Limeira

Limeira is a municipality in the interior of the state of São Paulo, lying at an altitude of 588 metres some 145 kilometres north-west of the state capital, within the Metropolitan Region of Piracicaba. With some 290,000 inhabitants, it grew up in 1826 around a road built to carry the output of the area's sugar mills, and according to local legend its name comes from a lime tree that sprouted beside the grave of a Franciscan friar. Known for decades as the 'Orange Capital' and the cradle of Brazilian citrus growing, it now relies on industry and stands out as a centre for the production of plated jewellery. It sits at the junction of three major São Paulo highways, the Anhanguera, the Washington Luís and the Bandeirantes, and keeps historic farms that support rural tourism.

The city's leading sporting name is Associação Atlética Internacional, known as Inter de Limeira, founded on 5 October 1913 from the merger of two local clubs; in 1986 it became São Paulo state champion after beating Palmeiras in the final, and in 1988 it won Série B of the Brazilian Championship. It plays at the municipal Major José Levy Sobrinho stadium, the Limeirão, opened in 1977, which now holds around 18,000 spectators. The city also has a second professional club, Independente Futebol Clube, which uses the Comendador Agostinho Prada stadium, known as the Pradão.

Limeira takes part in the American Week of Sport 2026 with activities open to the public published on ACES Activa. The platform brings together the physical activity programme that participating territories open to their residents during the campaign.