Torrejón comes fromtorre ("tower"); the suffix-jón is adiminutive that ultimately makes reference to the small or unimportant nature of the noun.[2] TheArdoz add-on comes from the namesake creek.[2]
While there is no certainty of the origin of Torrejón de Ardoz, it probably dates from the 12th century, associated to fortifications built to protectAlcalá de Henares.[3] It was part of the Land of Alcalá for all purposes until 1554, when it was granted the status of town.[2]
In the 16th century, the Casa Grande was built, where several Spanish princes stayed while studying at theUniversity of Alcala.
TheUnited States Air Force jointly occupied the Torrejón Air Base, installed in 1955,[5] under agreements made withFrancisco Franco. The base was subject of criticism since its beginnings and a meeting place of pacifist demonstrations attended by progressives and ecologists.[5]
One of the election platforms ofFelipe González'sSpanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) was to close the base to the American fighter wing. Once González became prime minister, the lease of the then 401st Tactical Fighter Wing (now the401st Air Expeditionary Group) was not renewed and theF-16 fighter wing left the base in the early 1990s.
At the end of the 20th century, the city experienced strong industrial growth, which attracted thousands of workers. This led to rapid urban growth.
It is located to the east of the city ofMadrid, near theA-2, the highway connecting Madrid andBarcelona. With the city located at the right-bank (north) of theHenares the relief of the municipality gently decreases in elevation from north to south.[2]
Three small creeks pass through the municipality emptying into the Henares.[6] From West to East: Arroyo del Valle, Arroyo Pelayo, and Arroyo Ardoz.[6]
The highest point lies in the North of the municipality, standing at 623 m above sea level.[7]
The municipality has a total area of 32.49 km2.[8]
Torrejón de Ardoz has acold semi-arid climate (Köppen:BSk) with cool winters, hot summers and precipitation concentrated in the autumn and spring seasons. As in other parts of the east and south of theCommunity of Madrid, the aridity is notable. Snow, although rare, can occur in some winters.[9]
Climate data for Torrejón de Ardoz 607m (1991–2020), extremes (1951-present)
The city has had industrial facilities from large companies such asIndra,Alcatel, La Cocinera andAmazon. This growth occurred mainly at the end of the twentieth century, with a sharp decline in the twenty-first century. The city still has 3 industrial estates: Casablanca, Charco de los Peces and Las Monjas. The industrial estate of San Fernando is linked to the municipality of Torrejón de Ardoz.
There are 2 large shopping malls in the municipality: Parque Corredor and the recently opened Oasis Mall. The commercial development of recent years has compensated for the fall in jobs produced in the industrial sector.
The city has 4 large sports facilities: Joaquin Blume, Parque Corredor, M-4 and Las Fronteras. The city has an important futsal team,Inter FS, and it had a famous futsal team,Marsanz FS.
Merino Arribas, José María; Ruiz Esteban, Yolanda; Gutiérrez Torrecilla, Luis Miguel; García Manzanero, Fernando (2004) [1986].Torrejón, una historia viva(PDF). Ayuntamiento de Torrejón de Ardoz.ISBN84-505-4177-8.
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