Lajes (Praia da Vitória)
| Lajes | |
| Civil Parish | |
 The northern portion of Lajes Airfield; the parish of Lajes is dominated geographically and economically by the importance of Air Base No.4
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| Official name: Freguesia de Lajes | |
| Name origin: Portuguese for tough rock | |
| Country |  Portugal |
|---|---|
| Autonomous Region |  Azores |
| Island | Terceira |
| Municipality | Praia da Vitória |
| Localities | Fundões, Caldeira, Canada da Caldeira, Canada das Fontainhas, Canada das Vinhas, Canada do Poço, Lajedo, Lajes, Picão, Rebentão, Santa Rita |
| Center | Lajes |
| - elevation | 63 m (207 ft) |
| - coordinates | 38°45′45″N 27°6′21″W / 38.76250°N 27.10583°WCoordinates: 38°45′45″N 27°6′21″W / 38.76250°N 27.10583°W |
| Highest point | Santa Rita |
| - elevation | 112 m (367 ft) |
| - coordinates | 38°45′34″N 27°4′47″W / 38.75944°N 27.07972°W |
| Lowest point | Sea level |
| - location | Atlantic Ocean |
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Area | 12.11 km2 (5 sq mi) |
| - water | .00 km2 (0 sq mi) |
| - urban | 3.14 km2 (1 sq mi) |
| Population | 3,744 (2011) |
| Density | 309/km2 (800/sq mi) |
| Settlement | fl. 1500 |
| - Parish | fl. 3 April 1507 |
| - Civil Parish | fl. 1614 |
| - Vila/Town | 12 June 2002 |
| LAU | Junta Freguesia |
| - location | Rua Padre Gregório Rocha |
| - coordinates | 38°46′2″N 27°6′13″W / 38.76722°N 27.10361°W |
| President Junta | Luís Filipe Gomes Aguiar (PS) |
| President Assembleia | Elmano Manuel Vieira Nunes (PS) |
| Timezone | Azores (UTC-1) |
| - summer (DST) | Azores (UTC0) |
| Postal Zone | 9760-292 |
| Area Code & Prefix | (+351) 292 XXX XXX |
| Demonym | Lajense |
| Patron Saint | São Miguel Arcanjo |
  Location of the parish seat of Lajes on the island of Terceira
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| Website: http://www.jflajes.com | |
| Geographic detail from Instituto Geográfico Português (2010) | |
Lajes is a civil parish in the municipality of Praia da Vitória, on the Portuguese island of Terceira in the Azores. The population in 2011 was 3,744, in an area of 12.11 square kilometres (4.68 sq mi). It is the second most populous parish in the municipality of Praia da Vitória.
Lajes is best known for being the location of Portuguese Air Force Base No.4, used for military, small inter-island, as well as scheduled and chartered flights from North America and mainland Europe. The U.S. military has a multi-year agreement with the government of Portugal at Lajes Airfield, which is the base for U.S. 65th Air Base Wing (65 ABW).
Although the date of Lajes elevation to status of ecclesiastical or civil parish is unknown, there is reference to the navigator Pero de Barcelos, who was one of the first settlers in the region, dating to 3 April 1507.
Even the date of the construction of the primitive temple are unknown, and rather the date of its destruction during the 1641 Caída da Praia earthquake is the only reference made to the religious structure. At the time three of the captaincies of Praia were destroyed, along with many of the buildings in the town of Praia, and parishes of Fontinhas, Lajes, Vila Nova and Agualva.
Owing to the natural qualities, Lajes was always the preferred residency of the rich and noble families, resulting in it being referred to as A Madrid dos Açores (The Madrid of the Azores). Many of the estates and lands supported the island of Terceira, and was usually referred as the Celeiro da Terceira (the breadbasket of Terceira). There are also registered several references to the quantity and quality of the produce in the region, including fruit and wine, in addition to silk production. Lajes is located on a vast fertile plain, divided by hedge rows and where many old signeurial homes still reflect the importance of farming and prosperity of the traditional families of the island. Today, many of the modern roadways that intersect the parish, were once used by farmers to transport goods, usually using the large Ramo Grande oxen, pulling large carts, crafted to transport large, weighty loads, without putting undue stress on the animals. Wood would normally be transported, burned to maintain the warmth during the winter, or for cooking bread in earthen ovens. The oxen, the signeurial homes and agricultural community became known as the Ramo Grande.
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Wikipedia