Limeira

Infobox City
official_name = Limeira, SP, Brazil

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image_caption = View from Jardim Planalto
motto = "Fé, honra e trabalho" (Portuguese)
"Faith, honour and work"
mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Limeira
image_

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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = Region
subdivision_type2 = State
subdivision_name = Brazil
subdivision_name1 = Southeast
subdivision_name2 = São Paulo
area_total_km2 = 582.48
area_magnitude = 1 E9
population_as_of = 2004
population_total = 270733
population_density_km2 = 428.65
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Sílvio Félix da Silva (Democrat Labour Party (Brazil))
timezone = UTC-3
utc_offset = -3
timezone_DST = UTC-2
utc_offset_DST = -2
latitude = 22°33'53" S
longitude = 47°24'06" W
elevation_m = 588
website = [http://www.limeira.sp.gov.br Limeira]
footnotes = HDI (2000) 0.814 – high

Limeira is a city in the eastern part of the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The population in 2004 is 270,733 and the area is 582.48 km². The elevation is 588 m. It is 154 km far from São Paulo, the state capital, and 1011 km far from Brasilia, Brazil's capital. The city can be easily reached from São Paulo by two highways: Rodovia Anhangüera and Rodovia dos Bandeirantes.

It is formerly known as the "Brazilian orange capital" because of the great citrus fruits production that occurred in the past. Nowadays the main crop cultivated in the city is the sugar cane.

Limeira is also known by its new plated jewelry and semi-jewelry industry which attract customers from all over the world, giving the city the title of "Brazilian plated jewelry capital". There are more than 450 companies that are responsible for half of Brazilian's exports in this sector.

The name and origins of the city comes from a popular legend among the inhabitants that envolves a lime orange tree. This tree is called "limeira" in Portuguese. Historically, the city was founded in 1826 following the construction of a road built for the transportation of the production from the sugar cane farms.

There is a famous farm located in Limeira named Fazenda Ibicaba that belonged to Nicolau de Campos Vergueiro, which brought the first immigrants from Europe, specially from Germany, Portugal, Switzerland and Belgium, to replace the slaves as workers before the end of the slavery in the country. This was the first positive experience with immigrant workers in Brazil. Italian immigration began later, but was one of the most impressive.

Associação Atlética Internacional is a traditional football club based in Limeira. Independente Futebol Clube is another football club based in the city. The city's biggest stadium is Major José Levy Sobrinho stadium, built in 1977.