If you are going to the city of “Eternal Spring” MedellĂn, you will want to go to the Poblado district. It is one of the most visited districts in the city; you can enjoy a stroll around all the stores, restaurants, and museums. From there, you can get to other touristic destinations, such as having a tour to Pueblito Paisa or other city tours.
You can enjoy a stroll between El Poblado Park and Lleras Park. From there, you can get to other touristic destinations, such as having a tour to Pueblito Paisa or other city tours.
What makes el Poblado district so popular among tourists and locals? Read along to know all about it: its history, landmarks, remarkable people, and what it is known for nowadays.
History of El Poblado
As a Spanish colony
El Poblado, as we know it today, used to be a marginalized area for the indigenous population to separate them from the Spaniards.
The name “El Poblado” comes from the first Spanish settlement in the Aburrá valley; El Poblado means the village in Spanish.
Initially, the district, a small town, was established by Francisco Herrera y Campuzano by a royal edict of March 2nd, 1616.
After Independence from Spain
In 1845 El Poblado was renamed San José del Poblado and followed the Spanish architectural organization: a central plaza with a church, the mayor, and the houses alongside the Plaza.
Some families bought land and created their fortune from agriculture. The most famous estates were Provenza, Manila, Patio Bonito, Vizcaya, Castropol, and Astorga; later, they would become neighborhood names.
20th Century and Nowadays
At the beginning of the 20th century, wealthy families would buy land in El Poblado to build rural villas. Transportation from Medellin city to the El Poblado district was difficult during those years. However, the area was still attractive to industrialist and agricultural business families. After the construction of El Poblado to MedellĂn avenue, transportation was easy, boosting the district’s growth.
In the ’30s, families came to El Poblado looking for jobs as industrialization was booming. The government decided to finance the building of Barrio Lleras, a new neighborhood.
During the 50s, El Poblado became part of the city of Medellin since the industrialization of the southern part of the city connected with the remote district. As a result, the wealthy families in Barrio Prado (the first estates in El Poblado) moved to El Poblado.
In the 70s, El Poblado was known for being the area of wealthy families in Medellin city. As a result, El Poblado was Medellin’s second-largest urban center, and businesses, restaurants, and tourist attractions flourished. During this time, the government created the Zona Rosa: an exclusive tourist area for businesses, nightclubs, and general activities for locals and tourists.
El Poblado is also known as Golden Mile (Milla de Oro, in Spanish). It is the center of business development and wealth in Medellin city.
Geography
El Poblado is a medium-sized district comprising 39% of Medellin’s municipality, specifically 1,432.58 hectares (3,539 acres).
El Poblado district is in the city’s southeastern zone, towards the Aburrá Valley mountains. The Medellin river goes west of the community, separating El Poblado from the Guayabal district.
The district’s elevation goes from approximately 1,538 meters (5,046 feet) above sea level the east of Medellin’s river bank to over 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) at its highest point.
Many streams descend from the eastern mountain of Aburrá valley, flow into the Medellin river and pass by the El Poblado district. The most important ones are El Poblado and Aguacatala creeks.
Demographics
According to the 2020 Annual MedellĂn Statistics Report, El Poblado has a population of 410.194,71 inhabitants. The majority of housing in El Poblado belongs to the wealthiest class in Colombia, known as Estrato 6, according to a 2005 report from Medellin’s municipality. Also, the ethnographic composition of the district is in its vast majority white and only 1.6% percent black.
Streets and Transport
Streets
The district’s main streets go from north to south, following the direction of Medellin’s river. Due to the geography of the land, there are many kinds of roads, often named based on orientation:
- Avenidas (Avenues): a major thoroughfare or main street.
- Carrera: a street that goes from north to south.
- Calle (Street): a thoroughfare that goes from east to west.
- Loma: a road that goes to a specific hill.
- Circunvalar: a road that goes around a particular area.
- Transversal: a highway with a predominantly west-east direction.
El Poblado, like Medellin, follows the tradition of using names for the streets instead of numbers. However, the district uses a different numbering than Medellin’s municipality.
The numbering of streets (Calles, in Spanish) increases from north to south (unlike the rest of Medellin city): Calle 1 is at the south of the town, and Calle 120 at its north. Something curious about streets in El Poblado is that the numbering goes from east to west. Also, the streets’ name includes “Sur” (South, in Spanish), whether in the north or south.
El Poblado avenue
El Poblado avenue is the main avenue of El Poblado. It changes its name several times as it goes from the city’s eastern hills to connect northern and southern neighborhoods. The avenue passes by El Poblado Square and Calle 10 (10th Street). Calle 10 is famous for its thriving businesses and nightlife.
Transportation
The Metro of Medellin has three stations in the El Poblado district. The following stations are on the 1st line going from north to south through Los Industriales avenue to Las Vegas avenue:
- El Poblado Station
- Aguacatala Station
- Ayurá Station
Squares and malls
The most known malls in Medellin are in El Poblado:
- Plaza El Poblado: This Plaza is a historic landmark. In this location, the Spaniards founded the first European settlement in the Aburrá valley in 1616. Despite being the origin of modern Medellin, there aren’t any historical remains of that time. The Plaza follows traditional Spanish architecture: the main building is the church Iglesia San JosĂ© del Poblado. The Plaza is at the intersection of El Poblado Avenue and 10th Street, this last one a favorite spot by young people because of its nightlife.
- The Lleras Park is between the 9th and 10th Streets and the 35th and 38th Carreras.
The area between Lleras Park and El Poblado Park is also known as Zona Rosa (Pink zone), an informal way to say fancy area. The Zona Rosa is full of nightlife, restaurants, discos, youth gatherings, and other kinds of recreation.
You can enjoy a stroll between El Poblado Park and Lleras Park.
Do you want to know what most visitors say from the El Poblado district?
People say that besides the variety of Real State properties to rent or buy, the architectural transformation makes this district distinct.
Therefore, when living in the town, it is possible to find old houses with vast rooms and modern buildings with complete recreational areas to enjoy with family and friends.
Consider that El Poblado is the most exclusive sector of MedellĂn. It is part of the Comuna 14 and has 23 neighborhoods. Besides Lleras Park, you can enjoy other places of interest in the district, such as the San Fernando Plaza complex or La Milla de Oro de MedellĂn.
