Novo Cruzeiro

Novo Cruzeiro is a Brazilian municipality located in the northeast of the state of Minas Gerais.

Most of the population lives in the rural area, with over 10,000 people still engaged in agriculture, which is mainly subsistence.

Novo Cruzeiro was founded by Anastácio Roque Esteves, who settled here in 1917 along the banks of the Ribeirão São Bento, a tributary of the Rio Gravatá.

[3] The economy is based on cattle raising, services, and subsistence agriculture, with the main crops being coffee (5,500 ha.

[5] [6] Social Indicators Novo Cruzeiro is ranked low on the MHDI and was one of the poorest municipalities in the state and in the country in 2000.

The above figures can be compared with those of Poços de Caldas, which had an MHDI of .841, the highest in the state of Minas Gerais.