Sé (São Paulo)
Immigrant groups established in the Sé borough include Italians (in Bela Vista), Japanese (in Liberdade), and Jews (in Bom Retiro). Sé is also the borough with the largest number of subway stations. There are many areas of popular commerce, like the 25 de Março Street (one of the most popular area of commerce in Brazil, though often illegal), and high-class areas such as Pacaembu and Higienópolis. The famous Paulista Avenue (Avenida Paulista) is the southwest limit of this borough, with the borough of Pinheiros.
The neighbourhood (and the later city) has developed between the three ancient churches of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Saint Benedict and Saint Francis of Assisi (which part of it was expropriated by Emperor Pedro II for the establishment of the Law School).
This borough is also an important college center with the very traditional Law School of the University of São Paulo and Mackenzie University, founded by North American Presbyterian missionaries in the 19th century.