Ribeirão Preto

• Ribeirão Preto population: 703,293 inhabitants (2019). Metropolitan area: approx. 1.7 million inhabitants

Data of the Census of 2010

• Total population: 605,114
  • Metro: 603,401
  • Rural: 1,713
  • Men: 290,286
  • Women: 314,828
• Population density (inhabitants/km²): 930.42
• Infant mortality up to 1 year (per thousand): 9.90
• Life expectancy (years): 74.40
• Total fertility rate: 1.89
• Literacy rate: 95.56%
• Human Development Index (HDI): 0.855
  • HDI GDP: 0.855
  • HDI longevity: 0.823
  • HDI education: 0.918

Source: IPEAdata

Source: Census 2000

The climate of Ribeirão Preto is tropical, specifically a tropical wet and dry climate (Aw in Köppen climate classification),[3] with rainy summers and dry winters. The record maximum registered in the city was 43.6 °C (110.5 °F) on October 29, 2012.[4]

• Average temperature: Winter 18.6 °C; Summer 23.9 °C
• Altitude: 531m (between 504 and 852 meters)
• Average precipitation: 1508 mm of rain (annual total)
• Relative humidity: 71% yearly average

• Pardo River
• Ribeirão Preto (origin of the city's name)
• Retiro Saudoso Creek
• Tanquinho Creek
• Laureano Creek
• Das Palmeiras Creek
• Dos Catetos Creek
• Dos Campos Creek
• Vista Alegre Creek
• Antartica Creek
• Olhos d'Água Creek
• California Creek
• Limeirinha Creek

Ribeirão Preto has many parks, gardens and a zoo[6] e.g. Fábio Barreto municipal forest; a municipal park called "Curupira", officially named Luís Roberto Jábali Park; the Botanical Garden Park, named as Luís Carlos Raya Park, both located in the south zone; Tom Jobim Park, located in the northwest region and Maurílio Biagi Ecological Park, located in the central region.

Ribeirão Preto has some museums and theatres, highlighting the Theatro Pedro II (Pedro II Theatre), which is an opera house, located in the central region, more specifically in the "Quarterão Paulista" (Paulista Square), considered the third largest of the category in Brazil, with capacity for 1580 spectators and a total area of 6500 m², inaugurated on October 8, 1930. Another highlight is the Municipal Theatre, inaugurated in 1969 with modern lines, which has capacity for 515 people. Being a large and wooded place, is also used for cultural events. There is also the Arena Theater, which is next to the Municipal Theatre, among others.

Some museums stand out in the city, as the "Coffee Museum Francisco Schmidt," which was built in the early 1950s, known for saving the most important collection of pieces of São Paulo on the History of Coffee. Its collection consists of large sculptures, bullock carts, trolleys, coffee machines benefit, plus photos of the golden age of coffee in the region of Ribeirão Preto. Another important museum is the Art Museum of Ribeirão Preto (MARP) - "Manuel Pedro Gismondi". The municipality has other museums, such as the Casa da Memória Italiana (Italian Memory House), Museum of General Order and the Museum of Image and Sound.

Theatres in the city:

• Auxiliadora Theatre;
• Bassano Vaccarini Theatre;
• Arena Theatre;
• SESC Theatre;
• Minaz Theatre;
• Municipal Theatre;
• Pedro II Theatre/Opera House;
• Santa Rosa Theatre;
• Sesi Theatre.

Ribeirão Preto is a major center of cinema in Brazil, with the Kaiser Film Studios, held by the São Paulo Film Commission, with space of more than 13 thousand square meters of constructed area and houses an entire infrastructure for audiovisual production. Situated in the historic city center, (the Company's former headquarters Brewery Paulista), this historical and cultural heritage is listed by the Defense Council of Historical, Artistic, Archaeological and Tourism of the State of São Paulo (Condephaat), Council of Heritage Preservation Cultural de Ribeirão Preto (Conppac) and at present is in the process of overturning the Iphan – "Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage.

In addition, the city still has the largest film society in the country, Cineclube Cauim (900 seats), and dozens of mainstream cinema rooms, such as UCI, Cinemark and Cinepolis.

Ribeirão Preto is the birthplace of one of the oldest samba schools in Brazil: the "Bambas" founded in 1927. However, as a string carnival, becoming samba schools later. Besides this pioneering school, there are the Embaixadores dos Campos Elíseos (Ambassadors of Campos Elíseos), Tradição do Ipiranga (Tradition of Ipiranga), Camisa 12 Corintiana (12 Corinthian Shirt) and Imperadores do Samba (Emperors of Samba). In Bonfim Paulista district, two samba schools are present: Acadêmicos de Bonfim and Unidos da Vila.

In 2010, Ribeirão Preto was chosen as the theme for Águias de Ouro Samba School parade, in São Paulo Sambodrome, showing its history related to coffee, sugar cane and agribusiness.

There are also some street carnival groups, such as "Os Alegrões" (Jardim Irajá neighborhood) and "O Berro" (in the city center).

Ribeirão Preto was among the municipalities that met the basic requirements for a training centre for 2014 FIFA World Cup. Therefore, it was selected by France national football team as base for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The stadium Santa Cruz was the training base, whereas the Theatre Pedro II hosted press conferences.

Ribeirão Preto is twinned with:

• Bucaramanga, Colombia.
• Ripa Teatina, Italy.
• San Leandro, United States.
• Teramo, Italy.

Besides the main administration, the city has three regional administrations (sub city halls):[9]

• Regional administration 1: North (Campos Elísios)
• Regional administration 2: West (Vila Tibério)
• Regional administration 3: South (Bonfim Paulista)

In 2009 the municipality counted with 319 health establishments such as hospitals, emergencies rooms, clinics and dental care, being 64 of these publics and 255 private. With them, the city had 2 177 beds available for hospitalization, which 847 are in the public's establishments and 1 320 in the private's. In 2011, 95.7% of the children of under-1 year had their immunization updated. In 2010 was registered 8 141 new born, and the infant mortality rate as 9.7/ every 1 000 born child and 99.8% of all the new born had assisted birth. In the same year 12.5% of all pregnant women were under-20 years. 32 963 children were weighed by the Family's Health Program, and 0.8% of them were undernourished.

Ribeirão Preto has the following hospitals, among public and privates: Hospital das Clínicas de Ribeirão Preto - HC Campus (Clinics Hospital of Ribeirão Preto) - Emergency Unit and HC Criança; Hospital Estadual de Ribeirão Preto (State Hospital of Ribeirão Preto); Hospital Santa Casa de Ribeirão Preto (Santa Casa Hospital); Hospital Psiquiátrico Santa Tereza (Santa Tereza Psychiatric Hospital); Sanatório Espírita Vicente de Paulo (Spiritist Sanatorium Vicente de Paulo); Beneficência Portuguesa Hospital; Hospital do Câncer de Ribeirão Preto - SOBECCan (Cancer Hospital of Ribeirão Preto); São Lucas Hospital; Ribeirânia Hospital; Hospital Municipal Santa Lydia (Santa Lydia Municipal Hospital); São Paulo Hospital; São Francisco Hospital; Electro Bonini Hospital; Mater; Hospital Maternidade Sinhá Junqueira (Sinha Junqueira Maternity Hospital); RDO VIVER Hospital; Unimed Ribeirão Hospital.

The Ribeirão Preto's Health division is linked to the City hall and responsible for the maintenance and operation of the Sistema Unico de Saude (SUS- Unified Health System), and for the policies, programs and projects that aimed the city's health. For the first care the city counts with 33 Units UBDS and UBS. Among the support and basic attention services there’re the Homeopathy and Herbal Medicine Program, Sanitary Surveillance (VISA), the Programme for Health Care of the Person with Disabilities (PASDEF), the Home Care Service (DSS), the Health Program of the Deaf and Fissured (Prodaf) and the Program Community Integration (PIC). The Service Mobile Emergency (EMS) in Ribeirão Preto was one of the first to be instituted in Brazil, counting today with 11 ambulances basic (USBs) and a mobile ICU.

Ministry of Health points Ribeirão Preto as the best city in the state and the third better in the country, among the 29 Brazilian's municipality with the highest income and infrastructure in access and quality of the health services. The city was rated 6,69, above the Brazilian average, of 5,47, according to the SUS’ Index of Performance (Idsus). The first two ranked are Vitória (ES) and Curitiba (PR) with the notes 7,08 ad 6,96, respectively. The hospitals, clinics and medical centres of Ribeirão Preto attract people from many municipalities of the region.

The medium Basic Education Performance Index (IDEB) among the city's public schools was, in 2009, 4.0 (in a scale from 1 to 10), considering that the note from the 5th years was 4.4 and the 9th years was 3.7; the note of the municipals and publics schools in the hole country was also 4,0. Among the private institutions the municipal index raises to 6.1 (6.4 for the 5th years students and 5.9 for the 9th years). The education Human Development Index (HDI) was 0.918 (classified as very elevated), while Brazilian's was 0,849.

The municipality counted, in 2009, with approximated 117 373 enrollments in the schools. According to the Brazilian Institute of Geographic and Statics, in the same year, from the all the 168 elementary schools, 60 belonged to the state, 26 to the municipality and 82 were private. Among all the 68 high schools, 32 belonged to the state, 3 to the municipality and 33 were private. In 2000, 5.5% of the children from 7 to 14 were not at school. The graduation average among teen of 15 to 17 years was, in the same year, 67.7%. The index of alphabetization of the population above 15 years, in 2010, was of 98.9%. In 2006, for each 100 girls there were 105 boys in the elementary school.

The city's Education Office has as their objective to coordinate and advise the management and pedagogical the city's education system. Are examples of the programs coordinated by the Office the Young and Adults Education (EJA) that is a non-cost education for the adults that had not concluded elementary schooling and the Special Education Networking, where students who have physical disabilities are conducted by specialist teachers.

During the economic stagnation from the 1940s to the 1950s the city discovered and established its vocation as an educational and university center. In 1942 the state government expropriated the Monte Alegre Farm, an important coffee farm from the Schmidt family of German immigrants, and transformed it into an agricultural practical school. Several new buildings and houses for the professors were constructed on a land which held before tens of thousands of coffee plants. The new school was very well planned and urbanized and many trees were planted to provide shadow and give it a pleasant atmosphere. But the agricultural school never achieved a significant development and it was closed in 1951. A longstanding dream of the population of Ribeirão Preto was to have a university and in 1952 the old farm was donated to the University of São Paulo for the creation of a medical school, which was the first school of its campus at Ribeirão Preto.

Fortunately, many original buildings of the agricultural school and even some of the Monte Alegre Farm were preserved and only adapted to hold the new university, which makes its campus one of the most beautiful university campuses in Brazil. After the creation of the medical school the University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto (USP-RP) has been growing steadily and it is presently constituted by eight schools: School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto (FMRP), School of Law of Ribeirão Preto (FDRP), School of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters (FFCLRP), School of Dentistry (FORP), School of Economics, Administration and Accounting (FEARP), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (FCFRP), School of Nursing (EERP) and School of Music (DMRP-ECA).

The creation of USP-RP stimulated the cultural and academic life in Ribeirão Preto and several schools, colleges and universities were opened in the city since then. The municipality has also many private colleges such as: Centro Universitário Barão da Mauá, Centro Universitário Moura Lacerda, Centro Universitário Estácio, Faculdade Anhanguera, Faculdade Reges, Faculdade São Luís, Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado (FAAP), Universidade Paulista (UNIP), Universidade de Ribeirão Preto (UNAERP).

One interesting fact is that in Ribeirão Preto there is one Local Cometee of AIESEC. Present in over 110 countries and territories and with over 60,000 members, AIESEC is the world's largest student-run organisation. Focused on providing a platform for youth leadership development, AIESEC offers young people the opportunity to be global citizens, to change the world, and to get experience and skills that matter today. Their office is in Rua das Paineiras, casa 9, USP, Monte Alegre.

Despite Ribeirão Preto, the entire region comprehends one of the principal University and Research Centers of the State, highlighting the health, engineering and high technology in São Carlos, agronomics, vet and zoo in Jaboticabal, zoo and food engineering at Pirassununga, among others. Therefore, the region consolidates itself as an important technological and educational polo. In May 2012 was opened the School of Technological Training (FORTEC) "Jandyra Camargo Moquenco" downtown, beginning its activities with four classes and attending around 900 students, divided in three shifts.

Ribeirão Preto's Technology Park has as its objective to support the scientific and technological development of the area, attracting companies that invest in research and development of products, focused in the areas of health and biotechnology, that prioritize sustainable development. The focus is to the Education and Research institutions, that comprehends the development of human resources, the availability of technological services and competence, and the technological demands from the companies in the area of Ribeirão Preto and from Brazil itself altogether with the international and national's technological trends in the Health and Biotechnology industry. Ribeirão Preto's Technology Park counts with equipment that induces research and development, as the Medical and Hospital Equipment Laboratory, a Business Center and a Business Incubator. The city also is an educational center in IT. In 2005 the city counted already with more than 300 companies in the activity and in 2010 the area had an increase of 23% in the income of the companies in the industry of Information and Communication Technology. Other areas that the city also stands out in the technological sector are the Health, the Biotechnology and the Bioenergy, considered one of the biggest sugar and ethanol's producers worldwide.

• Ribeirão Preto's public transportation system is operated by three companies and about 300 buses that attend 113[10] lines and routes.
• There are 30 routes[11] operated by small-sized buses. These routes connect distant districts to the main stations and are free of charge.
• An electronic card is required to use public transportation. The card works as a pre-paid fare system, and the fares are debited directly from the electronic card. These electronic cards are issued by the transportation department, which is called Transerp.[12]

Ribeirão Preto Beltway

Ribeirão Preto has a good road network that connects the cities of São Paulo state and to the capital, having access to highways statewide and even national importance through side roads and two-lane paved, as the National Highway Cândido Portinari and Anhanguera highway. Anhanguera is one of the most important roads of São Paulo, being inserted in the northeast corridor of the state, linking it to Minas Gerais. In a radius of 200 km around the city are some of the major cities in the interior of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, such as Araraquara, São Carlos, Bauru, Piracicaba, Campinas, São José do Rio Preto, Uberaba and Uberlândia, being facilitated by the availability of access roads. The following highways pass through the city:

• Highway Antonio Machado Sant'Anna (SP-255) – Linking Ribeirão Preto to Araraquara and São Carlos;
• Mario Donegá Highway (SP-291) – Road linking Ribeirão Preto to Pradópolis and Dumont;
• Attilio Balbo Highway and Highway Armando Salles de Oliveira (SP-322) – Connects Ribeirão Preto to Sertãozinho;
• Highway Alexandre Balbo (SP-328) – Ring Road North;
• Highway Mayor Antonio Duarte Nogueira (SP-328) – Ring Road South;
• Rodovia Anhangüera Highway (SP-330) – Linking Ribeirão Preto to Brasilia, Campinas and São Paulo;
• Abraao Assed Highway (SP-333) – Road linking Ribeirão Preto to Serrana and Cajuru;
• Highway Cândido Portinari (SP-334) – Road linking Ribeirão Preto to Batatais and Franca

The bus station of Ribeirão Preto (Portuguese: Rodoviária de Ribeirão Preto) is placed in the central area of the city, and operates 24 hours a day, connecting Ribeirão Preto to many other cities in São Paulo and in other Brazilian states.

Leite Lopes Airport offers support and infrastructure compatible with airports of major centers. It operates full-time, with more than 1.1 million passengers (2015). From here depart flights to important cities of Brazil, such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Goiânia, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Salvador and Campinas.

Ribeirão Preto's Airport is administered by the São Paulo's Airway Department (DAESP). It is one of the main airports in state of São Paulo. It functions full-time and received, in 2011, more than 54,000 flights and nearly 1.1 million passengers, making it the 26th busiest airport in Brazil, with more movement than some Brazilian capitals.

With a runway measuring 2.100 x 45m, a passenger terminal with 3850 m² and 840 car parking spaces, works for expansions are about to start (2018) amplifying the passengers terminal to 12,000m².

Also operates charter flights and houses the headquarters of Passaredo (important regional airline), and a flying club.

Currently the city's railway system is not functional. There are some projects underway to revitalize it.[13]

The first railway to arrive in Ribeirão Preto belonged to the Mogiana Company of Railroads, and the railway station was inaugurated on November 23, 1883. In 1970 it became part of the Railroad Paulista SA, and continued to operate until 1976 when the railroad tracks were transferred. On June 1, 1966 was inaugurated the new railway station, now owned by Centro- Atlantic (FCA), which received passengers until August 1997, when these trains were suppressed. In addition to these Ribeirão Preto has been served by two other railroads. The Dumont Railway, built by Mogiana, connecting the city to the farm Dumont, owned by Henrique Santos Dumont, at west of the city, and the train station Dumont, who belonged to the railroad, was inaugurated in 1890 and abandoned by the closure of the line in 1940, and demolished in March 1968. The Railroad São Paulo-Minas transported ore between Ribeirão Preto and Minas Gerais, with the station that was inaugurated on May 1, 1928 and operated until around 1970.