Elda & Petrer lie to the east just off the A31 Madrid motorway. The town boundaries are conjoined, making iot difficult to figure out which town you are in half the time!
Elda has a modern, large Hospital which covers the entire area, large shopping centers and retail parks. Much of the town is architecturally diverse, and its narrow streets hide some very interesting buildings.
Elda
Elda (Spanish: [ˈelda], Valencian: [ˈɛɫda]) is a city located in the province of Alicante, Spain. As of 2009, it has a total population of 55,618 inhabitants, ranking as the 7th most populous city in the province. Elda joins together with the town of Petrer to form a conurbation with over 85,000 inhabitants. The river Vinalopó flows through the urban area of Elda.
Elda is known for its footwear industry, in particular for women's shoes. Tourist sites include the Footwear Museum, the Archaeological Museum, the Torre del Homenaje del castillo (a tower dating from the 12th century), Castelar Square, Count of Coloma Palace, the Town Hall and the church of Santa Ana. It also celebrates the important festival of Moros y Cristianos.
Petrer
Petrer (Valencian pronunciation: [peˈtɾeɾ], Spanish: Petrel [peˈtɾel]) is a town located in the comarca of Vinalopó Mitjà, in the province of Alicante, Spain.
Petrer joins together with the city of Elda to form a conurbation with over 95,000 inhabitants. The river Rambla de los Molinos (Riverbed of the Mills), a tributary of the river Vinalopó, runs through the urban area of Petrer.
The economy of Petrer is based on the industries of footwear, furs, plastics, construction materials and pottery. The most important monuments in Petrer are the Catholic church of Sant Bartolomeu (Saint Bartholomew), the Arab castle and the hermitages of Sant Bonifaci and Christ.
The Moros i Cristians festival of Petrer attracts many tourists each year.
