Puente Alto
Encyclopedia
Puente Alto is a city and commune of Chile
. It is the capital of the Cordillera Province
in the Santiago Metropolitan Region
. Located at the south of the Greater Santiago conurbation, it houses 492,603 inhabitants (city proper, 2002 census), making it the largest city in Chile (excluding conurbations or absorptions). However, the National Statistics Institute projects that Maipú (also part of Greater Santiago), as of 2005, has surpassed it in population.
, La Victoria
and Melipilla
. In 1891 the "Autonimic Commune Law" was enacted, after which the president signed as the "Decree of the Creation of Municipalities."
From this decree the department of La Victoria
was divided into the municipalities of Peñaflor
, Talagante
, Calera de Tango
, San José de Maipo
y Lo Cañas.
According to regional law, the authorities of this new sector would be able to increase in proportion to the number of inhabitants in the area, as well as adding three additional mayors the bureaucratic structure. This law was passed with the aim of giving more individual power to the remote areas of the fast-growing city, instead of everything being governed as a whole under La Victoria.
The commune is still not totally unified with Santiago - there are a few unique exceptions that are part of Puente Alto but not Santiago, most notably in the Third Sector of Puente Alto. From Concha y Toro Avenue to Avenida La Serena- 4 Oriente there are places where, for some reason, the annexation into Santiago failed or has yet to be completed.
of the National Statistics Institute
, Puente Alto spans an area of 88.2 sqkm and has 492,915 inhabitants (240,862 men and 252,053 women). Of these, 492,603 (99.9%) lived in urban area
s and 312 (0.1%) in rural areas. The population grew by 93.5% (238,242 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
, headed by an alcalde
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Manuel José Ossandón Irarrázabal (RN).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Puente Alto is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
by Mr. Osvaldo Andrade (PS) and Mr. Leopoldo Pérez (RN) as part of the 29th electoral district, (together with Pirque
, San José de Maipo
and La Pintana
). The commune is represented in the Senate
by Soledad Alvear Valenzuela (PDC) and Pablo Longueira Montes (UDI) as part of the 8th senatorial constituency (Santiago-East).
First, the Metro Bus, which can be taken from anywhere in Puente Alto to arrive eventually to downtown Santiago.
Puente Alto is also home to the most southerly station of the Santiago Metro
, Estación Plaza de Puente Alto. Travel time to downtown Santiago by metro train is approximately 30 minutes.
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. It is the capital of the Cordillera Province
Cordillera Province, Chile
Cordillera Province is one of six provinces in the Santiago Metropolitan Region of central Chile. Its topography includes a small area of Chile's central valley, glaciers, rivers, volcanoes, and the Andes range, which forms the border with Argentina...
in the Santiago Metropolitan Region
Santiago Metropolitan Region
Santiago Metropolitan Region or simply Metropolitan Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. It is the country's only landlocked administrative region and contains the nation's capital, Santiago...
. Located at the south of the Greater Santiago conurbation, it houses 492,603 inhabitants (city proper, 2002 census), making it the largest city in Chile (excluding conurbations or absorptions). However, the National Statistics Institute projects that Maipú (also part of Greater Santiago), as of 2005, has surpassed it in population.
History
After 1883, the provience of Santiago was divided into three departments: SantiagoSantiago
Santiago is the capital city of Chile. Santiago may also refer to:*Santiago *Santiago , a Spanish given name*Santiago!, a shortened form of the Reconquista battle cry "Santiago y cierra, España"...
, La Victoria
La Victoria
La Victoria may refer to:In Colombia:*La Victoria, Valle del Cauca, a town and municipality*La Victoria, Boyacá, a town and municipalityIn Paraguay:*La Victoria District, ParaguayIn Peru:* La Victoria District, Peru...
and Melipilla
Melipilla
Melipilla is a Chilean commune and capital city of the province of the same name, located in the Santiago Metropolitan Region southwest of the nation's capital...
. In 1891 the "Autonimic Commune Law" was enacted, after which the president signed as the "Decree of the Creation of Municipalities."
From this decree the department of La Victoria
La Victoria
La Victoria may refer to:In Colombia:*La Victoria, Valle del Cauca, a town and municipality*La Victoria, Boyacá, a town and municipalityIn Paraguay:*La Victoria District, ParaguayIn Peru:* La Victoria District, Peru...
was divided into the municipalities of Peñaflor
Peñaflor
Peñaflor may refer to:*Peñaflor, Chile, a commune in Chile*Peñaflor , a parish in Asturias, Spain*Peñaflor, Spain, a place in Seville, Spain*Peñaflor de Gállego, a barrio in Zaragoza, Spain*Peñaflor de Hornija, a municipality in Valladolid, Spain...
, Talagante
Talagante
Talagante is a commune and the capital city of the province of the same name in the Santiago Metropolitan Region of central Chile. The word Talagante in Quechua comes from talacanta, meaning "Lazo de Hechicero", which was the proper name of the curaca, or ruler, who dominated this central valley on...
, Calera de Tango
Calera de Tango
Calera de Tango is a Chilean commune in the Maipo Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Calera de Tango spans an area of and has 18,235 inhabitants . Of these, 9,932 lived in urban areas and 8,303 in rural areas...
, San José de Maipo
San José de Maipo
San José de Maipo is the name of a commune in Chile and the city within it, located in Cordillera Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region, some 48 kilometers south-east of capital Santiago, bordered on the east by the Argentina, across the Andes.-Demographics:...
y Lo Cañas.
According to regional law, the authorities of this new sector would be able to increase in proportion to the number of inhabitants in the area, as well as adding three additional mayors the bureaucratic structure. This law was passed with the aim of giving more individual power to the remote areas of the fast-growing city, instead of everything being governed as a whole under La Victoria.
Annexation to Santiago
Decades ago, Puente Alto was considered a village on the outskirts of Santiago (like Maipú and San Bernardo), but the steady growth of Santiago, and to a lesser degree Puente Alto, resulted in the union of two cities (as was eventually Maipú and San Bernardo).The commune is still not totally unified with Santiago - there are a few unique exceptions that are part of Puente Alto but not Santiago, most notably in the Third Sector of Puente Alto. From Concha y Toro Avenue to Avenida La Serena- 4 Oriente there are places where, for some reason, the annexation into Santiago failed or has yet to be completed.
Demographics
According to the 2002 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of the National Statistics Institute
National Statistics Institute (Chile)
The National Statistics Institute of Chile is a state-run organization of the Government of Chile, created in the second half of the 19th century and tasked with performing a general census of population and housing, then collecting, producing and publishing official demographic statistics of...
, Puente Alto spans an area of 88.2 sqkm and has 492,915 inhabitants (240,862 men and 252,053 women). Of these, 492,603 (99.9%) lived in urban area
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
s and 312 (0.1%) in rural areas. The population grew by 93.5% (238,242 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
Stats
- Average annual household income: US$23,362 (PPPPurchasing power parityIn economics, purchasing power parity is a condition between countries where an amount of money has the same purchasing power in different countries. The prices of the goods between the countries would only reflect the exchange rates...
, 2006) - Population below poverty line: 10.6% (2006)
Administration
As a commune, Puente Alto is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal councilMunicipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...
, headed by an alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Manuel José Ossandón Irarrázabal (RN).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Puente Alto is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Chile
The Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Chile is the lower house of Chile's bicameral Congress. Its organisation and its powers and duties are defined in articles 42 to 59 of Chile's current constitution....
by Mr. Osvaldo Andrade (PS) and Mr. Leopoldo Pérez (RN) as part of the 29th electoral district, (together with Pirque
Pirque
Pirque is a commune of Chile in Cordillera Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region; it is located 2.8 kilometers SE of Puente Alto and 21.3 kilometers SSE of the center of Santiago. It is situated in a mountain chain.-Demographics:...
, San José de Maipo
San José de Maipo
San José de Maipo is the name of a commune in Chile and the city within it, located in Cordillera Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region, some 48 kilometers south-east of capital Santiago, bordered on the east by the Argentina, across the Andes.-Demographics:...
and La Pintana
La Pintana
La Pintana is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. La Pintana is home to Antumapu, the agricultural and veterinary sciences campus of University of Chile Chile's oldest university.-Demographics:...
). The commune is represented in the Senate
Senate of Chile
The Senate of the Republic of Chile is the upper house of Chile's bicameral National Congress, as established in the current Constitution of Chile.-Composition:...
by Soledad Alvear Valenzuela (PDC) and Pablo Longueira Montes (UDI) as part of the 8th senatorial constituency (Santiago-East).
Transportation
Puente Alto is connected to the rest of Santiago vía two forms of organized public transportation.First, the Metro Bus, which can be taken from anywhere in Puente Alto to arrive eventually to downtown Santiago.
Puente Alto is also home to the most southerly station of the Santiago Metro
Santiago Metro
Metro de Santiago is South America's most extensive metro system with 5 lines, 108 stations and 103 kilometres of track making it the second longest in Latin America after that of Mexico City. The metro system serves the city of Santiago, Chile. Three of the lines are rubber-tyred...
, Estación Plaza de Puente Alto. Travel time to downtown Santiago by metro train is approximately 30 minutes.