Providencia, Chile

Providencia
—  City and Commune  —
Palacio Falabella, the current Providencia city hall, located on Pedro de Valdivia Ave.
Coat of arms	Providencia Location in Chile
Map of Providencia commune within Greater Santiago
Coordinates (city): 33°26′S 70°36.5′W / 33.433°S 70.6083°W / -33.433; -70.6083Coordinates: 33°26′S 70°36.5′W / 33.433°S 70.6083°W / -33.433; -70.6083
Country	Chile
Region	Santiago Metro.
Province	Santiago
Government[1] [2]
• Type	Municipality
• Alcalde	Cristián Labbé Galilea (UDI)
Area[3]
• Total	14.4 km2 (5.6 sq mi)
Population (2002 Census)[3]
• Total	120,874
• Density	8,400/km2 (22,000/sq mi)
• Urban	120,874
• Rural	0
Sex[3]
• Men	53,082
• Women	67,792
Time zone	CLT [4] (UTC-4)
• Summer (DST)	CLST [5] (UTC-3)
Area code(s)	56 +
Website	Municipality of Providencia

Providencia (Spanish: "providence") is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. Part of Greater Santiago, it is bordered by the communes of Santiago to the west, Recoleta to the northwest, Las Condes and Vitacura to the northeast, La Reina to the east, and Ñuñoa to the south.

Providencia is home to a large upper middle-class population and it holds the region's highest percentage of population over 60 (21.51%). It contains many high-rise apartment buildings as well as a significant portion of Santiago's commerce. It is notable for its large, old and elegant houses inhabited in the past by the Santiago elite and now mostly used as offices.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Providencia spans an area of 14.4 km² (6 sq mi) and has 120,874 inhabitants (53,082 men and 67,792 women), making the commune an entirely urban area. The population grew by 8.7% (9,692 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.^[3]

Indicators

• Area: 14.4 km²^{[6][dead link]}
• Population: 126,436 (2009 projection)^{[6][dead link]}
• Average annual household income: US$53,767 (PPP, 2006)^{[6][dead link]}
• Population below poverty line: 3.5% (2006)^{[7][dead link]}
• Regional quality of life index: 83.01, high, 5 out of 52 (2005)^{[citation needed]}
• Human Development Index: 0.911, 4 out of 341 (2003)^[8]

Notable residents

• Patricio Aylwin, former president
• Ricardo Lagos, former president
• Pablo Neruda, poet
• Gabriel Valdés, former senator

Administration

As a commune, Providencia is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Cristián Labbé Galilea (UDI).^[1][2]

Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Providencia is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Jorge Burgos (PDC) and Marcela Sabat (RN) as part of the 21st electoral district, (together with Ñuñoa). The commune is represented in the Senate by Soledad Alvear (PDC) and Pablo Longueira (UDI) as part of the 8th senatorial constituency (Santiago-East).

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has its headquarters in Providencia.^[9]

Areas of interest

Providencia includes Barrio Suecia, an area filled with pubs and nightclubs, and Barrio Bellavista, a bohemian area populated with artists and performers. The latter lies in the shadow of Cerro San Cristóbal, a prominent hill in the city topped by a 22 m statue of The Virgin Mary. The north of Providencia is its financial and commercial district (centered on Providencia and 11 de Septiembre avenues), while the remainder of it contains high-priced residential development.

Other notable areas of interest in Providencia include the Metropolitan Zoo, the Teleférico (an aerial gondola that transports people from the foot of Pedro de Valdivia Avenue to the top of San Cristóbal Hill), several television networks and Radio Cooperativa. The municipality is also home to many embassies, including those of Italy, France, Russia, China, and Uruguay.

References

External links

Chile portal

• (Spanish) Municipality of Providencia

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