João Monlevade is an industrial city in the State of Minas Gerais. It was built by the Companhia Siderúrgica Belgo Mineira in the 1930s and named after the French engineer Jean de Monlevade, who had settled in the region in the early 19th century.

On 29th April 1964, the village of João Monlevade was promoted into a Brazilian municipality and currently has an estimated population of about 80 000.