 In 2010, it occupied the 20th place in the ranking of the 100 best cities to live in Brazil and the placement of 19th place in the ranking of best cities in the state of São Paulo, according to the Municipal Development Index Firjan.Tarumã started as a village called Vila Lex (Lex Village), named for its founder Gilberto Lex, a German immigrant who arrived in Brazil in 1825.Its present name comes from a Tupi–Guarani word for the indigenous fruit tree "Vitex montevidensis".