Vila Velha

Vila Velha
—  Municipality  —
The Municipality of Vila Velha
Skyline of Vila Velha.
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): The Land of Green Shins
Location in the State of Espírito Santo
Country	Brazil
Region	Southeast
State	Espírito Santo
Founded	May 23, 1535
Government
• Mayor	Neucimar Ferreira Fraga (PR)
Area
• Total	208 km2 (80.3 sq mi)
Population (2008)
• Total	407,579
• Density	1,906/km2 (4,936.5/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-3 (UTC-3)
Postal Code	29100-000
Area code(s)	+55 27
Website	Vila Velha, Espírito Santo

Vila Velha (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvilɐ ˈvɛʎɐ], old town) is a coastal town in Espírito Santo, Brazil. It lies across from Vitória, the state capital. Its population was 396,323 (2005) and its area is 208.82 km².

Vila Velha forms part of the Greater Vitória metropolitan area. To the north is Vitória, to the west Cariacica and Viana, to the south Guarapari, and to the east the Atlantic Ocean.

Notable corporations in Vila Velha include Garoto, one of Brazil's largest chocolate manufacturers.

Vila Velha has been through several years of intense real estate development and several luxury buildings are now a common sight in all of its main beaches. Some critics argue that this practice can be considered excess urbanization of a previously low-profile area, despite the economic benefits.

The Bridge Mr Darcy Castelo de Mendonça, known as Third Bridge (Portuguese: Terceira Ponte), is the second tallest bridge in Brazil, connecting and reducing the distance between the cities of Vila Velha and Vitória.

History

Vila Velha is the oldest township in Espírito Santo, having been founded on the 23rd of May, 1535. First called Vila do Espírito Santo, it was founded by Vasco Fernandes Coutinho and initially served as the capital of Espírito Santo. Coutinho, owner of the Espírito Santo colony, was forced to return to Portugal around 1550 in order to recruit new colonists, as there were not enough to sustain the colony. Upon his return, however, he discovered that there had been violent disputes between the colonists, slaves, and Indians, which had forced most inhabitants to flee to the island of Vitória. In response, Coutinho relocated the capital to Vitória. Afterward, Vila Velha remained a quiet village until quite recently; the 1828 census, for example, showed only 1,250 people in the village. Today, however, Vila Velha is the biggest city in the entire state of Espírito Santo, and has approximately 500,000 inhabitants.

The Police Battalion in charge of Vila Velha is the 4ºBPM-PMES.

External links

• History of Vila Velha (in Portuguese)
• History of Ponta da Fruta Vila Velha (in Portuguese)