Villarreal

Vila-realFrom February 28, 2006, the only official toponym of the city is Vila-real; (in Valencian) or Villarreal (in Spanish) is a city in the province of Castellón, in the Valencian Community, Spain. Located 7 km to the south of the province's capital (Castellón de la Plana), at 42 m above sea level, it has 51,367 inhabitants (2010 data), most of them living in the urban area that covers about 10.72% of its county's 55.4 km² surface. Ranked by population, it is the second city in the province (following the capital), and tenth in the Valencian Community.

Economy

Villarreal's economy has evolved since the days of cultivation and trade of orange in the last century to the manufacturing of ceramic tiles, which today is its most important source of income.

History

It was founded on February 20, 1274 by King James I of Aragon (hence its name), to strengthen the reconquest of the area, and placed strategically on the ancient Via Augusta to 65 km from Valencia, and in the outskirts of Burriana, up to this moment town in hands of the Muslims and in whose municipal term was founded Villarreal. It was a real town from its foundation, with representation in the Valentian Parliament and Delegation of the Kingdom and it had the privilege of using like proper ensign the real standard. It was part of the real arm in the Valencian Parliament and took part very actively in the same ones.

The original town...
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