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El Carmen, Argentina
April 4, 2023
El Carmen, Argentina, population: about 15,000, it was 12,000 in 2001, so has it grown that much in the intervening years? I don't know, but there you have it.
The area where El Carmen sits had been occupied by various indigenous groups for many years before the Spanish arrived and conquered all of them in the mid-1500s. The town grew from a farm that originally belonged to a man named Estancia San Juan. By 1875 the farm had fallen into disrepair and Virgilio Figueroa and his wife took possession of the farm. It wasn't any small farm, it was 8000 hectares (about 19,800 acres). They rebuilt the farm and made it a successful and thriving ranch with crops and 7000 head of cattle. The farm had a store for the workers to buy the supplies they needed as well as a blacksmith shop. They had a sawmill which eventually served as both lumber production and a power plant after it was upgraded with a steam boiler. Many people started moving into the area and the farm grew into a town.
El Carmen sits in the mouth of a valley extending into the mountains. There is a cienega nearby, about 3 kilometers from town, as well as a reservoir behind a dam. This allows for boating, skiing, swimming, fishing, etc. There are the endless mountains and trails for mountain biking and hiking. Bird watching, horseback riding, and photo tours are also available. There's a campground with picnic areas, tent pads, and bungalows. And a restaurant alongside the reservoir serves fish caught in the lake.
El Carmen has a warm and temperate climate. The average daytime high of 24° C (76° F), and the night average low of 13° C (55° F). The city's elevation is 1140 meters (3740 feet) and averages 56.8 mm (2.2 inches) of rain per month.
So, my impressions: El Carmen is a very small town yet it does have two cash machines and a supermarket, the parks are nice, and there are a couple of very nice restaurants, oh, and the streets are clean. The people were friendly, as have been my experiences in the few towns I have visited so far here in Argentina. But will I put it on my top 10 list? No, because the climate is a bit on the cool side for me—if I have to wear a jacket during the afternoon then it's too cold for me to live there. I'm a shorts-n-t-shirt guy.
My goal is to find a new place to live. So to reach that goal I am traveling most of South America, visiting the countries of Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia, and Chile, passing through Argentina, visiting Paraguay, passing through a bit of Brazil, and finally visiting Uruguay. I have a list of towns, about 70, that meet these qualifications: Cities with average day temperatures of 22-28° C (72-83° F) and night temps of 14° C (57° F) and higher; and a population between 28,000-300,000. I analyzed climate and population data of around 700 towns in the countries mentioned above and then pulled out the ones that meet the previously mentioned criteria, which leaves about 70. My preference leans towards towns of less than 100,000 people. And, now that I have visited more than 30 towns/cities, I've decided I will probably want an inland town. I love the beach and walking in the warm water, but, getting sunburned is just too easy, even on a cloudy day. At least, here in Ecuador. I've also decided that any town with more than 100,000 population will be too big. I've decided that any small town/city (less than around 80,000 population) that meets the temp specifications and has a supermarket and ATM is one worth considering to live in.
My goal is to visit the towns and discover which one calls out to me - "Chip, Chip, make your new home here, this is your new home town". That hasn't happened yet, but the seven towns listed below are very close to giving me that feeling. At any rate, I am not visiting tourist attractions or archeological sites, etc, those will have to wait for another trip through South America.
At this point in my journey I have five towns on my Top 10 list - Tingo Maria, Moyobamba, La Merced, Perú, and Catamayo and Puyo, Ecuador. In my travels in Ecuador, I visited 32 towns/cities. In Perú, I visited 26 towns/cities, in Chile, only five towns, and now in Argentina I've visited five towns.
Next up: Salta, Argentina.
I used to teach English as a foreign language in Barranquilla, Colombia. Now I'm retired and traveling throughout South America.
I'm from Kennewick, Washington, USA. In my previous life, as I call it, I was an IT guy, systems administrator, computer tech, as well as a shipping/receiving guy and also worked as a merchandising guy in a RV/Camping store.