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Santos Combines Extensive Coastline, Green Areas, and a Demographic Profile That Draws Attention in Cuts of the 2022 Census, While the Garden Certified by Guinness Reinforces the Urban Identity of the City and Boosts Debates on Aging and Infrastructure.
Santos, on the São Paulo coast, brings together the sea, green areas, and a consolidated urban layout, a combination that often appears in reports and surveys on aging and quality of life.
The city also carries international recognition: it is home to a continuous garden along the coast that has been certified by the Guinness World Records as the largest of its kind.
In addition to its tourist appeal, the theme of aging has gained prominence due to demographic cuts associated with the 2022 Census.
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Regional vehicles have pointed out that the municipality has a high proportion of elderly residents compared to the national average, which reinforces attention to public policies and services aimed at this segment of the population.
2022 Census and Aging of the Population in Santos
The increase in the average age is a national trend documented by the IBGE.
Results from the 2022 Census indicate growth in the number of people aged 65 years or older in Brazil compared to 2010, signaling an accelerated demographic transition affecting municipalities of different profiles.
In this context, local reports have begun to highlight Santos as one of the cities with a proportionally older population.
In January 2025, for example, a regional outlet cited that the participation of residents aged 65 years or older in the municipality exceeds the Brazilian average, based on cuts from the 2022 Census.
In the extreme longevity cut, regional publications also mentioned a specific figure: Santos reportedly has 107 residents aged 100 years or older, a number stated to be higher than that of other cities in the Baixada Santista.
The same reports indicated that, among these centenarians, 91 would be women and 16, men.
As the detailed data by municipality for the age group “100 years or more”, from direct public IBGE sources, was not securely located for independent verification, these numbers should be understood as information disclosed by these vehicles based on the 2022 Census, without direct validation from the consultable primary source.
Still, the general behavior is consistent with the pattern observed in the country: women are the majority in the older age groups, as described in demographic analyses of longevity and mortality.
As cities begin to concentrate more elderly people, the demand for mobility, access to healthcare services, public spaces, and adapted urban infrastructure also increases.
Santos Coast Garden and the Origin of the Urban Project
The strip of gardens along the beach, one of the most recognized features of Santos, was born from a technical proposal.
According to the city’s tourist promotion material, the idea of landscaping the area along the coastline was introduced in studies associated with sanitary engineer Saturnino de Brito as early as the beginning of the 20th century.
The same record indicates that the project took time to be realized and only began execution in 1936, with sections inaugurated in 1939.
Over the following decades, the structure incorporated urban elements and support for beach usage, such as fountains and lifeguard stations, in addition to tourist facilities, including the Municipal Aquarium.
Changes to the garden’s design have also been recorded.
According to the official tourist route, the layout adopted a more geometric configuration in part of the second half of the 20th century and later underwent adaptations with interventions on the waterfront, such as the implementation of the bicycle path, which altered the organization of the flowerbeds.
Guinness World Records and the Length of the Beach Garden
The title granted to the garden was mentioned in official communication from the municipality.
In a publication from the City Hall of Santos, the administration reported receiving, on March 9, 2001, the certificate from Guinness World Records that recognized the “largest beach front garden in the world”.
In the same notice, the city hall described the space as a green corridor along the coast, measuring 5,335 meters in length.
The municipal text also reported that the verification of the record began in 1999 and included sending technical documents, such as blueprints and botanical surveys, until confirmation by the organization.
According to this communication, the garden included hundreds of flowerbeds and teams for daily maintenance.
The city hall mentioned, at that time, the existence of 719 flowerbeds, in addition to paths, lawns, and a variety of plant species distributed along the route.
Beyond the exact number of flowerbeds, what remains a central characteristic is the continuity of the landscaped area next to the beach, forming a linear space for public use.
During busier periods, the location typically concentrates walking, running, and cycling, along with tourist flow.
Monuments on the Waterfront and Public Use of the Space in Santos
The extension of the garden also serves as support for monuments and urban landmarks distributed along the coast.
In official tourist content, the city cites tributes to figures connected to local and national history, including Saturnino de Brito and Santos Dumont, as well as other landmarks.
In practice, the waterfront has become a social axis, with sections more utilized at different times of the day.
With the presence of boardwalks, bicycle paths and support structures, the area remains one of the most frequented public spaces in the municipality, both by residents and visitors.
Urban Infrastructure and Demand for Services for Elders
The association between urbanism and daily life, however, involves various factors.
Urban planning and public health specialists often point out that green areas and places for social interaction can foster physical activities and sociability, but the effects depend on conditions such as security, maintenance, accessibility, and availability of services.
When the topic is aging, this discussion tends to become more prominent.
With the accelerated demographic transition in Brazil, municipalities with older populations are being monitored by researchers, managers, and organizations that track policies for the elderly.
In this scenario, reports about Santos frequently connect the age profile to the need to expand services and ensure urban infrastructure suitable for a city with a growing number of older individuals.
At the same time, the history of the coastal garden shows that structural interventions in Santos are not recent.
Studies associated with Saturnino de Brito are frequently cited as part of an urban and sanitary planning process in the early 20th century, a period when the municipality faced public health challenges and sought to reorganize the city.
Em compensação é a água mais podre da baixada Santista.
Precisava usar IA pra mostrar algo que DE fato existe e tem inúmeras fotos lindas tiradas por mais de 100 anos? Desnecessário! Isso me faz desconfiar de toda e qualquer informação nesse site. Se usa IA para as imagens, usa a IA para mais o quê? Me faz não confiar em uma só palavra.
Estive várias vezes passeando na orla de santos ainda mesmo a semana passada estava lá curtindo minhas férias é um lugar muito bom e o pôr do sol incrível 😍❤️❤️❤️😍😍