# Vitacura

Vitacura is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. It is one of the most expensive and fashionable areas of Santiago. Inhabitants are primarily high income families. It belongs to the Northeastern zone of Santiago de Chile.
There is an abundance of elite private schools in Vitacura and Las Condes, including Saint George's College, Colegio Santa Úrsula, Alliance Francaise, Colegio La Maisonette, Colegio Tabancura, Colegio Los Andes, Colegio Sagrados Corazones de Manquehue and Colegio San Benito.
The Costanera Norte toll-way connects Vitacura with the international airport and subway stations are located in the neighboring municipality of Las Condes.
Vitacura is the site of ECLAC headquarters, home to the European Southern Observatory (ESO) headquarters in Chile, and home to Santiago's most exclusive shopping street, Avenida Alonso de Córdova.
The Gliders Club of Vitacura can be located in this commune. With a privileged location, the area is considered to have ideal climate conditions for such types of flights.

## Demographics

According to the 2017 census of the National Statistics Institute, Vitacura spans an area of 28.3 km$^2$ (11 sq mi) and has 85,384 inhabitants (38,402 men and 46,982 women), and the commune is an entirely urban area. The population grew by 4.77% (3,885 persons) between the 2002 and 2017 censuses.

### Stats

* Area: 28.3 km$^2$ (11 sq mi)
* Population: 97,049 (2024 projection)
* Autonomous household income per capita: US$86,155 (PPP, 2006)
* Population below poverty line: 4.4% (±2.5%) (2006)
* Regional quality of life index: 86.74, high, 3 out of 52 (2005)
* Human Development Index: 0.949, 1 out of 341 (2003)

## Administration

As a commune, Vitacura is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by a mayor (alcalde, in Spanish) who is directly elected every four years. The 2021-2024 mayor is Camila Merino (Evópoli). The communal council has the following members:
* Maximiliano del Real Mihovilovic (RN)
* Felipe Ross Correa (REP)
* Tomás Kast Sommerhoff (Evópoli)
* Paula Domínguez Risopatron (Evópoli)
* Macarena Bezanilla Montes (RN)
* Matías Bascuñán Montaner (UDI)
* Felipe Irarrázaval Ovalle (RN)
* Verónica del Real Card (REP)
Vitacura belongs to Electoral District No. 11 together with the communes of Lo Barnechea, Las Condes, La Reina and Peñalolén and to the VII Senatorial District (Santiago Metropolitan Region).
It is represented in the Chamber of Deputies of the National Congress for the period 2022-2026 by the following deputies:
* Guillermo Ramírez Diez (UDI)
* Gonzalo de la Carrera Correa (IND)
* Cristián Araya Lerdo de Tejada (REP)
* Catalina del Real Mihovilovic (RN)
* Francisco Undurraga Gazitúa (Evópoli)
* Tomás Hirsch Goldschmidt (Humanist Action)

## Shopping

This commune is one of the most expensive and fashionable areas of Santiago and boutiques of many of the world's leading luxury retailers are located in Vitacura. These stores include Louis Vuitton, Armani, Tommy Hilfiger, Swarovski, Salvatore Ferragamo, Ermenegildo Zegna, Brooks Brothers, Hermès, MaxMara, Bang & Olufsen, and Hugo Boss, as well as many others.

## Education

The main campus of the Lycée Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry de Santiago, a French international school, is in Vitacura.
The Deutsche Schule Santiago (or Colegio Alemán de Santiago) maintains the Vitacura campus, which houses students in years one through six.
Chartwell International School, Preschool and Primary school is located in the Lo Curro region of Vitacura.