In 1336, the land where present-day Póvoa de Santa Iria is located was designated part of the Póvoa Majorat (Morgado da Póvoa) by Vicente Afonso Valente, for the benefit of his brother Lourenço Afonso Valente. For more than three centuries, the place was called Póvoa de São Martinho.[2]
After the extinction of the majorats in Portugal in 1863, the settlement obtained its current name, Póvoa de Santa Iria. The settlement had a strong connection with the Tagus river and its population had fishing, salt extraction and river transport as their main activities.[2]
In 1916 the civil parish (freguesia) of Póvoa de Santa Iria was created, as part of the Loures municipality. In 1926, the civil parish was detached from the Loures municipality and integrated in the Vila Franca de Xira municipality.[2] In the second half of the 20th century, a sharp population increase occurred in Póvoa de Santa Iria and the settlement was mainly converted into a commuter town. Following its expansion, Póvoa de Santa Iria was formally designated a town (vila) in 1985 and a city (cidade) in 1999.[2] After a major territorial administration reorganization in Portugal in 2013, the civil parish of Póvoa de Santa Iria was merged with the neighboring civil parish of Forte da Casa.[3]
In November 2014, Póvoa de Santa Iria was one of the locations most affected by a legionellosis outbreak in the Vila Franca de Xira municipality.[4]
Transportation
The North Line passing through the Póvoa train station
Póvoa de Santa Iria is served by the Póvoa train station, which is part of the North Line and an important point of connection with the city of Lisbon. This station was the site of a tragic train accident on 5 May 1986, which claimed the lives of 17 people, making it one of the deadliest train disasters in Portugal's history.[5]
The city is also served by multiple bus lines from Carris Metropolitana, connecting with other points in the municipalities of Vila Franca de Xira, Loures and Lisbon.
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