Pozuelo de Alarcón
Encyclopedia
Pozuelo de Alarcón is a suburb of over 85,000 inhabitants near the city of Madrid
, capital of Spain
. It is surrounded by large Mediterranean pine-tree forests: la Casa de Campo
, el Monte del Pardo and el Monte del Pilar. It is situated ten kilometres west (and perhaps slightly north) of the Moncloa District of Madrid.
Temperatures are cooler than Madrid's all year round due to its proximity to Madrid's Sierra de Guadarrama
Mountains, about 30 kilometres northwest of Pozuelo.
Pozuelo has become a low-density residential area during recent decades as new residential developments have quickly spread over formerly agricultural lands. New elements of transport infrastructure pass through the municipality. Most notable of these are: the M-40, the second, counting outwards, of Madrid's ring motorways; and the new (summer 2007) 'Metro Ligero' (= light rail) line ML2 of the madrid metro system, which connects Pozuelo with the Aluche
district in the city of Madrid. Pozuelo is also served by two stations, 'Pozuelo' and 'El Barrial-Centro Comercial Pozuelo' of the Madrid area local train system, the 'Cercanias'. Important road access is also provided by the A6 and the M503.
According to official statistics, Pozuelo's average income level ranks highest, by a notable margin, amongst the municipalities of the Region of Madrid. The standard of living in most of its neighbourhoods is high, although some old town-centre areas, where a growing economic immigrant population has moved in, are excluded from such wealth.
Pozuelo has a number of urban parks, some of them elongated and serving to separate different areas of the town. The most attractive area from an urban planning point of view is the Avenida de Europa, an urban development designed around a wide boulevard.
The Municipal Council has been ruled by political conservatives since the first democratic elections of the modern Spanish democracy took place. The current mayor, Gonzalo Aguado Aguirre, was elected in the 2009 elections. Among notable people that live there are Real Madrid
player Cristiano Ronaldo
and Carlos Sainz
, a Spanish World Rally Champion. Sainz was also the first person to be made an honorary citizen of the town in 2010.
The local festivities, the "Fiestas Patronales", take place in July and in the beginning of September.
Pozuelo also has one of the highest average per capita incomes in the Community of Madrid.
Pozuelo is twinned with the municipalities of Issy-les-Moulineaux
in France and Poznań
in Poland.
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, capital of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is surrounded by large Mediterranean pine-tree forests: la Casa de Campo
Casa de Campo
The Casa de Campo is the largest urban park situated west of central Madrid, . It was formerly a royal hunting estate. Its area is more than ....
, el Monte del Pardo and el Monte del Pilar. It is situated ten kilometres west (and perhaps slightly north) of the Moncloa District of Madrid.
Sierra de Guadarrama
The Sierra de Guadarrama is a mountain range forming the main eastern section of the Sistema Central, the system of mountain ranges at the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It is located between the Sierra de Gredos in the province of Ávila, and Sierra de Ayllón in the province of Guadalajara...
Mountains, about 30 kilometres northwest of Pozuelo.
Pozuelo has become a low-density residential area during recent decades as new residential developments have quickly spread over formerly agricultural lands. New elements of transport infrastructure pass through the municipality. Most notable of these are: the M-40, the second, counting outwards, of Madrid's ring motorways; and the new (summer 2007) 'Metro Ligero' (= light rail) line ML2 of the madrid metro system, which connects Pozuelo with the Aluche
Aluche
Aluche is a barrio of the city of Madrid, situated in the southwest of the city, in the Latina district. It is bounded by the barrios of Campamento, Las Águilas, Lucero, Los Cármenes, and the Carabanchel district. Casa de Campo is also nearby...
district in the city of Madrid. Pozuelo is also served by two stations, 'Pozuelo' and 'El Barrial-Centro Comercial Pozuelo' of the Madrid area local train system, the 'Cercanias'. Important road access is also provided by the A6 and the M503.
According to official statistics, Pozuelo's average income level ranks highest, by a notable margin, amongst the municipalities of the Region of Madrid. The standard of living in most of its neighbourhoods is high, although some old town-centre areas, where a growing economic immigrant population has moved in, are excluded from such wealth.
Pozuelo has a number of urban parks, some of them elongated and serving to separate different areas of the town. The most attractive area from an urban planning point of view is the Avenida de Europa, an urban development designed around a wide boulevard.
The Municipal Council has been ruled by political conservatives since the first democratic elections of the modern Spanish democracy took place. The current mayor, Gonzalo Aguado Aguirre, was elected in the 2009 elections. Among notable people that live there are Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
player Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...
and Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz Cenamor is a Spanish rally driver. He won the World Rally Championship drivers' title with Toyota in 1990 and 1992, and finished runner-up four times...
, a Spanish World Rally Champion. Sainz was also the first person to be made an honorary citizen of the town in 2010.
The local festivities, the "Fiestas Patronales", take place in July and in the beginning of September.
Pozuelo also has one of the highest average per capita incomes in the Community of Madrid.
Pozuelo is twinned with the municipalities of Issy-les-Moulineaux
Issy-les-Moulineaux
Issy-les-Moulineaux is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. On 1 January 2003, Issy-les-Moulineaux became part of the Communauté d'agglomération Arc de Seine along with the other communes of Chaville, Meudon, Vanves and Ville-d'Avray...
in France and Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
in Poland.
General references
- Ficha municipal = Municipality Summary Sheet from the Institute of Statistics of the Comunidad de Madrid (in Spanish)
- Pozuelo website: news, culture, stores and companies...