São José do Rio Prêto

Brazil

Also known as: Rio Prêto

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

São José do Rio Prêto, city, in the highlands of northwestern São Paulo estado (state), Brazil. It lies 1,558 feet (475 metres) above sea level near the headwaters of the Prêto River.

Originally called Rio Prêto, the city became a seat of a municipality in 1894 and grew as a service centre for an agricultural region that grows oranges, coffee, cotton, rice, and feijão (beans). Those products, as well as meat, dairy products, vegetable oils, furniture, textiles, and chemicals, are processed there. São José do Rio Prêto is home to a football (soccer) stadium. The city is linked by rail, road, or air to São Paulo city, 250 miles (400 km) southeast, as well as to Araƈatuba to the southwest and Ribeirão Prêto to the east. Pop. (2010) 408,258.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Jeff Wallenfeldt.