Santo André, Industrial municipality in São Paulo, Brazil.
Santo André is a municipality in São Paulo metropolitan area and belongs to the ABC region known for industrial activity. The city extends from the flatter urban zone to forested hills in the southern district of Paranapiacaba, where water protection areas lie.
An early hamlet was founded here in the mid-16th century, but the settlement lost importance and disappeared. The present municipality emerged from the 19th century with the construction of the railway to Santos and received official town status in 1938.
The city carries the name of a saint and grew early as a working town with factories and residential areas for their employees. Traditional markets and restaurants show Brazilian cuisine alongside Italian and Japanese influences that remain present since the immigration waves.
The city can be reached by public transport from São Paulo, and main roads connect the different neighborhoods. Visitors find restaurants, parks, and shops in the center, while Paranapiacaba in the south offers a quieter forest setting.
Paranapiacaba still preserves old railway houses in English style from the time when British companies operated the train line. Fog regularly rolls through the southern district and gives it a particular climate.
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