Utebo

Utebo is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. At the time of the 2012 census (INE), the municipality had a population of 18,281 inhabitants, being the third most populated town of the province, only overcome by Zaragoza and Calatayud, and one of the most populated in Aragon.

Location

Utebo is distributed in three neighborhoods: the Old Town, El Monte (area developed in the 40's) and the neighborhood of Malpica (bordering the neighborhood of Casetas, which belongs to Zaragoza). The town is in the right bank of the River Ebro. Its municipal area is flat and the 67% of the municipal area are farmland, from which the 70% are irrigated supplied by the River Ebro canals, by the River Jalon canals and the Imperial Canal of Aragon.

Utebo belongs to Campo de Zaragoza, being the most populated town behind the capital city. Its municipal area borders Casetas neighborhood on the west, Alfocea on the north, Garrapinillos on the south and Zaragoza on the east.

History

The name Utebo proceeds from the Latin 'Octavius'. Octavius was founded with Caesar Augusta (Zaragoza) in 24-13 BC. After the conquest of Zaragoza by Alfonso the Battler in 1118, Utebo belonged to the Christian kingdoms. At that time, Utebo had a population of 115 inhabitants. The Peninsular War made of Utebo an almost abandoned town in 1808. However, from 1850 the population begins to grow, it had a population of 585 inhabitants. From 1906 Utebo begins to be an independent municipality.