Santa Cruz is a Chile

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...

an city and commune, located in the Colchagua valley, in the O'Higgins Region

O'Higgins Region

The VI O'Higgins Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. It is subdivided into three provinces. It is named in honour of Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, one of Chile's founding fathers....

, placed in the southern shore of Tinguiririca river, 110 miles from Santiago

Santiago, Chile

Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...

, Chile's capital city and 27 miles from San Fernando

San Fernando, Chile

San Fernando is the capital of the province of Colchagua, in central Chile, and the second most populated urban center of the O'Higgins Region. Located close to the Tinguiririca River in a fertile valley, San Fernando sits 1,112 feet above sea level...

History

There is no exact data about the foundation of the city, although there is an official date when the city became a municipality in the year 1891, the same year as Pichilemu

Pichilemu

Pichilemu , originally known as Pichilemo, is a beach resort city and commune in central Chile, and capital of Cardenal Caro Province. It is located southwest of Santiago, the capital of Chile, and comprises an urban center and twenty-three villages, such as Ciruelos, Cáhuil, and Espinillo...

.

From its beginnings, the town was a center of handcrafted artifacts and agriculture development, being the wheat, tomatoes and wine, the main products of the area. Because of the relation with countryside traditions from its starts, Santa Cruz offers an authentic view about the countryside traditions of Chilean culture expressed in the wine, the food and the traditional sport such as the rodeo.

The city was among those affected by the 2010 Chile earthquake

2010 Chile earthquake

The 2010 Chile earthquake occurred off the coast of central Chile on Saturday, 27 February 2010, at 03:34 local time , having a magnitude of 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale, with intense shaking lasting for about three minutes. It ranks as the sixth largest earthquake ever to be recorded by a...

.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census

Census

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...

, Santa Cruz spans an area of 419.5 sqkm and has 32,387 inhabitants (16,160 men and 16,227 women). Of these, 18,603 (57.4%) 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 13,784 (42.6%) in rural areas. The population grew by 10.7% (3,129 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

Economy

In the last two decades, rural tourism has become an important source of revenues for the city, the development of this industry was due specially because of the vineyards placed in the valley joint in a project called "Wine Route", that offers several tours in the area

Administration

As a commune, Santa Cruz is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council

Municipal 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 Héctor Valenzuela Valenzuela.

Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Santa Cruz 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. Ramón Barros (UDI) and Mr. Juan Carlos Latorre (PDC) as part of the 35th electoral district, (together with Placilla

Placilla

Placilla is a Chilean town and commune in Colchagua Province, O'Higgins Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Placilla spans an area of and has 8,078 inhabitants . Of these, 2,114 lived in urban areas and 5,964 in rural areas...

, Nancagua

Nancagua

Nancagua is a Chilean city and commune in Colchagua Province, O'Higgins Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Nancagua spans an area of and has 15,634 inhabitants . Of these, 9,264 lived in urban areas and 6,370 in rural areas...

, Chépica

Chépica

Chépica is a Chilean town and commune in Colchagua Province, O'Higgins Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Chépica spans an area of and has 13,857 inhabitants . Of these, 6,949 lived in urban areas and 6,908 in rural areas...

, Lolol

Lolol

Lolol is a Chilean commune and town in Colchagua Province, O'Higgins Region. Lolol was founded in 1830.-History:...

, Pumanque

Pumanque

Pumanque is a Chilean commune in Colchagua Province, O'Higgins Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Pumanque spans an area of and has 3,442 inhabitants , making the commune an entirely rural area...

, Palmilla

Palmilla

Palmilla is a Chilean city and commune in Colchagua Province, O'Higgins Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Palmilla spans an area of and has 11,200 inhabitants . Of these, 2,088 lived in urban areas and 9,112 in rural areas...

, Peralillo

Peralillo

Peralillo is a Chilean town and commune in Colchagua Province, O'Higgins Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Peralillo spans an area of and has 9,729 inhabitants . Of these, 5,882 lived in urban areas and 3,847 in rural areas...

, Navidad

Navidad, Chile

Navidad is a Chilean commune in Cardenal Caro Province, O'Higgins Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Navidad spans an area of and has 5,422 inhabitants . Of these, 712 lived in urban areas and 4,710 in rural areas...

, Litueche

Litueche

Litueche is a Chilean town and commune in Cardenal Caro Province, O'Higgins Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Litueche spans an area of and has 5,526 inhabitants . Of these, 2,479 lived in urban areas and 3,047 in rural areas...

, La Estrella

La Estrella, Chile

La Estrella is a Chilean town and commune in Cardenal Caro Province, O'Higgins Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, La Estrella spans an area of and has 4,221 inhabitants . Of these, 1,380 lived in urban areas and 2,841 in rural areas...

, Pichilemu

Pichilemu

Pichilemu , originally known as Pichilemo, is a beach resort city and commune in central Chile, and capital of Cardenal Caro Province. It is located southwest of Santiago, the capital of Chile, and comprises an urban center and twenty-three villages, such as Ciruelos, Cáhuil, and Espinillo...

, Marchihue

Marchihue

Marchihue, also known as Marchigüe, is a Chilean town and commune in the Cardenal Caro Province of Chile's sixth region of O'Higgins.-Demographics:...

 and Paredones

Paredones

Paredones is a Chilean town and commune in Cardenal Caro Province, O'Higgins Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Paredones spans an area of and has 6,695 inhabitants . Of these, 2,195 lived in urban areas and 4,500 in rural areas...

). 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 Andrés Chadwick Piñera (UDI) and Juan Pablo Letelier Morel (PS) as part of the 9th senatorial constituency (O'Higgins Region).

External links

Municipality of Santa Cruz Santa Cruz Chile