THE VILLA

  • GEOGRAPHIC SITUATION: Caldas lies on the northwest of the Province of Pontevedra, at the river Umia bank, in the point where "Val do Salnés" starts and where their fertile lands spread towards the sea.

    • The geographic point is 42º 36' north latitude and 8º 38.5' longitude. Its geographic code on the map is 36050 and its altitude is 24 metres over the sea level.

    The major road (N-550), from A Coruña to Vigo, goes along this villa, joinning it with the Capital of the Province, Pontevedra, which is 21 Km. far from here; Santiago de Compostela, Capital of Galicia (Autonomic Community) is 36 Km. far from it. Precisely, the upper mentioned road, is one of the most congested roads, not only in Galicia but also all over Spain as well. In fact, the centre of Caldas de Reis (black point of traffic jams) is unbearable, even more in summer season, when there are many kms. jam in every direction, including to this, people coming back from the beaches. It is worth mentioning not only the heavy traffic, but the enviromental and acoustic pollution that corresponds to this. All this trouble could be solved with the so-dreamt BYPASS, which will not start yet untill 1999 (we are still slighty excluded by the Central Authority, unfortunately).

    Jam to August

    Jam in Travesía Sagasta. August 1999

    BYPASS YES !

    Reaching to this point, I wish to highlight this: "Bypass is required", but not at any price. We all know how the Authority acts in these cases, above all if they are dealing with Caldas. At the presente time it is already established a "Committe of affected" by the project of the bypass. Most of them live in the neighbourhoods of "Santa María" and "San Andrés de César", they count on the Caldas borough support to discuss all the doubts they can have.

    Nowadays, Caldas consists of nine parishes: Arcos da Condesa (Minor Local Entity since 1945), San María, San Andrés, San Clemente, Carracedo, Bemil, Saiar, Godos and Santo Tomás (towncenter). Its area is 68,51 Km² and its population goes up to 9.430 inhabitants (25% belong to the centre, aprox.)

    Aerial View. Photo nfabian

  • RIVER AND GARDEN PARK: the river Umia flows through are very rich in fishing. At the riverbank, full in the centre of Caldas, we can find one of the most enchanting resorts, that shows a great variety of tree species. Two kms. up, the river gets its maximun beauty in the full, unfortunately in danger of being destroyed by the construction of the so-feared dam.

    • NOT TO THE DAM !
    Push for information in "galician version"

  • CLIMATE: temperate and wet. Summer season is characterized by the lack of reinfull. Average temperature is among 14º/16º and 20º. Average damp is 80% in a year. Rainfull 1800-2000 m.m. strongly reduced in summer time.

  • ECONOMIC ACTIVITY: it was diversifying in the recent times going from agricultural predominance to the service sector, the most important now together with industry, they represent 40% and 30% respectively. We can point up the following:

    • Caldas is the villa that has developed quicker in the recent years. We can claim this with the total amount of 609 economic licences. They are distributed in the following way: cattle raising (5), construction (74), retail trader (222), manufactured (75), wholesaler (32), mining (8), services (186), transport (7).

    Nowadays most of the traders from Caldas take part in the "trader asociation" that brings commercial activity in Caldas under the slogan "You have every thing and walking..." After many promises, never fulfilled, since Tuesday, January the 11th of 2000, Real street is for pedestriams only. I always asked for this step (as a personal remark) and I am pleased they recover the ancient part of the villa. Also, I wish to pay my deep respects to the traders from Caldas and to their complaints about this matter, but the consecuences of this will have to be analized after a prudent time. After all I don't think the Local Authority wants to damage to anyone. All we have to colaborate and promote this street and make a crowded, commercial and pertect place for us. Let's do our best to improve the villa.

    PEDESTRIAM WAY, YES !

  • INDUSTRY: it is outstanding the fact that the four firts companies at the local ranking manufacture more than 14.000 millions of pesetas. They are: Lácteas del Atlántico, S.A. (Clesa), Foresa, Clavo an Brentang (catalogue as the most important companies going beyong the amount of a thousand millions a year in manufacturing). It is worth mentioning that more than 28 companies manufacture more than 50 millions a year, if you put them all together they go up to 18.000 millions, for that reason Caldas is the third most important villa in the list of the major industrial districts around Pontevedra, followed by Poio and Marín, apart from the capital (Pontevedra). However, the outstanding bussiness situation, than let Caldas be the axle of communications between Vigo and A Coruña, adding to this the piers and railways close to Caldas.

  • PRIVILEGED VILLA: Three main features in Caldas had a vital importance all through its history, without them we couldn't understand the present time:

    •