The first permanent inhabitants of the municipality were merchants and farmers who supplied the travelers' needs on the long road between the coast and the gold region.Progress continued in 1861 with the completion of the first macadamized road in Latin America, the Estrada União e Indústria (Union and Industry), replacing the Caminho Novo.But as the coffee rush frontier moved southwestwards it reached the state of São Paulo and its immensely fertile plateaus which became the richest in the federation and industry flourished there as it had in Juiz de Fora itself.Today Juiz de Fora is an important commercial centre for the surrounding region and is the core of an unofficial metropolitan area of more than 1 million inhabitants.Juiz de Fora is the third most important industrial center in the state of Minas Gerais, despite being the fourth largest in terms of population[citation needed].The city is also an important trade center with a considerable area of influence, being considered the capital of the Zona da Mata region of the state.The massive presence of immigrants – especially from Portugal, Italy, Germany, Syria and Lebanon and more recently China – throughout its history has given the city a cosmopolitan spirit and diverse cuisine.Juiz de Fora is an important regional cultural center, one of the few towns in south-east Minas Gerais to have permanently functional cinemas, theatres, music venues and light entertainment.They won the 2011 Campeonato Brasileiro Série D (national fourth division) after beating Santa Cruz in both legs of the final,[11] having qualified for the tournament after América de Teófilo Otoni withdrew before the start of the competition.They returned to professional football in 2016 after receiving a percentage fee from sale of Danilo, who started his youth career at the club, from Porto to Real Madrid[14] and were promoted from the third division of Campeonato Mineiro in the same year.[23] Ethnic groups found in Juiz de Fora include: Portuguese, Italians, Africans, Germans, Lebanese, Syrians, others Arabs, Japanese, Romani and more recently Venezuelans, Chinese and Koreans.