Puente Alto

**Puente Alto** ("Heich Brig" in Spainyie) is a ceety an commune o Chile. It is the caipital o the Cordillera Province in the Santiago Metropolitan Region. Locatit at the sooth o the Great Santiago conurbation (o which it is pairt), it hooses 492,603 inhabitants (ceety proper, 2002 census), makkin it the lairgest ceety in Chile (excludin conurbations or absorptions).

## History
Efter 1883, the provience o Santiago wis dividit intae three depairtments: Santiago, La Victoria an Melipilla. In 1891 the "Autonimic Commune Law" wis enactit, efter which the preses signed as the "Decree o the Creation o Municipalities."

Frae this decree the depairtment o La Victoria wis dividit intae the municipalities o Peñaflor, Talagante, Calera de Tango, San José de Maipo an Lo Cañas.

Accordin tae regional law, the authorities o this new sector wad be able tae increase in proportion tae the nummer o inhabitants in the aurie, as well as addin three additional mayors the bureaucratic structur. This law was passed with the aim o givin mair individual pouer tae the remote auries o the fast-growin ceety, insteid o iverything bein govrened as a whole unner La Victoria.

## Annexation tae Santiago
Decades ago, Puente Alto wis considered a veelage on the ootskirts o Santiago (like Maipú an San Bernardo), but the steady growthe o Santiago, an tae a lesser degree Puente Alto, resultit in the union o twa ceeties (as wis eventually Maipú an San Bernardo).

The commune is still no totally unifee'd wi Santiago - thare are a few unique exceptions that are pairt o Puente Alto but no Santiago, maist notably in the Third Sector o Puente Alto. Frae Concha y Toro Avenue tae Avenida La Serena- 4 Oriente thare are places whaur, for some raison, the annexation intae Santiago failed or haes yet tae be completit.

## Demographics
Accordin tae the 2002 census o the Naitional Statistics Institute, Puente Alto spans a aurie o  an haes 492,915 inhabitants (240,862 men an 252,053 weemen). O these, 492,603 (99.9%) livit in urban auries an 312 (0.1%)
 
### Stats
*Average annual hoosehauld income: US$23,362 (PPP, 2006)
*Population belaw poverty line: 10.6% (2006)

## Admeenistration
As a commune, Puente Alto is a third-level admeenistrative diveesion o Chile admeenistered bi a municipal cooncil, heidit bi an alcalde who is directly electit ivery fower years. The 2008-2012 alcalde wis Manuel José Ossandón Irarrázabal (RN).

Athin the electoral diveesions o Chile, Puente Alto is representit in the Chamber o Deputies bi Mr. Osvaldo Andrade (PS) an Mr. Leopoldo Pérez (RN) as pairt o the 29t electoral destrict, (thegither wi Pirque, San José de Maipo an La Pintana). The commune is representit in the Senate bi Soledad Alvear Valenzuela (PDC) an Pablo Longueira Montes (UDI) as pairt o the 8t senatorial constituency (Santiago-East).

## Transportation
Puente Alto is connectit tae the rest o Santiago vía twa forms o organisit public transportation.

First, the Metro Bus, which can be taken frae onywhaur in Puente Alto tae arrive eventually tae dountoun Santiago.

Puente Alto is hame tae the maist sootherly station o the Santiago Metro an aw, Estación Plaza de Puente Alto. Travel time tae dountoun Santiago bi metro train is approximately 30 minutes.

## Gallery

Image:13. Puente Alto Norte.jpg|North o Puente Alto
Image:01. Mall Plaza Tobalaba.jpg|Mall plaza Tobalaba
Image:11. Camino Cerro.jpg|Trail in the Puentealtina Pre-cordillerana Reserve, in eastren Puente Alto
Image:15. Avenida Ernesto Alvear.jpg|An auld-style neebourheid teepical tae Puente Alto, near the ceevic centre. 
Image:19. Monte Andino.jpg|Monte Andino, a neebourheid unner construction in the northeast pairt o Puente Alto. It follaes the same style o the ither neebourheids built in that aurie.
Image:20. Hospital Sótero interior.jpg|Sótero del Río Hospital
Image:18. Municipalidad de Puente Alto.jpg|Toun haw


## References

## Freemit airtins
*  Municipality o Puente Alto