The history of Franca begins with the
bandeiras of
Bartolomeu Bueno da Silva (The Anhanguera) in the 18th century. During the opening of the route known as "Caminho de Goiás" (route to Goiás), new settlements were established along the route to serve as resting / stopping points for the entourages travelling along the way from São Paulo to
Goiás, in search of gold. The settlement where the city is now located was formerly known as
Pouso dos Bagres (stop of the catfishes). In 1819, Franca was visited by French naturalist
Auguste de Saint-Hilaire who dedicated the following message:
"The village of Franca, where I landed, is pleasantly in the midst of vast pastures, in an uncovered region, sown by bushes and cut by deep valleys. This charming village occupies the center of a path of land, wide and rounded, on each side. bathed by a small stream. At the time of my voyage, there were only about fifty houses there, but the sites for the construction of a large number of them were already marked, and it was easy to see that Franca would not take long to acquire greatness. The parish of Franca was founded on December 03, 1805, being part of the territory of
Vila de Mogi Mirim until 1824, when it was emancipated by
João VI and named
Vila Franca do Imperador in honor of the
Emperor Pedro I of Brazil. It received the status of city on April 24, 1856. Around 1890, Franca was served by the
Estrada de Ferro Mogiana, however, the railroad branch was deactivated after the construction of a new branch connecting
Ribeirão Preto to
Uberaba. Due to the expansion of coffee production between the XIX and XX centuries, many italian immigrants settled in Franca, and the first shoe factory emerged in the late 1920s. Franca took part in the
Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932, losing six residents who fought to death for São Paulo. == Economy ==