[5] Founded on 4 December 1818, when the Church was built, the city was named in honor of its patron saint, Santa Barbara, it was originally part of Piracicaba.

[7] Santa Bárbara d'Oeste has an important cultural tradition, ranging from craft and theater, to music and sports.

On the site, she founded a sugar plantation, putting her son, Captain Manoel Francisco Grace Martins, in charge of administering the property.

Years later, the district of Santa Barbara was created by Provincial Law Number 9, on 18 February 1842, in addition, the chapel was elevated from a capela curada, an official title given by the Catholic Church, to a freguesia.

At the time, large sugar mills were constructed in the city, such as the Plant de Cillo Santa Bárbara (now disabled).

[9] Since the 2000s, due to both public and private investment, the city is reaching an economic and social balance, becoming increasingly competitive in the metropolitan region of Campinas.

Legal incentives for businesses that invest in the city were created, and the expansion of the Rodovia dos Bandeirantes, whose route passes through the municipality, has brought new opportunities for development.

[9] Today, Santa Bárbara is one of the major economic forces in the metropolitan region of Campinas, with a good quality of life.

The city has a strong industrial character, and is home to companies such as Romi, Usina Furlan, Goodyear, Canatiba, Mazak, and Denso.

It serves the population of Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, Americana, Nova Odessa, Sumaré and Hortolândia, as well as the regions of Piracicaba and Limeira.

[10] The Americans also brought new Christian denominations into Brazil; on 10 September 1871 the first Brazilian Baptist Church was established in Santa Bárbara.

The first Americans to arrive in the city were Colonel William Hutchinson Norris, a Civil War veteran and former Senator from the State of Alabama, and his son, who began to teach courses on cotton cultivation techniques to local farmers.

Many immigrants who came to Santa Bárbara d'Oeste achieved national prominence, such as Pérola Byington, a philanthropist and social activist born in the city.

[11] As the area around Santa Bárbara d'Oeste and Americana turned increasingly to the production of sugar cane and the society became more mobile, the Confederados tended to migrate to cities.

Many modern Confederados are of mixed-race and reflect the varied racial categories that make up Brazilian society in their physical appearance.

In April, the organization holds an annual festival, called the Festa Confederada in order to fund the Campo Cemetery.

Women dress the part, much like the character Scarlett O'Hara in the film Gone with the Wind, and men in Confederate uniforms, boots and hats.

In September 2010 the Esporte Clube Barbarense hosted one of the most important competitions of Brazil's sports calendar: the Jose Finkel Trophy swim.

This served as the Brazilian tryouts for the FINA World Swimming Championships of 2010, held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The total area of the water polo facility will be 3.6 million square feet, including bleachers, locker and training rooms.