SAO JOSE DO RIO PRETO

city, in the highlands of northwestern So Paulo estado (state), Brazil. It lies at 1,558 feet (475 m) above sea level near the headwaters of the Prto River. Originally called Rio Prto, it became a seat of a municipality in 1894 and grew as a service centre for an agricultural region that grows coffee, cotton, rice, and feijo (beans). These products, as well as meat, dairy products, vegetable oils, textiles, and chemicals, are processed there. The city is linked by rail, road, or air to So Paulo city, 250 miles (400 km) southeast. Pop. (1991 prelim.) 263,454.