The Imperial Period
The colonial period comes to an end with the arrival, in 1808, of the Portuguese Royal Family in Brazil (escaping from the Napoleonic troops). Dom João VI introduced a number of reforms in several areas - architecture, university education, urbanization, artistic performances etc. - with a view to adjusting the country to be the headquarters of the Vice-Kingdom, which would be the home to the Portuguese Crown. These changes brought lots of benefits to São Paulo. It was in São Paulo that, on September 7, 1822, the heir of the Portuguese throne, Prince Dom Pedro, declared the Independence of Brazil, was acclaimed Emperor and received the title of Dom Pedro I. Further to his resignation in the 30's, amid the political turmoil against the Portuguese domain, the Regency period took place. During the second half of the century, with D. Pedro II as the king, the country enjoyed a period of development and prosperity, mainly after the consolidation of coffee as the main Brazilian export product.
It was at that time that São Paulo started to stand out in the domestic scene, with the development of the coffee crops thanks to the fact that the land in the state's Northern region was appropriate for its growing. The development of coffee crops led to the expansion of the railways (1860-1861): Santos-Jundiaí railway, at that time called São Paulo Railway, started being built. It was a period characterized by major changes, marked by the crisis of the slavery system that would result in its abolishment in 1888, followed by the arrival of a large number of immigrants to work in coffee crops, thus solving the problem related to the lack of labor force.
During this period, São Paulo thrived and the province went through an actual urban revolution, a result of the need of transforming a modest city, a mere commercial supply center, into the capital of the new economic elite. In mid-1860, São Paulo was entirely different from the old colonial city: street lamps using castor-oil plant or whale oil were everywhere and the city had its first public park, Jardim da Luz, which would be entirely renovated at the end of the century. As the city grew, some symbolic places such as São Paulo Railway Station and Jardim da Luz started being surrounded by urban centers. Nearby, some residential areas also started taking form, such as Campos Elíseos, with its Parisian-style boulevards, such as Avenida Tiradentes. Railways also contributed to the growing of new and popular areas next to São Paulo Railway Station, such as Bom Retiro and Brás, which expanded thanks to the opening of Hospedaria dos Imigrantes (Immigrant's Hostel). Public buildings multiplied: assembly, chamber, forum, schools, headquarters, prisons, shelters for homeless children. Dozens of churches, convents and monasteries, such as it used to happen during the colonial times, continued to spread all over the city. In cultural terms, circus artists, theater actors, poets and singers settled in São Paulo, together with the publishing of the city's first newspaper.
All these changes brought other positive aspects. The arrival of thousands of immigrants, aside from solving problems of lack of labor force in coffee crops, contributed to the occupation of the countryside region. Thanks to this, small factories, 'subsidiaries' of the coffee, could give the first steps towards industrialization. With the countryside growing together with the province, new roads started being built, allowing for the thriving of coffee crops and for the future prosperity during The Republican Periodan period.