The Municipality of Valongo was created in 1836 as a part of the administrative reform of the country, which occurred during the reign of
D. Maria II. However, human occupation of this region predates the
Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula.
Ancient history This region was occupied by the
Romans, especially for gold mining in the Serra de Santa Justa. One of the traces of Roman occupation is in the municipality name, which originated in the Latin words
Vallis Longus. There are still traces that would allow the detection of two main Roman connecting roads that would cross the municipality: the
Porto -
Guimarães road and the
Alfena - Valongo - Aguiar de Sousa /
Penafiel road. After the
reconquest of
Portus Cale (
Porto) by
Vímara Peres in 868, he was named a count and given control of the
frontier region between the
Lima and
Douro rivers by
Alfonso III of Asturias, therefore bringing the region under control of the
Kingdom of Asturias.
Middle ages From the
General Inquiries of 1258, the current municipality was divided at the time between the jurisdiction (julgado) of
Aguiar de Sousa - which included S. Martinho de Campo and Sobrado, and the jurisdiction of
Maia, which included S. Vicente da Queimadela, Valongo and S. Lourenço de Asmes. Between the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 20th century, large farming houses were built across the municipality. The road network was developed within the limits of the municipality, which began being served by transport such as the tram and train. The main artery of Valongo and Ermesinde saw the opening of commercial establishments. During this time, the local population increased with migration from the interior of Portugal. By the middle of the 19th century, the region became an attractive site for the
mining of
slate, but also of
antimony,
tungsten and
coal. At the borders of Ermesinde, large factories were set up, such as “Resineira”, “Cerâmica” - “Empresa Industrial de Ermesinde” and “Têxtil de Sá”, among others. The Municipality became the site for the expansion of industries such as
metallurgy,
textile manufacturing,
civil construction, public works,
food,
wood and
furniture. Compared to the other parishes, Campo and Sobrado retain a greater level of rurality. The
smallholding regime sustain their living with traditional productions - the vine, the
corn and the fodder, which is linked to the production of
milk. New crops such as
kiwi and also were introduced to the region. ==Demographics==