Huercal Overa
Huércal-Overa is a Spanish town and municipality in the province of Almeria in Andalusia. In 2015 there were 18,530 inhabitants. Its area is 318 km² and had an approximate density of 57 inhabitants per km². Its geographical coordinates are 37º 23 'N, 1 56' W. The town is situated at an altitude of 280 metres above sea level and 102 kilometres from the provincial capital, Almería. The post code is 04600.
Location
The town is located in the Almanzora River basin, and is the capital of the region of the Levante Almeriense, near to the border of the province of Murcia. To the North is the municipality of Lorca, South are the municipalities of Antas and Vera, West is the municipality of Zurgena and East are the municipalities of Pulpi and Cuevas del Almanzora.
The municipality is made up of the following villages:- La Concepción, Santa Bárbara, Los Menas, Los Navarros, El Pilar, together known as Overa, Santa María de Nieva, Almajalejo, San Francisco, El Saltador, Las Norias, Goñar, Úrcal, Las Labores, El Puertecico, La Hoya, Fuente Amarga, Gibiley, La Parata, La Perulera, Pedro García, Los Carmonas, Las Piedras, La Loma, Las Minas, La Fuensanta y Los Pedregales.
Brief History
All of the Almeria area was the centre of intense activity in prehistory, firstly by the culture of the Argar. Later Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans passed through this area on their way through the Levante. The mines in the region were a great attraction for those peoples of antiquity. The museums of the Cerro de San Francisco, in the vicinity of El Saltador, and La Sierra Enmedio have preserved some of these tunnels.
Until 1488 the area of Huércal Overa bordered the Kingdom of Granada. They were retaken by King Ferdinand, commanding the troops of the Marquis-Duke of Cadiz, and incorporated in the city of Lorca which became independent in 1668. Huércal Overa achieved the category of a town on March 3 of that year.
In recent years, due to the large number of immigrants in the area, the town hall has introduced many schemes to integrate the communities, hosting many cultural and gastronomic events where the people can share the dishes and traditions of their individual nations and sample the local fare.
Economy
Huércal-Overa is a town that is mainly engaged in the service sector, foremost is the hospital that serves the whole region, as are the judicial courts. You will also find the regional offices of the Treasury, Social Security, and INEM. The rural areas are mainly agricultural with intensive farming of pigs, goats and chickens.
In recent years Huércal-Overa has become a major focus of immigration, mainly from countries in Latin America, Bulgaria and the UK. 1,941 immigrant foreign citizens registered in 2005. Its main productive activities are pig farming, almonds, citrus, construction, distribution and, traditionally, lace craftsmanship.
Market days are Monday & Thursday. The first sells everything from household goods and clothes to home grown market produce and is located in the main street. The second is almost exclusively local produce and is held in the streets and square surrounding the old church.