at a glance

it was officially christened in 1894 with the inauguration of a streetcar line connecting ipanema to the rest of the city and a wave of german, french, italian, and jewish immigrants to populate it - though no longer technically isolated, ipanema remained a rather small residential outpost until the middle of the following century.

simultaneous to the general growth and urbanization of rio de janeiro during this period, a trend that continues today, students, artists and intellectuals began to congregate in ipanema, drawn by the low cost of living and laid-back seaside atmosphere.

this new demographic made ipanema the epicenter of the successive waves of bossa nova and tropicalismo between the 1950s and 1970s - movements that were equal part music, arts, and politics, forever changing the face of brazilian culture and leaving an indelible mark - with its trendy reputation firmly established, ipanema suddenly became attractive for the wealthy, and today it is one of the most affluent locations in rio, a magnet for both international and the local elite.