Rafaela

For the fictional character, see Rafaera.

Rafaela
—  City  —
Cathedral of St. Raphael
Rafaela Location of Rafaela in Argentina
Coordinates: 31°16′S 61°29′W
Country	Argentina
Province	Santa Fe
Department	Castellanos
Founder	Guillermo Lehmann (colonist)
Government
• Mayor	Luis Castellano (Justicialist)
Area
• Total	156 km2 (60.2 sq mi)
Population
• Total	99,150
• Density	635.6/km2 (1,646.1/sq mi)
Demonym	rafaelino
Time zone	ART (UTC-3)
CPA base	S2300
Dialing code	+54 3492

Rafaela is a city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina, about 96 km from the provincial capital. It is the head town of the Castellanos Department. It has a population of 99,150 per the 2010 census [INDEC].

The town was established in 1881 by Guillermo Lehmann, and officially became a city in 1913.

UN/LOCODE is ARRAF.

Notable natives

• Hermes Binner, twice mayor of Rosario and current governor of Santa Fe province.
• Javier Frana, professional tennis player
• Ricardo Lorenzetti, president elect of the Argentine Supreme Court of Justice
• Sebastián Porto, former professional motorcycle racer
• María Emilia Salerni, professional tennis player
• Martín Basso, professional TC racer
• Lucas Aveldaño, professional soccer player
• Natalia Lemercier, soprano (opera singer)
• Silvia Bertolaccini, former LPGA professional golf player and current ESPN announcer for Latin America
• Adriana Signorini, coordinator Peer Mentoring & SATAL programs, University of California, Merced, USA
• Denis Stracqualursi, professional soccer player currently at Everton F.C.

Sister cities

Rafaela has two sister cities:

• Sigmaringendorf, Germany
• Fossano, Italy

References

• Inforama — Municipal information at the official website of the Santa Fe provincial government.

• Municipal information: Municipal Affairs Federal Institute (IFAM), Municipal Affairs Secretariat, Ministry of Interior, Argentina. (Spanish)

Local sites

• Rafaela.com
• City Portal
• Newspaper Castellanos
• Asociación Médica del Departamento Castellanos