Torrevieja lies about 50 kilometres south of the city of Alicante and had a population of around 90.1k residents as of the 2011 census; the latest official estimate (2019) is 83.3k inhabitants.[3] Torrevieja was originally a salt-mining and fishing village, as it is located between the Mediterranean Sea and two large pink salt lakes known as Las Salinas de Torrevieja.
History
Until the 1800s, Torrevieja was nothing more than random cottages and desolate dwellings near an ancient guard tower, which gave the town its name; torrevieja is Spanish for 'old tower'. In 1803, Charles IV decided to relocate the salt-mine production and offices from La Mata to the town of Torrevieja itself, allowing for the construction of new buildings and homes there. However, in 1829, the town was totally levelled by an earthquake, but the salt basins were soon recovered and business resumed.
In the 19th century, the salt was mainly shipped from the town by Swedish and Dutch merchant and cargo ships. At the time, there was only limited salt exportation to other regions of Spain, mainly to Galicia and, to a lesser extent, greater Valencia. Soon, with the turn of the 20th century, a quarter of all the salt sold in Spain was harvested directly from the Torrevieja lagoons, with the rest being exported to foreign markets. Today, it is still an important industry in Torrevieja and still a major employer. The city features a Museum of Sea and Salt.
In 1931, Alfonso XIII gave Torrevieja city status by special grant. During this period, there was also a growing market for locally-grown flax, hemp and cotton.
The municipality contains a water desalination plant, the largest of its kind in Europe. The company that built the plant, Acconia, maintains that the plant supplies water for customers across Northern Europe.[4]
Recent history
The Port
Since the mid-20th century, and entering into the 21st century, the local economy has grown exponentially due to the Mediterranean tourism industry, attracting visitors from elsewhere in Spain as well as tourists from abroad. Additionally, there is a strong contingent of British, Irish, German and Scandinavian citizens who stay in Torrevieja year-round, as well as many extended-vacationers using companies like Air BnB, or property timeshares. There is also a growing number of Spaniards who own second homes in the city.
In 2004, Torrevieja had the largest number of British expats of all the Spanish municipalities (approx. 7,180[citation needed]). The high number of British residents from Yorkshire has led to Torrevieja being nicknamed 'Costa del Yorkshire' by some,[5] and paella can be had served in giant Yorkshire puddings in many of the city's restaurants.[6]
Source 2: Holiday Weather (sunshine hours, rain and rainy days)[10]
Population
In 1991, the city had 25,000 residents, two decades later close to 100,000. The father of the expansion was Pedro Ángel Hernández Mateo, mayor between 1988 and 2011. In order to encourage growth, all the land was rezoned fit for building, save for the two lagoons, designated natural parks in 1989.[11]
The INE (Spanish Census) of 2005 showed that the city had 84,838 residents, and the ajuntament (district council area) had 95,531 residents. By January 2008 this figure had reached 103,154 of whom only 47,870 were Valencian or Spanish. More than 7,000 of the Spanish residents were originally from Madrid and not for nothing is Torrevieja known as la playa de Madrid (the beach of Madrid). However, by the 2011 census, the population had reduced to 90,097 and the latest estimate (for the start of 2019) is 83,337.[3]
The city’s age distribution is as follows:
Children and youths under 20 years: 19,674
Adults aged 20-40: 24,453
Adults aged 40-60: 32,212
Seniors aged 60-80: 24,331
Residents aged 80-100: 5,656
Residents aged 100 or older: 24 (7 men, 17 women).
Historical population of Torrevieja
Year
1897
1910
1930
1950
1960
1970
1980
1991
1996
2001
2004
2005
2011
2012
2014
2016
2019
2024
Population
7,833
8,961
8,754
8,935
9,234
9,726
12,314
25,014
35,998
50,953
75,530
84,348
90,097
105,270
88,447
85,000
83,337
106,350
The most prominent nationalities in 2012 were:[12]
The city is a conservative stronghold, with the Partido Popular (PP) maintaining an absolute majority at the municipal elections of 2007, and 2011. PP however narrowly lost its absolute majority in 2015 to a coalition of five parties which designated Green candidate José Manuel Dolón García mayor.
Transport
Torrevieja's main road link is the N-332 road linking Cartagena with Valencia hugging the Mediterranean coastline. There was once a branch line from the Alicante–Murcia railway serving Torrevieja; which closed in the late 1970s. There are plans to reopen this line.[13]
Places of interest
Iglesia Arciprestal de la Inmaculada ConcepciónTorrevieja: Juan Aparicio seafrontBuilding of the CasinoMonument to the Cultures of the Mediterranean
Iglesia Arciprestal de la Inmaculada Concepción (Archpriest's Parish Church of the Immaculate Conception) – erected in 1789 and reconstructed in 1844, using stones reclaimed from the original Torre Vella (Old Tower)
Panoramic viewpoint La Torre del Moro, old watchtower
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Rosario (La Mata), constructed in 1896
Paseo de la Dique de Levante, dyke or breakwater of Levante, 1600 m long
Parque de las Naciones (Park of the Nations), scale map of the European continent
Museo del Mar y de la Sal (Museum of the Sea and Salt)
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