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Americana is a city (município) located in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. As of the year 2000, Americana had around 203,000 inhabitants. The original settlement evolved around the local railway station, founded in 1875, and the development of a cotton weaving factory in a nearby farm. After 1866, several Confederate refugees from the American Civil War settled in the region. Among them, there was William Hutchinson Norris, a senator from Alabama. Due to Italian immigration at the near of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, only some 10 percent of the current population are of Confederado descent and about a dozen English-speaking families remain in the area. About 300 of the Confederados are members of the Fraternidade Descendência Americana (Fraternity of American Descendants). They meet quarterly at the Campo Cemetery. The city was known as Vila dos Americanos (American' Village) until 1904, when it belonged to the city of Santa Bárbara d'Oeste. It became a district in 1924 and a municipality in 1953. Americana has several museums and tourist attractions, including the Pedagogic Historical Museum and the Contemporary Art Museum. Rio Branco Esporte Clube, founded in 1913, is the football (soccer) club of the city. The team plays their home matches at Estádio Décio Vitta, which has a maximum capacity of 15,000 people. Research Tips
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