Quilpué facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Quilpué
City and Commune
Coat of arms Quilpué Location in Chile
Nickname(s):  "City of the Sun" (Ciudad del Sol)
Country	Chile
Region	Valparaíso
Province	Marga Marga
Founded	1898
Government
• Type	Municipality
Area
• Total	536.9 km2 (207.3 sq mi)
Elevation	141 m (463 ft)
Population  (2017 Census)
• Total	151,708
• Density	282.563/km2 (731.83/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-4 (CLT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-3 (CLST)
Postal code	2430000
Area code(s)	+56 32
Climate	Csb
Website	Official website: http://www.quilpue.cl/

Quilpué is a city and the main city of the Marga Marga Province in central Chile. It's located in the Valparaíso Region. Quilpué is part of the larger Greater Valparaíso area. Many people call it the "City of the Sun" (Ciudad del Sol). The town of El Belloto is also part of Quilpué and grew very quickly in the late 1990s.

What Does the Name Quilpué Mean?

There are a few ideas about where the name Quilpué comes from.

• Some people think it means "place where there are pigeons." They believe many pigeons lived in the area. This idea comes from the old words cullpo (meaning ground dove) and hue (meaning place).
• Other people suggest it means "place of the stone lancet." This is because the Picunche people, who were Mapuche, were very good at making sharp stone tools. These tools were used for medical reasons. Many of these stone tools have been found in old sites around Quilpué.

Exploring Quilpué: Fun Things to Do

Los Pinos, a residential area in Quilpué.

Quilpué is known as the "City of the Sun" because it gets more sunny days each year compared to nearby Valparaíso. It's easy to get around Quilpué and to other cities. You can use the train, highways, or buses to reach Viña del Mar and Valparaíso on the coast. You can also travel to cities further inland. Many people live in Quilpué because housing is often cheaper here, and they travel to work in the coastal cities every day.

You can also reach Santiago, Chile's capital, from Quilpué. It takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes by car or 1 hour and 30 minutes by bus. Buses usually leave from the Pajaritos metro station in Santiago.

Local Attractions and Nature

Quilpué has some cool places to visit:

• The Zoo: It's the only zoo in the entire Valparaíso Region.
• Rural Towns: You can visit the countryside towns of Colliguay and the Marga-Marga Valley. Both places are great for camping and hiking.

Quilpué in Numbers: City Facts

• Size: The city covers about 537 square kilometers (about 207 square miles).
• People: In 2002, about 128,579 people lived here.
  • 67,249 were females and 61,329 were males.
  • This was about 8.35% of the Valparaíso Region's total population.
• Where People Live:
  • 98.69% of the people live in urban (city) areas.
  • Only 1.31% live in rural (countryside) areas.
• (Source: 2002 census)*

A Look Back: Quilpué's History

People lived in the Quilpué area long before the Spanish arrived. In 1547, Governor Pedro de Valdivia gave this land to Rodrigo de Araya. For many years, mining was the most important activity here. Later, in the 1600s, the land was divided into smaller pieces.

How Quilpué is Governed

Quilpué became the main city of the Marga Marga province on March 11, 2010. This province was created by a special law in 2009.

As a commune (a local government area), Quilpué is managed by a municipal council. The leader of the council is a mayor (called an alcalde), who is chosen by the people every four years. The current mayor is Valeria Melipillán. The city hall is located at 684 Vicuña Mackenna street.

Learning in Quilpué: Schools and Universities

Quilpué is home to parts of two universities:

• A campus for the Faculty of Engineering of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso is in the Valencia area.
• The Universidad de Aconcagua is located in Paso Hondo.

Sports in Quilpué

Quilpué has a well-known basketball team called Colegio Los Leones de Quilpué. This team plays in big competitions like the international Liga Sudamericana de Básquetbol and Chile's national Liga Nacional de Básquetbol de Chile. They play their home games at the Gimnasio Colegio Los Leones.

Famous People from Quilpué

• Rosita Serrano (1912–1997), a famous singer and actress.

Quilpué's Weather

See also

In Spanish: Quilpué para niños