Horta Sud is located within the Valencian-speaking linguistic area. Due to the arrival of numerous Spanish-speaking immigrants in the 60s and 70s, the percentage of Valencian speakers has been reduced in many municipalities. Even so, it is the sub-region with the greatest knowledge and use of Valencian in the metropolitan area of Valencia. Since 2017, 72% of the schools in Horta Sud teach entirely in Valencian.[2]
History
The Horta Sud region was created in 1989 and included part of the former Ribera Baja region and part of the historic Horta de València. These old regions appear on Emili Beüt's map of regions "Comarques naturals del Regne de València" published in 1934.
In 2023, the municipalities of the controversial Horta Oest region were officially assigned to the Horta Sud region, with the exception of Paterna, which was added to the Horta Nord region.[3]
October 2024 Spain floods
At the end of October 2024, the region suffered catastrophic flooding, and the heaviest impact in all of Spain, due to the October 2024 Spain floods, which swept away roads, bridges, cars and homes, leaving more than 200 dead and many hundreds more homeless. The heavy rains caused rivers and drainage systems to overflow, submerging entire streets and causing havoc to crops and property. The community, deeply affected, now faces the challenge of rebuilding in the midst of a humanitarian emergency.[4][5]