The village of Mallorca that has changed its face in only half a century

Saint EugeniaHow has Santa Eugènia changed from the arrival of democracy to the present day? To begin with, it has experienced a population increase of 106%. This initial question and the demographic data come from the book The municipality of Santa Eugènia. Political, social and cultural evolution 1975-2025, written by authors Miquel Coll Isern and Josep Mulet Canals. The volume delves into a half-century period that has radically transformed the reality of the municipality and will be presented publicly on Saturday, the 7th, at 7:30 p.m., at the school pavilion.

The publication, as its authors point out, "aims to convey recent local history both to generations that have not lived through it and to serve as a memory for those who have been its protagonists." Thus, starting from the end of the dictatorship, the book describes the transition towards a democratic culture where the City Council acts as a common thread through the different municipal legislatures.

In the political sphere, the work reviews the evolution of local governments: from the initial stage of a liberal nature with UCD and UM, passing through the hegemony of the PSM and the subsequent shift to the right in 2007, to the more recent coalition governments and those of the PSIB-PSOE. The authors point out that "in Santa Eugènia one cannot speak of a strictly right-wing or left-wing municipality, but rather that people have traditionally voted for the person and the leadership above the acronyms."

Growth

One of the most notable aspects addressed in the book is demographic growth: the municipality has grown by 106.58%, going from 927 inhabitants in 1976 to 1,915 residents registered in 2025. However, this increase is not explained by natural growth, but rather by the arrival of population from outside, a fact which means that the percentage of residents born in the village has dropped considerably from 72% in the early eighties to approximately 40% currently.

This demographic change has been accompanied by a socioeconomic transformation: Santa Eugènia has largely become a residential municipality where many neighbors work in Palma, which has caused a decline in small businesses and the local service sector compared to the seventies. On the other hand, the school population has increased notably, going from a single-unit practice school of fewer than seventy students to an enrollment of one hundred and sixty that even absorbs children from neighboring municipalities.

Associative fabric

Beyond politics and demographics, the work recognizes the efforts of more than 500 inhabitants of Santa Eugènia who have participated in the associative, cultural, sporting, and festive fabric of the municipality. The authors emphasize that the challenge for the new generations will be to integrate newcomers while maintaining the traditions, landscape, architecture, and the distinct identity of this town in the Pla de Mallorca region.

Saturday's presentation event will be an opportunity to get closer to this collective work, which has been built thanks to the consultation of municipal archives, local publications such as the Revista de Santa Eugènia and Baula, photographic collections, and numerous oral testimonies from residents.