Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
3 min of reading 
2 comments 
The Largest City of the Northeastern Interior Grew with Industries, Attracted Migrants, and Today Has More Inhabitants than Eight Brazilian Capitals.
For a long time, the interior of the Northeast was seen as a place far removed from major decisions, with little infrastructure and slow development. But the city of Feira de Santana, in Bahia, shows that this view is outdated.
The city, which began as a support point between Salvador and the countryside, has transformed into a true urban and economic hub. Today, it is the largest city in the northeastern interior and has a population that exceeds that of at least eight Brazilian capitals.
The story of this rise involves migration, industry, highways, and much transformation.
-
It was necessary to assemble a combo of almost 44 meters with two trailers of approximately 22 meters, 48 axles, and three trucks working at 15 km/h to transport a 209-ton transformer through Klickitat County in a two-night operation that closed highways and crossed two concrete bridges.
-
Operated on and returned to the womb, a girl who was born twice overcomes a rare tumor and now “wakes up smiling every morning”
-
The royal house that looks like it’s straight out of the Flintstones uses granite as a natural structure and reveals a surprising way to build without clashing with the landscape.
-
12-year-old boy becomes a hero by saving a wheelchair-bound neighbor in a fire and inspires a story of overcoming and courage.
And the most impressive part is that all of this happened in a relatively short period of time compared to the normal growth rate of Brazilian cities.
Accelerated and Population Growth
Feira de Santana has 657,948 inhabitants, according to estimates from the IBGE of 2024.
This places it ahead of capitals such as Cuiabá, Porto Velho, Macapá, Florianópolis, Vitória, Boa Vista, Rio Branco, and Palmas. In other words, it is an interior city that, on its own, has more residents than several capitals of the country.
This significant growth did not happen by chance.
It began about 50 years ago when the city started to attract a large number of industries, mainly with the establishment of the Subaé Industrial Center (CIS).
The hub was responsible for attracting companies from various sectors and, along with them, a true crowd of workers from several northeastern states.
A Migration Hub within Bahia
The arrival of factories made Feira de Santana stop being just a transit city and become a destination.
Immigrants from Sergipe, Pernambuco, Alagoas, and the interior of Bahia began to settle in the city, seeking jobs and better living conditions. Many came just to work and ended up staying permanently.
This internal migration strengthened the local economy, increased demand for services, and boosted commerce.
Feira de Santana began to look like a capital city, even though it wasn’t one. New neighborhoods, wide avenues, commercial centers, universities, shopping malls, hospitals, and transportation networks emerged.
One of the Largest Highway Intersections in Brazil
In addition to population and industry, another factor that consolidated Feira de Santana as a regional powerhouse was its strategic position.
The city is located at the crossroads of three important federal highways: BR-101, BR-116, and BR-324. It is also crossed by at least six state highways, facilitating access to almost every corner of Bahia and other states in the North, Northeast, Southeast, and Central-West regions.
For this reason, Feira is considered the largest highway intersection in the North and Northeast and the second largest in Brazil, second only to São Paulo.
This makes it an essential point for the transportation of goods and passengers, in addition to contributing to the supply of various regions.
This intense traffic has also helped the city attract distribution centers, gas stations, repair shops, logistics services, and transportation companies. The constant flow of trucks and buses drives the economy and ensures jobs.
A Powerhouse in Constant Transformation
The trajectory of Feira de Santana is an example of how the interior of Brazil can grow rapidly when there is investment, infrastructure, and opportunity.
The city has managed to move from a commercial hub to a regional reference in industry, mobility, services, and quality of life.
Although it still faces challenges, like any major city in Brazil, Feira de Santana proves that the northeastern interior is no longer synonymous with backwardness. On the contrary: it is a space of innovation, work, and hope for thousands of people who once arrived with little and now call this place home.
And all of this began with an industrial push about 50 years ago — a milestone that definitively transformed the fate of the most populous city in the northeastern interior.
Quanta mentira, sensacionalismo e puxação de saco…
Primeiro que essa roça aí não tem 657 mil habitantes e sim 616 mil. Segundo que não é maior que Cuiabá em nenhum sentido. Terceiro que não o mínimo de da infraestrutura de uma capital. Quarto que isso aí não tem nada de arborização, de paisagismo ou de urbanização. Quinto que isso aí não chega nem aos pés de algumas cidades de interior do próprio Nordeste com até bem menos que 200 mil habitantes quanto menos dessas capitais todas. Enfim, essa cidade abandonada, maltratada, suja, desorganizada, muito mal administrada, totalmente armengada em todos os sentidos urbanos, completamente enraizada cada vez mais na roça e sem planejamento algum, sem estrutura alguma, com certeza é uma verdadeira roça urbana. Não sei pra quê ficam vangloriando e enaltecendo essa cidade, principalmente com mentiras em relação à sua população (população estimada não é população real) se a mesma não tem absolutamente nada a oferecer em infraestrutura com relação às capitais menores e menos habitadas que ela. Isso é pedir pra passar vergonha alheia!
Tem gente que parece não ter a menor vergonha de falar bobagem! Deve ser daqueles que chega, suga, suga, não contribui com nada e só sabe falar mal do lugar, onde muitas vezes nem mora! Cospe no prato que come! Se não mora no lugar, pior ainda, porque demonstra que nada sabe! Toda cidade no Brasil tem seus problemas urbanos, seja ela pequena ou grande! A questão é que tem gente que parece se irritar quando se mostra e valoriza o lado positivo da nossa “Pujante Cidade”! Porque para elas, o que importa é falar mal, é diminuir o lugar e as pessoas! Isso não cabe mais! Esse tempo já passou! A Feira de Santana do futuro já está acontecendo. Não tem mais volta! Em breve, seremos uma cidade de um milhão de habitantes, calando a boca dos desinformados! Se está descontente, pega as malas e vai embora para o sul maravilha, porque não vai fazer falta..! Mas, é difícil largar o osso! Na realidade, o que a gente observa, é gente de fora chegando o tempo todo! Feira é uma cidade que atrai, que acolhe, que abraça! Por isso, já é a décima maior cidade do Nordeste e as outras nove são capitais! Já superou Aracaju em população e Jaboatão em PIB. Aguenta essa, que dói menos, porque vem muito mais pela frente..!
FSA BA – Cidade Princesa!
A Terra das Lagoas!
Vamos nessa…