Victoria was founded in 1881 by Bernardo Muñoz Vargas by order of General Gregorio Urrutia, on a plateau overlooking the Traiguén River valley.
The beginning
The city was extremely underdeveloped when it was first established in 1881, with only a few huts and a little amount of trade, mostly for the fort's garrison. In 1883, Swiss settlers arrived in Victoria.
The commander of the fort, Bernardo Muñoz Vargas was responsible for some of the early urban planning. Creating some dumps, open streets, and a wooden bridge crossing the nearby river Traiguén.
The Swiss settlers were followed by Germans in Valdivia, who established a mill and a brewery on the banks of Traiguén; and exploited the extensive virgin forest creating some sawmills.
Demographics
According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Victoria spans an area of 1,256 km2 (485 sq mi) and has 33,501 inhabitants (16,423 men and 17,078 women). Of these, 23,977 (71.6%) lived in urban areas and 9,524 (28.4%) in rural areas. The population grew by 1.6% (522 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.[3]
The main settlements of the commune are the city of Victoria and the villages of Selva Oscura, Púa and Quino.[4]
Attractions
Some snowcapped volcanoes of the Andes, such as the Tolhuaca, Lonquimay, Sierra Nevada and the Llaima, can be seen from Victoria, forming an enormous backdrop for the city.
Economy
Its economy is based mainly on agriculture, livestock, dairy and export of agricultural products, forestry, trade and services. Its privileged location in the center of the Province, close to the regional capital, Temuco, permits an expedite connection with the main national routes such as railways and Chile Route 5. It is also located halfway along the bi-oceanic corridor between the Pacific Ocean and Argentina across the Pino Hachado Pass.
^Hajek, Ernst; Castri, Francesco (1975). "Bioclimatografia de Chile"(PDF) (in Spanish). Archived from the original(PDF) on 22 November 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
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