Passo Fundo

Passo Fundo is a municipality in the north of the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is named after its river. It's the tenth largest city in the state with an estimated population of 204,722 inhabitants living in a total municipal area of 780 km2.

Passo Fundo is a city well known because of the singer, composer and filmmaker Vitor Mateus Teixeira, better known as Teixeirinha, he was born in the city of Rolante in Rio Grande do Sul, and adopted the city of Passo Fundo as his own, the singer liked a lot from the city, in 1960 he composed the song "Gaúcho de Passo Fundo", which was very successful and made Passo Fundo become a known city throughout Brazil. Teixeirinha composed two more songs in homage to the city of Passo Fundo, they are "Saudades de Passo Fundo" (1963) and "Passo Fundo do Coração" (1973), as well as producing and starring in a film set in the city, a film called "O Gaucho de Passo Fundo", released in 1978.

Accessibility
The following highways leave Passo Fundo:
 * BR 285: east to west
 * BR 153: north to south
 * RS 324: northwest to southeast
 * RS 135: northeast

The town is served by Lauro Kurtz Airport located on BR-285, São José. Daily flights from Passo Fundo are headed to:
 * With Oceanair - Guarulhos, SP
 * With Azul - Campinas, SP
 * With NHT - Porto Alegre, Santo Ângelo, Pelotas, Rio Grande, Sant'Ana do Livramento/Riveira, Santa Maria, Florianópolis, Curitiba, Santa Rosa, Erechim, Caçador, and Joaçaba.

Distances to other major cities
Distances from Passo Fundo to:
 * Bagé, RS: 541 km.
 * Balneário Camboriú, SC: 570 km
 * Buenos Aires, Argentina: 1238 km.
 * Caxias do Sul, RS: 207 km.
 * Chapecó, SC: 180 km.
 * Curitiba, PR: 582 km.
 * Florianópolis, SC: 510 km.
 * Montevideo, Uruguay: 1026 km.
 * Pelotas, RS: 561 km.
 * Porto Alegre, RS: 280 km.
 * Santana do Livramento, RS: 591 km.
 * Santa Maria, RS: 293 km.
 * São Paulo, SP : 966 km.
 * Uruguaiana, RS: 562 km.

Climate
Lying near latitude 28° South at an elevation of 690 m, Passo Fundo has a humid subtropical climate. The annual mean temperature is 17.7 °C with highs of 28.4 °C in January and 18.3 °C in July and lows of 17.7 °C in January and 8.8 °C in July. Winters can be slightly cool with temperatures below 0 °C, frequent frosts and occasional snowfalls. Rainfall is spread out throughout the year with September receiving the highest amount of 183.4 mm and May receiving the lowest amount of 133.5 mm. Humidity is around 70% every month.



Economy
The economy is predominantly based on services, with some light industry and agriculture in the surrounding area. Transformation industries employed 8,731 workers in 2006, with commerce employing 19,287, public administration employing 2,808, education employing 3,374, and health employing 4,624 workers.

In the agricultural sector there was limited cattle-raising activity due to the small area of the municipality. The poultry industry was of some significance. The main crops were corn, soybeans, and wheat. In 2006 there were 887 farms employing around 3,600 workers, most of whom were relatives of the farm owner.

Health and education
Passo Fundo is the third largest medical center in southern Brazil. The city has one of the largest and most modern radiology centers and radiation based at São Vicente de Paulo Hospital.

On the Human Development Index Passo Fundo was given .804 in 2000, ranking 149 out of 467 municipalities in the state and 478 out of 3,527 municipalities in the country. Life expectancy (male and female) was 68.5 and the literacy rate was 94%.

In 2005 there were 72 health establishments, of which 4 were hospitals providing 837 beds (69 public). Endereço: Alcides Moura, 82 - Vila Popular Endereço: Tiradentes, 295 - Centro Endereço: Doutor Arthur Leite, 37 - Centro Endereço: Teixeira Soares, 808 - Centro
 * Hospital Beneficente Dr. César Santos,
 * Hospital da Cidade de Passo Fundo
 * Hospital Prontoclínica LTDA
 * Hospital São Vicente de Paulo

In the educational sector there were 78 primary schools, 8 middle and secondary schools, and 53 pre-primary schools. In 2005 there were 5 institutes of higher education with around 12,000 students.

The schools of higher education are: Endereço: Sete de Setembro, 1045 - Centro Site:www.senacrs.com.br Endereço: Senador Pinheiro, 304 - Vila Cruzeiro Site:www.imed.edu.br Endereço: Paissandu, 1200 - Centro Site:www.faplan.edu.br Endereço: RS-153, 555 - Vila Nossa Senhora Aparecida Site:www.facportal.com.br Endereço: BR-285, Km 171 - São José Site:www.upf.tche.br
 * Faculdade de tecnologia SENAC
 * Faculdade Meridional
 * Faplan
 * Portal Faculdades
 * UPF - Universidade de Passo Fundo

National renown
Passo Fundo is nicknamed "A Terra de Gente Boa", Portuguese for "The Land of Good People or Folks." The city is known as being one of the most gaúcho cities in all of Rio Grande do Sul. It is not uncommon to see gaúchos walking the streets of Passo Fundo dressed in their full pilcha or typical gaúcho costumes. It is also known by the country as the National Capital of Literature, according to the law nº 11.264, because of the many literary events and debates organized in the city, such as the National Journey of Literature and the highest readership in the country (6.5 books per year per inhabitant).

Notable people
Passo Fundo is the home town of football coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, and also of the philosopher, opera singer, poet and Germanic philologist Henrique García, and the adopted place of Teixeirinha, a Gaúcho folkloric performer, the modern gaúcho band Pala Velho, as well as it is known for being Pipe's birthplace. The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Passo Fundo, elevated from a Diocese in 2011. It is also home of supermodel Letícia Birkheuer and famous volleyball players and brothers Gustavo and Murilo Endres.

In popular culture

 * The city was mentioned in the 2002 M. Night Shyamalan science fiction-thriller Signs as the origin of a video from a child's birthday party, in which an image of an alien was captured.