ipanema was founded in 1894, with only 19 streets and two squares -it began to grow more rapidly with the arrival of trams in 1902 andbecame a familiar name in the decade between 1950 and 1960, whenit became the cradle of bossa nova following the the world wide success of 'the girl from ipanema' by antónio carlos jobim e vinícius de morais - both residents of ipanema at the time.

the region has a well-deserved reputation for being the epitome of chic. aside from being home toone of the most trendybeaches in rio, ipanema has an immensely cosmopolitan composition, both in terms of attractions and population.

as such, ipanema hasalways beenthe first to define new trends - the first prenant woman in a bikini was atriz dizniz in the 70s, she lived in rua aníbal de mendonça, and the infamous biquíni fio dental ('dental floss bikini') arrived here first in the late 1980s.