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São Paulo

São Paulo

About São Paulo

11,316,149 in city
19,616,060 in metro
1,523 km² (588 mi²)
760 m
São Paulo, the capital of the state of São Paulo, is the largest city in Brazil with over 18 million people in its metro area. Founded in 1554 by the Jesuits, the city bloomed to gigantic proportions in the 20th century. Money from coffee exports, once the main activity of the State, boosted industrialization and attracted immigrants from many countries, especially Italy. The immigrants' influence was so strong that even today the Paulistas (São Paulo's natives) speak Portuguese with a peculiar accent. Japanese immigration is also very important, the local colony being the world's largest outside Japan. Like any big city in a developing country, São Paulo is constantly jammed by its 7.48 million cars; but for the fortunate the helicopter is becoming an alternative, with a fleet of nearly 500 choppers (second only to Tokyo). This leads to a distinctive characteristic of the city's architecture, for most of the new skyscrapers include helipads. The history of the Brazilian skyscraper began with São Paulo's Prédio Martinelli in 1929, which initiated a thorough verticalization of the city. By 1959 the old Downtown was crowded with buildings. From the 1960s the center for new skyscrapers moved south to Paulista Avenue. Situated at the highest point in town at 80 meters, buildings on Paulista appear taller from the surrounding areas. In the 1990s with Paulista already saturated, development moved south again to Berrini Avenue and Pinheiros Freeway in the Brooklin region. With strict land occupation laws São Paulo's skyscrapers are not very tall, with the old Mirante do Vale just topping 170 m. But the number of buildings over 80 meters is so huge that skyscrapers have become the defining feature of the city.

Zones

Brooklin (190), Cerqueira César (134), Chácara Klabin (60), Jardim Anália Franco (50), Nova Luz (21), Paraíso (323), Vila Nova Conceição (165), Vila Olímpia (154)

Boroughs

Centro (995), Zona Leste (827), Zona Norte (399), Zona Oeste (1,990), Zona Sul (2,445)

Metro Cities

Arujá, Barueri, Biritiba-Mirim, Caieiras, Cajamar, Carapicuíba, Cotia, Diadema, Embu, Embu-Guaçu, Ferraz de Vasconcelos, Francisco Morato, Franco da Rocha, Guararema, Guarulhos, Itapecerica da Serra, Itapevi, Itaquaquecetuba, Jandira, Juquitiba, Mairiporã, Mauá, Mogi das Cruzes, Osasco, Pirapora do Bom Jesus, Poá, Ribeirão Pires, Rio Grande da Serra, Salesópolis, Santa Isabel, Santana de Parnaíba, Santo André, São Bernardo do Campo, São Caetano do Sul, São Lourenço da Serra, São Paulo, Suzano, Taboão da Serra, Vargem Grande Paulista

No. of Buildings

No. Current status
7,279 All Buildings
7,070
existing
25
under construction
42
planned
120
unbuilt
22
demolished

Tallest Buildings

# Building Height Year
1 Mirante do Vale 558 ft 1960
2 Edifício Itália 541 ft 1965
3 Altino Arantes 528 ft 1947
4 Torre Norte 518 ft 1999
5 Limantos 518 ft 2010

Building types

No. Type
6,711 high-rise building
319 low-rise building
128 skyscraper
78 mast (framework)
13 church
9 stadium
6 bridge
4 telecommunications tower
3 hall
2 monument
2 open-air structure
2 house
1 temple
1 building with towers

Other buildings

No. Type
22 Famous buildings
65 Buildings with construction images