Canovelles () is a municipality situated in the comarca of Vallès Oriental, in the province of Barcelona, part of the autonomous community of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. It is located about from the local capital of Granollers, with which it forms a conurbation.

Demographics

Population by district District Pop. (2007) Àligues, les 125 La Barriada Nova 11,786 Bellulla 225 Can Castells 696 Can Comas 17 Can Diviu 1,327 Can Duran 668 Can Quana 58 La Quinta Avinguda 111 La Serra 31 Sanaüja 486 Sant Feliu 45 Tibel 149

Population distribution The vast majority of the immigrants of the last decade and their descendants live in the Barriada Nova (New Quarters). However, the members of the immigrant wave in the 1960s and 1970s are gradually moving further into the peripheral districts. Public housing shortages and the high price of private housing are driving young people out of the area, and into municipalities in the same region.

Demographic evolution 1497 1515 1553 1717 1787 1857 1877 1887 1900182423136173303305334335

1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1981 19903303375056656313,0618,10012,09313,165

1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 200713,32413,60313,28713,10613,01613,37514,00115,01215,704

Economy During the 1950s and 1960s, Canovelles saw a dramatic increase and immigration from other parts of Spain – namely from the nearby region of Barcelona. Because of this explosion in population, much of Canovelles' economy stems from the service sector.

Another major source of regional economy comes from the weekly market held every Sunday, comprised by more than 500 shops. This market focus on the distribution of clothing, electronic devices and fruit.

History Numerous archeological finds from the Neolithic Period and the Roman Empire have been found in Canovelles. One representative is the “Menhir”, a replica of which is displayed at the Can Palots Theater exhibition hall.

The first time the term Canovelles appears in a document is in 1008 AD, in a document pertaining to the Abbot of Sant Cugat.

Between the 1950s and the 1970s, many families from Extremadura and Andalusia arrived to the municipality, increasing the population by a factor of twenty. Since the end of the 1990s people from Morocco, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America have been arriving to Canovelles in great numbers.

During the 1970s, clandestine groups of Marxists organized against the Franquist dictatorship, some of them comprised by more than a hundred militants.

Recent history

A celebration was held in 2008 to celebrate the oldest document (written in 1008) in which a writer mentions the municipality's name.

In 2007, Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC) gained an absolute majority in the municipal government under the leadership of José Orive. In 2008, this government approved a thirty percent increase in pay for the mayor and local councillors. This pay increase marked José Orive as an object of controversy when hundreds of stickers criticizing the decision were posted on lampposts and other public objects throughout the municipality. After these stickers had been up for two days, the municipal government paid a cleaning company to remove them. Orive left his position as the Mayor of Canovelles for personal reasons. Emilio Cordero succeeded Orive as the Mayor of Canovelles in 2016.

Administration

List of mayors since the democratic elections of 1979

Term Name of mayor Political Party 1979–1983 Francesc Martos i Aguilera PSC 1983–1987 Francesc Martos i Aguilera PSC 1987–1991 Francesc Martos i Aguilera PSC 1991–1995 Francesc Martos i Aguilera PSC 1995–1999 Francesc Martos i Aguilera PSC 1999–2003 Francesc Martos i Aguilera PSC 2003–2007 Francesc Martos i Aguilera / José Orive I Vélez PSC 2007–2016 José Orive I Vélez / Emilio Cordero Soria PSC 2016–present Emilio Cordero Soria (incumbent) PSC

List of mayors from 1900 to 1979 Term Name of mayor Political party Restauración Borbónica 1890–1906 Francesc Espargaró i Planas - 1906–1910 Joan Pous i Roger - 1910–1916 Francesc Botines i Galitó - 1916–1918 Esteve Grau i Montpart - 1918–1923 Jaume Gispert i Cassà - 1923–1930 Miquel Julià i Gorchs - 1930–1931 Jaume Gispert i Cassà - Second Spanish Republic 1931–1933 Francesc Pous i Gorguí Acció Catalana Republicana 1933–1934 Josep Gratacòs i Peicasat ERC 1934–1936 Jaume Gispert i Cassà - 1936 Amadeu Facundo i Vidal Unió de Rebassaires-PSUC 1936–1937 Antoni Riera i Genevat CNT-FAI de Canovelles 1937–1938 Nemesio Sanz i Barrachina PSUC 1938 Francesc Pous i Gorguí Acció Catalana Republicana Franquism 1939–1952 Isidre Duran i Blanchart - 1952–1960 Ignasi Julià i Argemí - 1960–1969 Felip Argemí i Orriols - 1969–1979 Joan Dordas i Vila -

Electoral results

1995 Party Votes % Councillors PSC-Progrés Municipal 4.132 63,44 13 Convergència i Unió 788 12,10 2 PP 525 8,06 1 ICV 474 7,28 1 ERC 272 4,18 0 Canovelles Unida (EUiA) 194 3,40 0

1999 Party Votes % Councillors PSC-Progrés Municipal 3.928 68,78% 15 Convergència i Unió 518 9,07 1 PP 491 8,60 1 EUiA 258 4,52 0 ERC 243 4,25 0 ICV 194 3,40 0

2003 Party Votes % Councillors PSC-Progrés Municipal 3.351 56,02 10 Convergència i Unió 808 13,51 2 ICV-EUiA 624 10,43 2 PP 624 10,43 2 ERC 495 8,27 1

2007 Party Votes % Councillors PSC-Progrés Municipal 2.816 53,89 11 Convergència i Unió 705 13,49 2 ICV-EUiA 540 10,33 2 PP 512 9,80 1 ERC 337 6,45 1 Ciutadans 216 4,13 0

Transportation

Highways C-17 – Located on the exit by Ronda Nord and by the exit at Granollers-Canovelles BV1432 and BV1439

Railways Granollers-Canovelles railway station – Line 3 of the Rodalies Barcelona

References

External links Canovelles Town Hall Website (Catalan) Government data pages