Genoa

Genoa (/ˈdʒɛnoʊ.ə/ JEN-oh-ə; Italian: Genova [ˈdʒɛːnova]; Genoese and Ligurian Zena [ˈzeːna]; French: Gênes; Latin and archaic English Genua) is the capital of Liguria and the sixth largest city in Italy with a population of 588 688 within its administrative limits on a land area of 243.6 km² (94 sq mi). The urban area called Genoa Metropolitan City has an official population of 862,885. Over 1.5 million people live in the Genoa Metropolitan Area. Genoa is one of Europe's largest cities on the Mediterranean Sea and the largest seaport in Italy.

Genoa has been nicknamed la Superba ("the Proud one") due to its glorious past and impressive landmarks. Part of the old town of Genoa was inscribed on the World Heritage List (UNESCO) in 2006 (see below). The city's rich cultural history in notably its art, music and cuisine allowed it to become the 2004 European Capital of Culture. It is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus and Niccolo Paganini.

Genoa, which forms the southern corner of the Milan-Turin-Genoa industrial triangle of north-west Italy, is one of the country’s major economic centres. The city has hosted massive shipyards and steelworks since the 19th century, and its solid financial sector dates back to the Middle Ages. The Bank of Saint George, founded in 1407, is among the oldest in the world and has played an important role in the city’s prosperity since the middle of the 15th century. Today a number of leading Italian companies are based in the city, including Selex ES,Ansaldo Energia,Ansaldo STS, Edoardo Raffinerie Garrone, Piaggio Aero and Costa Crociere.

Genoa, Illinois

Genoa is a city in the north-east corner of DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. It is located on the historic Galena-Chicago stagecoach route. At the 2010 census the city had a population of 5,193, up from 4,169 in 2000.

History

Genoa was settled as early as 1835 by Thomas Madison, an American Revolutionary War soldier from Ashtabula County, Ohio. He named Genoa after a town of the same name in New York. Genoa was incorporated as a village in 1876 and as a city on September 9, 1911.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Genoa has a total area of 2.655 square miles (6.88 km²), of which 2.6 square miles (6.73 km²) (or 97.93%) is land and 0.055 square miles (0.14 km²) (or 2.07%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,169 people, 1,555 households, and 1,119 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,178.8 people per square mile (842.8/km²). There were 1,597 housing units at an average density of 834.6 per square mile (322.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.27% White, 0.14% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.14% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.65% of the population.

Genoa, Houston

Genoa is an area in Houston, Texas, United States located about 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Downtown Houston; it was formerly a distinct unincorporated area in Harris County.

History

J. H. Burnett established Genoa in 1892; Burnett gave the community the name "Genoa" because he believed that the climate was similar to the climate of Genoa, Italy. The post office opened during that year. The founder built a railroad depot serving the Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railroad, five houses, one hotel, and one store. The community was located along a main street that is now known as Almeda Genoa Road (the road from Almeda to Genoa). The east end of the community was the Old Galveston Road (Texas State Highway 3) and the Galveston, Houston, Henderson Railroad. The western edge was Freestone Street and the railway just to the west. Where the main street continued on east from Old Galveston Road became known as Genoa Redbluff (the road from Genoa to Redbluff). The Handbook of Texas stated that Genoa "grew slowly." By 1905 a school with one teacher and thirty students appeared. In 1914 the community had 200 people and several businesses, including a general store, a dairy, a nursery, a blacksmith shop, and a carpenter. By 1925 the community had 100 people; the population remained at this level until around 1941. During that year Genoa had 400 people and fifteen businesses. The population remained at that level until Houston annexed Genoa in the mid-1960s.