Patos de Minas was founded in 1868. It is situated in the western part of the state of Minas Gerais, in between the ‘Triângulo Mineiro’ and the ‘Alto Paranaíba’ region. It is considered to be an regional economic pole, leading the microregion Alto Paranaíba which consists of 10 municipalities. The population of the municipality is 136.997 inhabitants (IBGE, 2005). With the ‘Festa Nacional do Milho’ (the National Corn Celebration) the city gained national fame.
Patos de Minas occupies a privileged position in a ranking of the state cities, appearing among the 19 bigger cities of the State of Minas Gerais in terms of general collection of tributes to the State. A survey by the IPEA (Institute of Applied Economic Researches), published by the magazine Veja in 2001 pointed Patos de Minas as city with the 5th biggest socio-economic development between 1970 and 1996. In the survey 5000 Brazilian cities were researched, of in between 50 the 500 thousand inhabitants.
Various factors contribute to the economic and social success of the city, among them the strategic localization, which binds the city to the great commercial centers such as São Paulo, Uberlândia and Belo Horizonte, facilitating the commercial interchange, the structured development and the quality of life of the population.
Source: Patos de Minas City Council
