Castellón de la Plana is the capital city of the province of Castellón, in the Autonomous Community of Valencia in Spain. The local economy is based on industry, tourism and craft-work and the Jaume I University is established in the city since 1991.

Population diversity

In 2014, Castellón had 174,364 inhabitants in the city, being the fourth most populous city in the Valencia region. The metropolitan area of Castellón, which includes the municipalities of Villarreal, Burriana, Almazora, Benicasim, Borriol, Bechí and Alquerías del Niño Perdido, had around 300,000 inhabitants.

According to the 2014 figures, non-nationals make up 17.6% of Castellón’s total population, from which 39.67% of them are non-EU nationals. The largest minority group – people from Romania– represents 11.21% over total population. Other important nationalities in the city are people from Morocco which represents 1.29% of total population.

Profile and activities
The city council of Castellón published the first Immigration and Social Coexistence plan in 2006 in order to respond to the necessities to welcome recently arrived migrants as well as to adequate cultural diversity management. In 2012, the second plan, “Intercultural City Castellón”, was produced with the objective to advance in the reception of the recently arrived collectives, a feature that emerged within the parameters of the first plan. It prioritises integral actions that foster integration of culturally diverse persons and develops measures that promote coexistence. The plan establishes forms of coordination between different departments and public and private entities, with the intention to achieve real interaction and coexistence between different cultures. In this sense, the AMICS (Agency of Mediation for Integration and Social Coexistence) organization, created by city council, plays an important role. Its intention is to facilitate the cooperation between national, regional and local institutions sharing a common objective.

mayor

Amparo MARCO GUAL

Network - Spain