Saco Grande - Florianópolis District
Região: Central Region of the Island
Close quarters: Monte Verde (2 km) | John Paul (4,3 km) | cacupé (3,5 km)
Nearby beaches: Cacupe beach (3,5 km north) | Saint Anthony of Lisbon (6 km north) | sambaqui (7,5 km north) | Traditional Jurerê Beach (13,2 km north) | Jurerê Internacional beach (14 km north) | Lagoa da Conceição beach (13 km east)
Distances: Centro e Bus Station 12 km | Airport 23,5 km
Also find: Shopping
The Saco Grande neighborhood is a neighborhood in Florianópolis that has a very privileged location in the city, as it is between the Central region and the spas of north of Santa Catarina Island.
According to estimates, it is one of the capital's neighborhoods that has grown the most in recent decades. The result of this growth is a landscape marked by the contrast between the simplicity of the older residents and the sophistication of the new developments.
One of the highways that cross Saco Grande is named after a famous writer in the city, Virgílio Várzea, being bordered basically by residences, condominiums and small commercial buildings. It is also where the Santa Catarina Association for the Integration of the Blind (ACIC) and the bee city, one of the largest apiaries in Latin America.
SC-401
Parallel to Virgílio Várzea is the SC-401, the main access road to the north of the island. Floripa Shopping is located between the two highways, with its 140 stores, seven movie theaters, a food court and an intense cultural program. It is also there that the Center for Technology and Industrial Automation (CTAI/Senai), the Santa Catarina Medical Association (ACM), the Office Park Business Center, Santa Catarina Association of Technology Companies (Acate) and the administrative center of Government of the State of Santa Catarina, which houses the Governador Pedro Ivo Theater.
However, the first large establishment to invest in the region was Primavera Garden Center. Initially a flower shop, the store went through an expansion process and today it also operates in the decoration segment. In addition, its expanded space was renamed Passeio Primavera, offering various types of service, such as restaurants, cafes, bars, a beauty salon, gym and shops specializing in gastronomy.
Recently, other giants in the decoration business followed Primavera's example and moved to Saco Grande. Right at the entrance to the neighborhood, we are greeted by branches of Tok&Stok, Balaroti, Sierra and Casol. Further on, on SC-401, Shopping Casa&Design presents itself as the largest complex of home decor stores in the state.
On the other side of the highway, Business Decor goes beyond decoration stores and has advertising and telecommunications offices, restaurants, cafes and the campus of the University of Vale do Itajaí (Univali). Nearby, we find the Santa Catarina Riding Society (SHC) and the Silva Notary.
History
Like the first inhabitants of the region, the name Saco Grande is of Azorean origin. It is said that the inhabitants of the Azores archipelago called any area protected from large waves or undertows a “bag”. In geographic terms, “bag” is understood to be the cuts in the coastline that give rise to the small bays, which applies to the position of the neighborhood on the map of Santa Catarina Island.
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The settlement of Saco Grande began with the arrival of families who used to live in the Lagoon coast and who were dedicated to primary activities, such as agriculture and animal husbandry. Because they were people who had known each other for a long time, social relationships were intense and the traditions of their ancestors were cultivated by everyone. Several Azorean celebrations took over the streets of the neighborhood throughout the year, among them the Terno de Reis and the Papaya Ox.
However, in the last three decades, the region has undergone significant changes, as a result of the urban remodeling process to which Florianópolis was submitted. Gradually, the farms and large plots of land were subdivided and transformed into less rural and more urban areas. New residents began to live in Saco Grande, most of whom came from other parts of the capital, from the interior of the state or from neighboring Paraná.
This migratory flow was intensified by the opening of three housing projects for the low-income population: Monte Verde and Parque da Figueira, throughout the 1980s, and Vila Cachoeira, in 2000. divide the neighborhood - which ran from the clover Itacorubi up to the cacupé - in three smaller locations. This is how the neighborhoods of Monte Verde and that of John Paul.
In 2003, the state government moved to the complex where the administrative center of Banco do Estado de Santa Catarina (Besc) used to be. Three years later, in 2006, Floripa Shopping opened its doors. Since then, strong real estate speculation affects Saco Grande. Gradually, the humblest residences and establishments give way to high-end condominiums, administrative headquarters of companies and entertainment centers.
DISCOVER MORE Neighborhoods in the Central Region from Florianopolis
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- Centro
- Big Stream
- Itacorubi
- John Paul
- Jose Mendes
- Monte Verde
- Pantanal
- Bag of Lemons
- Big bag
- Santa Monica
- Trinity
- Bunker
