Angelópolis

Angelópolis
Angelópolis
Municipality and town
	Flag
	Location of the municipality and town of Angelópolis in the Antioquia Department of Colombia
	Angelópolis Location in Colombia
	Coordinates: 6°08′N 75°42′W / 6.133°N 75.700°W
Country	Colombia
Department	Antioquia Department
Subregion	Southwestern
Area
• Total	86 km2 (33 sq mi)
Elevation	1,950 m (6,400 ft)
Population (2015)
• Total	8,946
• Density	100/km2 (270/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Colombia Standard Time)

Angelópolis (Spanish pronunciation: [aŋxeˈlopolis]) is a town and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia. It borders the municipalities of Armenia, Heliconia, and Medellín to the north; La Estrella and Caldas to the east; Amagá to the south; and Titiribí and Armenia to the west. Its municipal seat is 48 kilometers from the city of Medellín, the capital of the department of Antioquia. The municipality has an area of 86 square kilometers.

History

The priest Joaquín María Giraldo is considered the first pioneer of the region and the original founder of the town. After the first settlements were established, something very similar to what happened in the rest of southwestern Antioquia happened with this community: the search for gold.

After the gold rush, settlers arrived in the region until, in 1887, a pair of them, the brothers Joaquín and Petrona Franco, decided to build a chapel on a mountainous ridge they called "Los Ángeles." They were accompanied by the aforementioned Father Joaquín María Giraldo, who would become an icon of the population and who proposed the name "Angelópolis" for the recent foundation. The name stayed forever.

Angelópolis acquired the status of a district in 1896 and remains so to this day.

Its name continues to mean 'City of Angels,' and it is located just 48 km from Medellín. It is a small town and is next to the majestic El Romeral natural reserve, which serves as a natural boundary with the municipality of La Estrella. This area, of immense value in ecotourism, attracts more and more ecotourists and hikers, and is the cradle of several rivers, and is home to many species of flora and fauna.

General information

Foundation: June 16, 1887
Municipality status: Ordinance 16 of July 13, 1896
Founders: Joaquín María Giraldo, Brothers Joaquín and Petrona Franco
Nickname: "Land of the Angels"

Geography

It is connected by road to the municipalities of Heliconia, La Estrella, Caldas, Amagá, Titiribí, Armenia, and Medellín. It was named Angelópolis by the aforementioned Father Joaquín María Giraldo, who is also considered one of the first founders. The patron saints of the population are the Holy Angels, hence its name.

Climate

Maximum temperature: 23 °C
Minimum temperature: 18 °C

Political-Administrative Division

Besides its municipal seat, Angelópolis has jurisdiction over the following populated centers:

Corregimiento La Estación
Vereda Cienaguita
Vereda Santa Rita
Vereda San Isidro
Vereda La Cascajala
Vereda Promisión
Vereda La Clara
Vereda El Barro
Vereda El Nudillo
Vereda Santa Bárbara

Demographics

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1912	3,578	—
1918	4,117	15.1%
1938	4,936	19.9%
1951	5,315	7.7%
1964	6,309	18.7%
1973	6,135	−2.8%
1985	6,100	−0.6%
1993	6,479	6.2%
2005	7,641	17.9%
2018	9,180	20.1%

Historical Population

1912: 3,578: —
1918: 4,117: 15.1%
1938: 4,936: 19.9%
1951: 5,315: 7.7%
1964: 6,309: 18.7%
1973: 6,135: −2.8%
1985: 6,100: −0.6%
1993: 6,479: 6.2%
2005: 7,641: 17.9%
2018: 9,180: 20.1%

Total Population: 9,180 inhabitants (2018)

Urban Population: 7,168
Rural Population: 2,012
Literacy Rate: 78.7% (2005)

Urban Area: 77.4%
Rural Area: 80.5%

Life Expectancy:

Men: 70 years
Women: 77 years

Ethnography

According to figures presented by DANE from the 2005 census, the ethnographic composition of the municipality is:

Mestizos & Whites: 99.8%
Afro-Colombians: 0.1%
Indigenous: 0.1%

Public transport

Buses and minivans: The municipality of Angelópolis has an inter-municipal bus and minivan system that connects the municipality with Medellín and also offers services to the municipality of Caldas.

Economy

Angelópolis is a mining and, notably, coal-producing land. It also has economic activities in agriculture, livestock, and commerce.

Mining: coal, sand, clay, magnesium
Agriculture: coffee, sugarcane, plantains
Livestock: cattle and pigs
Handicraft Industry: manufacturing of saddles and tack for horses and mules.

Festivals

Mineral Festival, December 7 to 9
Festival of the Virgin of Carmen on July 16
San Isidro Festival in July

Gastronomy

Angelópolis mainly offers typical Antioquian food, such as the famous Bandeja paisa, as well as barbecues.

Places of interest

Alto del Romeral, an official ecological reserve, a wooded area of 900 hectares located on the borders with the Antioquian municipalities of Caldas and La Estrella, and with a corregimiento of Medellín named San Antonio de Prado
Quebrada La Ramírez, with its waterfalls, in the sector of El Matadero
Ecological Trails with abundant forests rich in flora and fauna: the Angelópolis - Caldas route stands out
Coal Mines
Parochial Church of the Holy Angels
Warehouses of the old Antioquia Railway