Santo André, São Paulo, Southeast Region, Brazil

🇧🇷 Santo André is a Brazilian municipality located in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. It is part of a group of municipalities known as the ABC Region. Its area is 175.8 km². or about 43,441 Acres of landmass.

It is the 15th most developed Brazilian city, and the eighth most developed city in the State of São Paulo, according to the UN. The city is also known to be the fifth best city in the country to raise children on the grounds of public and private education and health care.

History The settlement, which became a town in 1553, with the name of Santo André da Borda do Campo, experienced rapid growth beginning in the 1930s. It was originally named São Bernardo because the municipality district headquarters were in São Bernardo do Campo, now a city nearby. In 1938, the name was changed to Santo André, as the district government was transferred to Santo André. Industries include chemical engineering, textiles, oil, metal products, metallurgy and printed matter. It is an industrial city, but more than 60% of Santo André's total area are protected by environmental water laws.

In 1867, a railway named the São Paulo Railway or the Estrada de Ferro Santos-Jundiaí, made it easier to be reached. In 1954, it became the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santo André.

In 2002 the city shot to national prominence with the assassination of serving mayor Celso Daniel, whose murder remains unsolved.

Districts • Distrito Sede - Santo André • Paranapiacaba • Distrito de Utinga - Santo André • Distrito de Capuava - Santo André.