History
The area around Imathia was first under Macedonian rule. Imathia was named from the area of the Thermaic Gulf, during the Macedonian Empire, when the name connoted the district between the Haliacmon and Loudias. The ancient and classical Imathia included Edessa and Aigai, the ancient capital of Beroea, Kitio (Κίτιον, now Naousa), etc.
Later, Imathia was annexed to the Roman rule and later the Byzantine rule. The Ottoman Empire ruled the area from the 15th century until the Balkan Wars of 1913. Unlike southern central and central Greece, it only joined Greece during the Balkan Wars and the treaties of Bucharest and London. The population exploded and farmlands expanded and its streets plans were modernized, and Veria received electricity, and its major roads became paved. During the Greco-Turkish War, several refugees from Asia Minor (now in Turkey) arriving in Imathia built refugee camps and houses, as well as several villages modeled after their former villages. Imathia experienced World War II and saw damages to most of the homes and properties. The area suffered again during Greek Civil War, which saw the last fighting in the area. For the first 34 years of being Greek, Imathia belonged to the prefecture of Thessaloniki. In 1947 Imathia became a prefecture, and Veroia was selected the its capital.
Imathia yet again saw a small growth in the 1950s but the growth slowed due to emigration. The 1980s saw the first construction of the Egnatia Odos superhighway, and it became the second superhighway in the prefecture with two undivided lanes. Between 1998 and 2005, the superhighway added two more lanes and became divided. It also extended to the prefectural boundary with Kozani along with some tunnels.
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