Valdemoro, Madrid, Spain

🇪🇸 Valdemoro is a municipal district, located in the Southern zone of the autonomous community of Madrid, Spain. Located 27 km from the capital, Valdemoro is officially part of the comarca of La Sagra, though it is generally also included in the Madrid metropolitan area.

The municipality has experienced strong population growth in the past fifteen years. Valdemoro's proximity to the capital has favored the demographic and economic development of the area. Due to the recent population boom, Valdemoro has had to construct new transportation, educational, sanitation, health, and entertainment facilities.

The municipality's recent history is closely linked to that of the Guardia Civil. Valdemoro is home to the Colegio de Guardias Jóvenes Duque de Ahumada, an academy open only to children and orphans of existing guardsmen.

Economy Up through the 1960s, Valdemoro's economy was primarily agricultural. The territory was divided into 19 agricultural districts: Tenerías, Horcavieja, Espinillo, Cerro del Boticario, Alvarado, Valle de las Monjas, Valle del Infierno, Cuevecillas, Cabeza del Gato, Valdajos, Pocillos, Marguilla, Santiago, Tranzones, Valdereja, Cárcava, Portillo, Mira and Arboledas. Its industry was limited almost exclusively to gypsum quarries which were in the process of going bankrupt due to lack of modernisation. Of these, the most important quarry was known as La Integridad.

Valdemoro experienced a wave of industrialization during the 1980s, which resulted in a subsequent rapid increase in population. By 2002, the distribution of industry was as follows: • Agriculture: 0.16% • Industry: 39.50% • Services: 60.34%.

Agriculture Due to its arid climate, Valdemoro's main crop is cereals, and the main livestock is poultry. Much like the rest of the developed areas of the Autonomous Community of Madrid, this sector is rapidly diminishing in both importance and size.

Industry Due to its proximity to Madrid, Valdemoro's industrial sector is considered fundamentally important. Large national and international companies have located their logistical headquarters in the area, including the wholesaler El Corte Inglés, the automotive supplier Lear, the German window & façade manufacturer Schüco, and the oil company Total S.A.

Services The service industry, which includes the commercial sector, is the most developed industry in the area. On average, 14.7% of the population works in these fields. The two commercial centres of Valdemoro are the Calle Estrella de Elola in the historical district, and the Centro Comercial El Restón, located in one of the new residential neighborhoods that are currently under construction. There has been speculation in recent years that El Corte Inglés and/or Carrefour are planning to construct a new mall in the municipal district, though this has not been confirmed at present.

Light rail The government has been studying the viability of a light rail system for the past few years. The proposed line would connect Valdemoro's Cercanías station with the El Restón and UDE Norte-Oeste neighborhoods and the Hospital. The project is part of the Plan de Ampliación de la Red de Metro de Madrid 2007–2011 ("Plan to Expand the Network of the Madrid Metro"). The project was licensed to MINTRA on 9 July 2007.