Villa Alegre, Chile 5.71

Villa Alegre a commune and city located in Linares Province, Maule Region of Chile. With 189.8sqkm, Villa Alegre is the smallest commune by area in the Maule Region. It sits 92m above sea level.DemographicsAccording to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Villa Alegre spans an area of 189.8sqkm and has 14,725 inhabitants (7,332 men and 7,393 women). Of these, 5,456 (37.1%) lived in urban areas and 9,269 (62.9%) in rural areas.Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population fell by 2.8% (425 persons).HistoryVilla Alegre was founded on May 6, 1891 and was one of the first places in Chile to have an electric tramway service, in 1915.EconomyVilla Alegre and its neighbor San Javier are traditional winemaking areas. The Loncomilla valley, which includes these two communes, is endowed with some of the better vineyards and quality wines of the bountiful Maule Valley, in the Chile's central valley viticultural regions or appellations.