POPULATION

With just over half a million inhabitants – 530,308 – Trentino is a region in the heart of the Alps where man and the environment have learnt to live together: from the administration point of view, the territory is organized in 178 municipalities, scattered between valley floors and low slopes, but nearly 50% of Trentino population is concentrated in 12 main municipalities.
The Autonomous Province of Trento encourages collaborations and synergies between municipal authorities – many of them merged in recent years, with a cost-reducing aggregation process that is unparalleled in Italy: just think that in 2010 the municipalities were 217 – believing that, although they are a wealth for Trentino, they can achieve more significant results by joining forces, especially in the united management of services to citizens. The Valley Communities, intermediate authorities born after the institutional reform, go in this direction.
The Trentino mountain territory is very much alive. Over the years people have gradually moved to valley floor areas – approximately 70% of the whole population now resides in municipalities situated below 600 m a.s.l. – but this process did not result in the depopulation of high altitudes: mountain communities have found effective occupational solutions in high quality agriculture and the development of tourism, both in summer and in winter.
In Trentino, on the other hand, people live quite well. That is confirmed by the many surveys - from "Italia Oggi" to "Il Sole 24 Ore" ones - that, year after year, place the butterfly-shaped territory in top position. The protection of environment integrity and the preservation of biodiversity work hand in hand to produce a development factor improving the quality of life both for people who permanently live in Trentino and for those who want to spend some time on holiday there.