[3] São Miguel and Santa Maria were the first islands to be settled by families from Estremadura, Alto Alentejo and Algarve, through the initiative of Gonçalo Velho, then the designated first Captain-donatário of the Azores.

[3] Referring to the population, Gaspar Frutuoso (the humanist and chronicler) indicated: In the 20th century (1901), Vila do Porto received a regal visit from King Carlos I and Queen Amélia.

[4] Following the construction of the international airport in 1944, primarily to serve as an emergency US airbase, in 1946 civil air traffic was inaugurated resulting in the development of a dynamic urban, economic and social culture in the archipelago.

[3] This was supported by a similar decree on 24 August 2004 (29/2004/2), to establish a jurisdictional regime to protect and recover some of the cultural patrimony (under article 58, line 3) that included the historic town.

[4] While the parish's past was marked by agriculture, its modern economy concentrated on the secondary and tertiary markets, resulting from its importance as a hub of trans-Atlantic air traffic and commerce.