The first recorded human activity in the area of Hortaleza was the existence of a nomadic or semi-nomadic population in the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras, as attested to by the findings of numerous prehistoric tools in sites in the Valdebebas stream and in the historical center of Hortaleza itself, which were discovered at the end of the 19th century by the archaeologist Dr. Javier Pastor Muñoz.
The current neighborhood of Hortaleza developed from the old town of Hortaleza [es], located on the hill formed between the Manzanares and Jarama rivers. The village was supplied with water by two streams, the Valdebebas and the Abroñigal. The town was most probably founded in the 13th century, with written attestation of it by 1361. It is believed that the town was founded by Mozarabs from Madrid who used it to spend the summer.
In the nineteenth century the neighbourhood was mostly occupied by the "Huerta de la Salud" estate. At the end of the century, many inhabitants of Madrid established their home in Hortaleza.
In the 20th century the neighbourhood underwent a strong population growth and was integrated into the city of Madrid.
Demographics
As of 2005 there were 153,939 residents,[1] 17% of the population were minors, and Hortaleza was one of five Madrid districts with the youngest populations.[1] In 2005, persons from France made up 1,424 of the residents, as a French community formed around the Lycée Français de Madrid main campus.
In Hortaleza, the French are the third largest foreign group after the Ecuadorians and Colombians, and there are more French speakers in Hortaleza than those of Moroccan Arabic, Peruvian Spanish, and Romanian. There is a French bookshop, Frañol, and a French nursery, Pomme D'Api.[1]
Famous inhabitants
Luis Aragonés - there is a monument in Cantabrian Sea Street, at the site of Aragonés' childhood home[2]
Foreigners make up 17.31% of the residents of La Piovera, while 6.16% of the residents of Apóstol Santiago were foreigners. Neighborhoods other than La Piovera have smaller foreigner populations.[1]
Sanchinarro (Valdefuentes subdivision), an independent community before 1950, is a part of Hortaleza. 13,500 houses were scheduled to be in Sanchinarro in a period around 2005. 11,500 apartment units were planned for Ciudad Aeroportuaria-Valdebebas (Valdefuentes subdivision), another development in Hortaleza.[1]
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