[4]
Utc Offset:-4
Timezone Dst:CLST[5]
Utc Offset Dst:-3
Area Code:56 + 73

Villa Alegre (Spanish for "joyous town") a commune and city located in Linares Province, Maule Region of Chile. With 189.8sqkm, Villa Alegre is the smallest commune by area in the Maule Region. It sits 92m (302feet) above sea level.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Villa Alegre spans an area of 189.8sqkm and has 14,725 inhabitants (7,332 men and 7,393 women). Of these, 5,456 (37.1%) lived in urban areas and 9,269 (62.9%) in rural areas. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population fell by 2.8% (425 persons).[3]

History

Villa Alegre was founded on May 6, 1891, and was one of the first places in Chile to have an electric tramway service, in 1915.

Economy

Villa Alegre and its neighbor San Javier are traditional winemaking areas. The Loncomilla valley, which includes these two communes, is endowed with some of the better vineyards and quality wines of the bountiful Maule Valley, in the Chile's central valley viticultural regions or appellations.

Government

As a commune, Villa Alegre 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 Arturo Palma Vilches (PPD),[1] [2] and the councilors are:

Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Villa Alegre is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Jorge Tarud (PDC) and Romilio Gutiérrez (UDI) as part of the 39th electoral district, together with Linares, Colbún, San Javier and Yerbas Buenas. 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).

Famous People born in Villa Alegre

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Asociación Chilena de Municipalidades . 7 February 2011. es.
  2. Web site: Municipality of Villa Alegre . 7 February 2011. es.
  3. Web site: National Institute of Statistics . 18 July 2010. es.
  4. Web site: Chile Time . 2010-08-29 . WorldTimeZones.org . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070911130719/http://www.world-time-zones.org/zones/chile-time.htm . September 11, 2007 .
  5. Web site: Chile Summer Time . 2010-08-29 . WorldTimeZones.org . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070911130451/http://www.world-time-zones.org/zones/chile-summer-time.htm . September 11, 2007 .