Santa Clara

Santa Clara was founded by 175 people on 15 July 1689. 138 of them represented two large families already living in the area, who owned land next to the new city. The other 37 came from seven other families and included a priest and governor, all originating in the coastal city of San Juan de los Remedios. The population of Remedios had to choose between leaving their city, constantly being besieged by pirates, or staying. While most decided to stay, 37 people traveled south to the interior. On 1 June 1689, they arrived at a hill, joining two other families already present at the site. According to tradition, a mass was celebrated under a tamarind tree and Santa Clara was founded. Since then, the place under the tree has been known as Loma del Carmen (transl. Carmen's hill). A second-generation church was built in a park along the plaza. …

Located on a plain below a hillside, in the middle of the surrounding province, Santa Clara is 71.5 km (44.4 mi) from the Caribbean Sea (at Cienfuegos) and 51.7 km (32.1 mi) from the Atlantic Ocean (at Caibarién). The municipality borders with the municipalities of Cifuentes, Camajuaní, Placetas, Manicaragua, and Ranchuelo. The city is divided into several divisions (repartos): There are 18 wards (consejos populares) of Santa Clara. They include Centro, Caprio, Santa Catalina, Vigía, Sandino, Hospital, Escambray, Chambery, Virginia, Condado Norte, Condado Sur, Abel Santamaría, and José Martí are a part of the Urban area. Camacho Libertad, Antón Díaz, Aereopuerto, Univerisidad, Manajanabo, Sakenaf, Hatillo-Yabú, and Camilo Cienfuegos are part of the Semi-Urban area and San Miguel is in the Rural Area.

Parque Vidal is located at the center of the city, taking up an entire square block. In the park, there is a statue of Marta Abreu, who is admired by the people of Santa Clara. Bordering the park is the Santa Clara Libre (formerly the Santa Clara Hilton), Gran Hotel, Teatro La Caridad (a National Monument of Cuba), Plaza del Mercado Central, the former city hall, and the Colonia Española de Santa Clara center of dance, exhibiting the most attractive and unique traditional customs of hinterland Cuba. Parque Vidal is one of the most quintessential Cuban places in Cuba. During the afternoons, people, especially singles, visit the park to meet others. Although not widely practised in recent times, the custom was to walk around the park. The women walk along the inner part of the park, while the men walk along the outer side. …

Santa Clara is crossed by the Carretera Central highway (CC) and Autopista A1 motorway. The Santa Clara Beltway serving the city is directly linked to the motorway. The main railway station, Santa Clara railway station, is part of the principal line of the country, the Havana-Santa Clara-Camagüey-Santiago. Abel Santamaría Airport, located 11 km (6.8 mi) to the north, is the city airport, serving flights to Italy, Canada, France, and Poland, along with domestic and other flights. …

In 2022, the municipality of Santa Clara had a population of 245,959. With a total area of 514 km2 (198 sq mi), it had a population density of 480/km2 (1,200/sq mi).