Itapevi is a municipality of the West Area of the São Paulo Metropolitan Region, in the state of São Paulo, in the Southeast Region of Brazil. Born as a village of Cotia, driven by the arrival of the Estrada de Ferro Sorocabana in the 19th century, it became an emancipated municipality in 1959 after a plebiscite. It occupies an area of 82,658kmò (31,9 mi), and its population in the 2022 Census was 232,297 inhabitants. It is located 35 kilometers (21,748 mi) from state capital São Paulo. and 1.017km (631 mi) from federal capital BrasÃÂlia.
It is also known as the "city of new roofs", "city of roses" or "city of hope".
The toponym comes from the Tupi language Itapevi and means "river of flat stones," according to two books: "Vocabulário Tupi-Guarani - Português", by Prof. Silveira Bueno (Brasilivros Editora), and "A Origem dos Nomes dos MunicÃÂpios Paulistas" (Imprensa Oficial do Estado de São Paulo, 2003), by Enio Squeff and Helder Perri Ferreira.
Says the constant entry of final work: "Itapevi (by Tupi - itá peb'y): itapevas river, the river slabs of flat stones, of ita-peba (flat stone slab) and 'y (river or waters) ".
The formation of the village began around the eighteenth century, and the first building in the city was a house built around 1720, used by Bandeirantes. The earliest settlers were probably the Abreus family.
On July 10, 1875, the train station of Cotia (Sorocabana) was inaugurated, around which formed the core of Itapevi. In 1895, the Italian Giulio Michaeli opened a quarry for the production of paving stones, attracting families of Italian immigrants, such as Belli, Michelotti and Silicani.
In 1912, Joaquim Nunes Filho (Nho Quim), from Cotia city, purchased the SÃÂtio Itapevy, with 152 bushels. This place covering all the current city center. Nunes became a local political boss, for his ties to the former PRP (Partido Republicano Paulista). He managed the elevation of the village to district Cotia on October 12, 1920. Nunes has brought electricity in 1929 and the installation of the first telephone in 1930.
Nevertheless, the reference of the place was still under the name of Cotia train station, removing the possibility of identifying own the place.
In 1940, he arrived in Itapevi Carlos de Castro, businessman. Knowing that the Nunes family had pretensions to sell the land that belonged to Joaquim Nunes (who died in 1941), he acquired vast tract of land, giving rise to the allotment of Parque Suburbano and Jardim Bela Vista. It was from there that accelerated the process of urbanization of the place.
At the time, the train station was still called Cotia and the headquarters of the future city was known as Vila Cotia. With this, they created enormous confusion up to the postal and telegraph service in the district. In 1945, Carlos de Castro got with then Minister João Alberto that the station had its name changed to Itapevi. The people celebrated this decree.
On May 10, 1952, Carlos de Castro met with three other residents of the district: Nicolau Leonardo, Raul Leonardo and Ezequiel Dias Siqueira. Together, they drafted a petition to the Assembléia Legislativa do Estado de São Paulo for the emancipation of the district. Taking more than a thousand signatures, but even so, they were defeated by the fact that Itapevi was very near Cotia and that residents were indebted to the city. They had to wait five years for the project to be voted on again. From then and now, in a spirit of emancipation throughout this region, members of the society of the time initiated the movement for autonomy in the district, causing the population to commit mass in the process. Its founders were men like himself Carlos de Castro, Americo Christianini, Cezário de Abreu, Bonifácio de Abreu, Rubens Caramez (then councilor of Cotia and who later became the first mayor of Itapevi), Raul Leonardo (the only emancipatory still alive), Jose dos Santos Novaes, Antônio Pedra Pereira and many others.
In 1958, about nine hundred people opted for emancipation, against only thirty unwilling to accept autonomy in a referendum. That same year was formalized by Governor Jânio Quadros the law that created the city of Itapevi. The city was officially founded in the following year, on February 18, 1959, by Governor Carvalho Pinto. The first mayor was Rubens Caramez, who won the elections against Carlos de Castro.
The Executive Power is currently exercised by Mayor Marcos Ferreira Godoy (Teco) (PODE) - elected in 2024 and, by vice-mayor Thiaguinho (PL) and by the municipal secretaries appointed by the mayor. Legislative power is exercised by 17 councilors.
The city has the headquarters of the Itapevi Education Board, responsible for the state schools in the city itself, Barueri, Jandira, Pirapora do Bom Jesus and Santana do ParnaÃÂba. There are around 65 municipal schools installed., in addition to having headquarters for the Institutes Cacau Show and Eurofarma.
Itapevi currently maintains five Schools of the Future in the neighborhoods of Parque Suburbano, Jardim Santa Rita e, Cardoso, Amador Bueno and Cohab.
Itapevi has a wide range of healthcare facilities, with private and public hospitals, specialized centers and basic units, including:
Some neighborhoods of Itapevi:
Around the 1980s, the São Paulo Metropolitan Housing Company - COHAB, launched the Presidente Housing Complex Tancredo Neves, increasing the city's demographic density. And in the 1990s, the city received three more housing complexes, these built by the Housing and Urban Development Company - CDHU, from the state government. As a result, there was strong migration to the city.
The municipality is located at coordinates 23ð32'56" S, 46ð56'03" W. The total area of the municipality is 82,658 kmò, ranking 600th in the list of the largest cities in the state of São Paulo. Of the entire area of the municipality, 37,498 kmò are urban areas, ranking 266th on the list of the largest in Brazil. It is limited to the municipality of Santana de ParnaÃÂba to the north and northwest, Barueri to the northeast, Jandira to the east, Cotia to the south and southeast, Vargem Grande Paulista to the southwest and São Roque to the west.
Itapevi is under the control of the Atlantic Plateau, where we can see the following types of relief: floodplains, alluvial plains, hills and mountains. Serra do Itaqui extends along the border with the municipality of Santana de ParnaÃÂba, where the Aldeia da Serra region is located. The city's ground zero is located 35 kilometers west of the capital of São Paulo, and the current urban center is located in the floodplain of the Barueri-Mirim river, a tributary of the Tietê river.
Itapevi climate is subtropical, temperate, warm the coldest month being July and warmest in February. Rainfall is abundant, amounting to an annual average of 1,324 mm. According to Köppen, Itapevi can be classified as a humid subtropical climate "Cfa".
The climate table below shows the monthly and annual mean temperatures and rainfall for the city of Itapevi:
In addition to the trap artist Veigh, who achieved national and international recognition, the city is the birthplace of other important names, such as artists from the Hip Hop movement and groups dedicated to samba. The Trap Fest event, for example, demonstrates the strength of the musical genre in the region. To promote samba de roda, the Samba da Casa 26 group promotes performances that celebrate the genre and serve as a meeting point for the community.
In 2018, the Guinness Book made it official that the largest graffiti wall in the world is located in the city, on the banks of the Rodovia Castello Branco (SP-280), at the Cacau Show factory, which depicts the process from planting to harvesting cocoa. Measuring around 5,772.11 m2, the mural was produced by the artist Eduardo Kobra, who already held this record, for a graffiti wall made in 2016, on the eve of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The municipality of Itapevi concentrates almost all its population in urban areas, resulting in reduced agricultural activity. In 2023, the municipality closed with a GDP of R$15.6 billion (U$2,9 billion) and per capita of R$67.220,40 (U$12.870,24), placing it among the 150 richest municipalities in Brazil.
The Exame magazine pointed Itapevi among the 10 cities with the best economic development in the country, and as the first in the state of São Paulo. The ranking is part of the story "The best cities for business'.
Itapevi has a well diversified industrial park, with an emphasis on the pharmaceutical industry. Large companies are located within the municipality, such as Henkel, Jaraguá, Cacau Show, Casa SuÃÂça, Eurofarma, Alpla, Wyeth, Blanver, Bomi Brasil, Leonardo S.P.A and others.
Between 1960 and 1980, one of the main industries was the Santa Rita Cement Factory, which belonged to the Grupo Votorantim and was deactivated and demolished.
Itapevi is mainly crossed by three main highways, namely:
(Source: IPEA data) <div style="text-align:center;margin:0 auto;"> Changing demographics of the city of Itapevi<br />
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In telecommunications, the city was served by Companhia Telefônica Brasileira until 1973, when it began to be served by Telecomunicações de São Paulo. In July 1998, this company was acquired by Telefónica, which adopted the Vivo brand in 2012.
The company is currently an operator of cell phones, fixed lines, internet (fiber optics/4G) and television (satellite and cable).
Christian traditions are present regularly in Itapevi, with popular festivals related to the holidays of Corpus Christi and Passion of Christ.
Christianity is present in the city in the following way: