Itapevi

The toponym comes from the Tupi language Itapevi and means "river of flat stones," according to two books: "Vocabulário Tupi-Guarani - Português", by Prof. Silveira Bueno (Brasilivros Editora), and "A Origem dos Nomes dos Municípios Paulistas" (Imprensa Oficial do Estado de São Paulo, 2003), by Enio Squeff and Helder Perri Ferreira.

Says the constant entry of final work: "Itapevi (by Tupi - itá peb'y): itapevas river, the river slabs of flat stones, of ita-peba (flat stone slab) and 'y (river or waters) ".

The formation of the village began around the eighteenth century, and the first building in the city was a house built around 1720, used by bandeirantes. The earliest settlers probably are Abreus family.

On July 10, 1875, the train station of Cotia (Sorocabana) was inaugurated, around which formed the core of Itapevi. In 1895, the Italian Giulio Michaeli opened a quarry for the production of paving stones, attracting families of Italian immigrants, as Belli, Michelotti and Silicani.

In 1912, Joaquim Nunes Filho (Nho Quim), from Cotia city, purchased the Sítio Itapevy, with 152 bushels. This place covering all the current city center. Nunes became a local political boss, for his ties to the former PRP (Partido Republicano Paulista). He managed the elevation of the village to district Cotia on October 12, 1920; Nunes has brought electricity in 1929 and the installation of the first telephone in 1930.

Nevertheless, the reference of the place was still under the name of Cotia train station, removing the possibility of identifying own the place.

In 1940, arrived in Itapevi Carlos de Castro, businessman. Knowing that the Nunes family had pretensions to sell the land that belonged to Joaquim Nunes (who died in 1941), he acquired vast tract of land, giving rise to the allotment of Parque Suburbano and Jardim Bela Vista. It was from there that accelerated the process of urbanization of the place.

At the time, the train station was still called Cotia and the headquarters of the future city was known as Vila Cotia. With this, they created enormous confusion up to the postal and telegraph service in the district. In 1945, Carlos de Castro got with then Minister João Alberto that the station had its name changed to Itapevi. The people celebrated this decree.

On May 10, 1952, Carlos de Castro met with three other residents of the district: Nicolau Leonardo, Raul Leonardo and Ezequiel Dias Siqueira. Together they drafted a petition to the Assembléia Legislativa do Estado de São Paulo for the emancipation of the district. Taking more than a thousand signatures, but even so, they were defeated by the fact Itapevi be very near Cotia and that residents were indebted to the city. They had to wait five years for the project to be voted on again. From then and now in a spirit of emancipation throughout this region, members of the society of the time initiated the movement for autonomy in the district, causing the population to commit mass in the process. Its founders were men like himself Carlos de Castro, Americo Christianini, Cezário de Abreu, Bonifácio de Abreu, Rubens Caramez (then councilor of Cotia and who later became the first mayor of Itapevi), Raul Leonardo (the only emancipatory still alive), Jose dos Santos Novaes, Antônio Pedra Pereira and many others.

In the referendum held in 1958, about nine hundred people opted for emancipation, against only thirty unwilling to autonomy. That same year was formalized by Governor Jânio Quadros the law that created the city of Itapevi. The city was officially founded in the following year, on February 18, 1959, by Governor Carvalho Pinto. The first mayor was Rubens Caramez, who won the elections against Carlos de Castro.

The executive branch is currently exercised by the mayor Jaci Tadeu da Silva (PV) - elected in 2012 with a mandate until 2016, by Deputy Mayor Azevedo Fláudio Limes (PT) and the municipal secretaries appointed by the mayor (current Secretary of Government: Peter Tomishigue Mori).

List of mayors of Itapevi

• Rubens Caramez (1960-1964) vice: Romeu Manfrinatto
• Romeu Manfrinatto (1965-1968) vice: Pedro de Oliveira e Silva
• Osmar de Souza (1969-1972) vice: Dorival de Oliveira
• Romeu Manfrinatto (1973-1976) vice: Claro Camargo Ribeiro
• Jurandir Salvarani (1977-1982) vice: João Caramez
• Silas Manoel de Oliveira (1983-1988) vice: Elias de Souza
• Jurandir Salvarani (1989-1992) vice: Ramiro Eleutério Novaes
• João Caramez (1993-1996) vice: Lázaro Toledo Queiroz Filho
• Sérgio Montanheiro (1997-2000) vice: José Francisco de Oliveira
• Dalvani Anália Nasi Caramez (2001-2004) vice: Lineu Alberto Góis
• Maria Ruth Banholzer (2005-2008) vice: Jaci Tadeu da Silva
• Maria Ruth Banholzer (2009-2012) vice: Jaci Tadeu da Silva
• Jaci Tadeu da Silva (2013-2016) vice: Fláudio Azevedo Limas

The municipality of Itapevi concentrates almost all its population in urban areas, and therefore a reduced agricultural activity.

The Exame magazine pointed Itapevi among the 10 cities with the best economic development in the country, and as the first in the state of São Paulo. The ranking is part of the story "The best cities for business'.[4]

Itapevi has a well diversified industrial park, with emphasis on the pharmaceutical industry. Large companies are located within the municipality, such as Henkel, Jaraguá, Cacau Show, Casa Suíça, Eurofarma, Alpla, Wyeth, Blanver, Bomi Brasil and others.

Between 1960 and 1980, one of the main industries was the Santa Rita Cement Factory, which belonged to the Grupo Votorantim and was deactivated and demolished.

One of the first new trains for Line 8 (Diamante) by CPTM - (Itapevi ↔ Julio Prestes)

• Total: 200.874 inhabitants (2010).
• Demographic density (inhabitants/km²): 2.430,15
• Child mortality until 1 year (in 1000): 9,74 (2004)
• HDI : 0,759 (2000)
  • HDI-M Income: 0,663
  • HDI-M Longevity: 0,737
  • HDI-M Education: 0,876

(Source: IPEA data)

Changing demographics of the city of Itapevi

Source: IBAM and IBGE

• (in Portuguese) Official City Website
• (in Portuguese) Itapevi Railway Station

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Itapevi.