Nova Odessa
Nova Odessa is a Brazilian municipality in the state of São Paulo. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Campinas. The population is 60,956 in an area of 73.79 km2. Nova Odessa was founded on May 24, 1905, by Carlos José de Arruda Botelho, Secretary of Agriculture of the state of São Paulo, and then settled by Jewish-Ukrainians and Latvians; Its name is due to a visit Carlos Botelho made to the city of Odesa, Ukraine, from where he brought the style of its streets, and not because the first settlers were mostly from Ukraine and Russia.
History
In the early 20th century, the area of present-day Nova Odessa was classified as an uninhabited land suitable for farming. On May 24, 1905, the Brazilian government founded Nova Odessa as a "Núcleo Colonial".
Ukrainians settled arrived in the region in 1905. However, difficulties related to farming, and soon abandoned the colony and moved to larger Brazilian cities. In late 1905, only a few Ukrainian families had remained in the nucleus. Determined to consolidate the colony, the Brazilian government sent João Gutmann to Riga, capital of Latvia, with the goal of attracting new farmers to the colony. In 1906, Nova Odessa received the first settlers from Latvia. Later, other Brazilian immigration agents were sent to Latvia and succeeded in attracting more families.
Culture
The city maintains or supports directly in several ways a wide range of departments, programs, groups and cultural institutions. Those include the Municipal Public Library —that has a section of books in the Latvian language. Although the city later received many people from other ethnicities, the Latvian Culture is still very noticeable and there are plans for the creation of a Center of Latvian Culture there.
Economy
The economy is based on industry, mainly textiles. The city's GDP went from R$373 million in 1999 to R$1.6 billion in 2009. With its per capita value reaching R$32,862 —double the national average.
Media
In telecommunications, the city was served by Telecomunicações de São Paulo. In July 1998, this company was acquired by Telefónica, which adopted the Vivo brand in 2012. The company is currently an operator of cell phones, fixed lines, internet and television.
Climate
The city has a highland tropical climate, semi-humid with dry winters.
Religion
Christianity is present in the city as follows:
The Catholic Church in the municipality is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Limeira.
Protestant Church
The most diverse evangelical beliefs are present in the city, mainly Pentecostal, including the Assemblies of God in Brazil, Christian Congregation in Brazil, among others. These denominations are growing more and more throughout Brazil.