At the beginning of the twentieth century the liberal bourgeois in Vigo took control of the economic and political power. The arrival of Catalonian business people in the 19^th century in the Arenal district led to the development of the fish salting industry and this became another stage of significant growth in the fishing industry.

The image of the port during the first thirty years of the twentieth century is that of thousands of people leaving to emigrate to Latin America. However, economic development also occurred at this time. Important companies start to grow up in the city like Barreras shipyards (at the end of 19th century) and Vulcano; as well as Pescanova and other companies related to the sea . This was the most important industrial sector and was to trigger growth in many other sectors.

Another characteristic image of the city is that of the trams, which started running in 1914. Around this time there was a great deal of social activity. There were several daily and weekly newspapers, and many unions and political organizations were set up. However, all this movement was to come to a halt when the Civil War broke out in 1936. In 1904 the town of Bouzas was to become part of Vigo as did the area of Lavadores in 1941, which led to an increase in the population and a widening of the city limits.

By the 1950s the main street Gran Vía was built and the city continued to grow quickly so new residential areas such as that at Coia were built. New industries such as Citroën Hispania arrived while infrastructure improved and new plans were drawn up to expand the city. The population grew rapidly from 30,000 in 1910 to today’s figures of almost 300,000.

The Port of Vigo has also grown significantly in recent times to become the main fishing port in Spain and one of the most important worldwide.

It has gained international recognition with the annual world exhibitions that are held here. The future construction of a Conference Centre and Concert Hall will help to promote conference and business tourism and thus boost the services sector and the future development of the city.

The presence of industries such as car manufacturing, shipyards, fish-canning, construction, and fashion among others, is what makes the city of Vigo the main industrial powerhouse of Galicia.

As it is located near Portugal close links have been developed in trade, culture and infrastructure. The north of Portugal, in particular, has benefited immensely from this industrial and economic development and Vigo is the main city for shopping and services to serve the south of Galicia and the north of Portugal.