In the late 19th century, Rio's urban grid extended across the plain around the Maciço da Tijuca. Rural areas and small settlements were incorporated into what was understood to be the city of Rio de Janeiro, which was no longer just the area between Botafogo and São Cristóvão.
Benefits such as a source of running water, fresh air, and proximity to the sea and forests became attractions for those who wished to live in houses, farms, ranches, and residential village and garden-city projects. This is how the neighborhoods of the Rio suburbs emerged, inhabited by a middle class that traveled by tram from their homes to the nearest train station and from there set off for work in the city center.
Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of an urban scene. On the left side, we see houses with sloped roofs and gardens. In the center, there is a narrow, uneven street, with a few people walking. On the right, there are more houses and palm trees. In the background, the image becomes denser with more houses and vegetation.O bairro de Olaria em 1963. Fundado nos anos 1880, Olaria foi um dos bairros ocupados a partir da linha férrea. Fundo Correio da Manhã, Arquivo Nacional
The Central do Brasil, Rio do Ouro, and Leopoldina railroads were fundamental in shaping Rio de Janeiro. The Leopoldina Railway company, with its Bonsucesso, Olaria, and Penha stations, helped attract residents to these locations, which were now closer to downtown Rio, precisely thanks to the establishment of these means of transportation.
Image description: The image is a black-and-white photograph of a stretch of railway. On the left side, we see the train tracks, with a strip of grass and a few trees along the path. In the center, there is a small building, possibly a station or a house. On the right, there is a hill with dense vegetation and a structure that appears to be a tower or tall building. The sky is overcast, giving the scene a gray tone. At the top of the image, there is text in English and Portuguese advertising train services of the Leopoldina Railway.Cartaz da Leopoldina Railway na Revista Fon-Fon, 11 de outubro de 1913, n. 41 p. 15
Thus, in the first decades of the 20th century, an intense process of industrialization and urbanization took place in the areas near the stations of the Leopoldina Railway. Through this process of factory construction, road opening, and building development, the region acquired the character of a suburb, in the strict sense of the term: the area surrounding the Rio urbs, a space whose function was to serve the city with products, services, access routes, and labor.
