Roaming South America

Salto, Uruguay

June 2, 2023

Salto, Uruguay, has a population of about 130,000. Salto sits on the western border of Uruguay and across from Concordia, Argentina.

There is archeological evidence that the Salto area has been inhabited for some 10,000 years, but about any actual village or town or settlement, start at about 1750 with some Spanish troops setting up camps in the area. There are a couple of stories about the actual settlement of Salto, but the more common one says that in 1756 the governor and some others traveling with him made a stopover in this area. They built some ranches and sheds, and from that point on people started settling in the area. In 1757, a fort was built and it housed 100 soldiers. This was used to supply Spanish troops for another seven years, then it was abandoned in 1763. In 1768, the buildings were occupied by more troops, about 1500, and their job was to expel all the Jesuits from the territory. In the mid-1800s there was an influx of Italian immigrants, and this is clearly evident in the city today.

The economy is primarily based on citrus plantations. There is a very large forestry industry, which is evident in the many tree farms. I have video but my web hosting service doesn't allow any kind of videos on their servers. There is some tourism due to the hot springs about 10 kilometers outside the city. A complete water theme park has arisen at that location.

Salto has a humid subtropical climate. The average daytime high of 24° C (76° F), and the nightly average low of 14° C (57° F). The city's elevation averages 80 meters (262 feet). The average yearly rainfall amounts to 1232 mm ( 48 inches) of rain.

So, my impressions: I like Salto, it's clean and quiet. It has some nice parks and plazas, and more than enough shopping to take care of just about anything you need. But, is there anything really special here? No. Anything unique or interesting? No. Only the thermal baths, the hot springs/water park outside of town, and too far away to walk to. Yes, Salto is generally a pleasant place, the downtown is nice for walking, and the parks alongside the river are nice, as well. But as a potential new hometown? I don't think so. So, now I am heading north to the warmer winter climate of southern Paraguay. I will probably stay at least one month in Encarnación.

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 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 had ten towns on my Top 10 list, but I narrowed it down to four:

• Tingo Maria, Perú
• Moyobamba, Perú
• Catamayo, Ecuador
• 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 in Argentina, I visited 14 towns. I visited 12 cities in Paraguay, and in Brazil, three. In Uruguay, I visited five towns.

Next up: Encarnación. Paraguay.