Envigado

Envigado is a city and municipality in the department of Antioquia in Colombia, lying directly south of Medellin within the Metropolitan Area of the Aburra Valley. It borders the Medellin district of El Poblado to the north, Sabaneta to the south, El Retiro and Caldas to the east and Itagui to the west. The municipality was founded in 1775 and was declared a municipality in 1814. It is regarded as keeping up the traditions of the Paisa region and is noted for its architecture, and a Colombian news magazine has reported it as having one of the lowest rates of unmet basic needs in the country. Its recent history is tied to Pablo Escobar and the Medellin cartel, though the Aburra Valley now records one of the lowest homicide rates in Colombia. Envigado is the hometown of the writer and philosopher Fernando Gonzalez, whose house, Otraparte, is now a cultural center and museum devoted to his work.