Draft:Pueblo Nuevo (Junín)

Av. San Martín y Rivadavia, uno de los límites del barrio en el centro de la ciudad

Pueblo Nuevo is a neighborhood in the city of Junín, situated in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is located in the geographical center of the city of Junín where it borders a shopping center of the same name. It is one of the oldest and most populated neighborhoods in the city.

History

In 1885 two railroad companies were established in Junín: The Argentine Central and The Buenos Aires Railway to the Pacific. The latter was fundamental for the development of the city not just because of the important cargo and passenger traffic, but also in 1886, they installed the railroad workshops outside the city.

Nevertheless, the railroad was a fundamental part of the urban and demographic evolution of the city, especially as immigration began to appear more within the city, particularly Italian and Spanish immigrants, who were motivated by the labor supply offered by railroad workshops, supporting their ideas of progress.

Corner of the Italian street of Spain in Pueblo Nuevo

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the city, crossed by two almost parallel railroads, had three well-defined areas that acted almost as independent sectors: Foundational Junín also known as Área del Fuerte or Pueblo Viejo (Old Town), El Pueblo Nuevo (New Town)—separated by two railroad lines—and the Tierra del Fuego or Villa Belgrano (known today as the Belgrano neighborhood). Behind these railway tracts is where the railroad workers and employees also settled.

The lands where the two railroads ran through were then subdivided into farming plots, and these farming plots were measured on a case-by-case basis depending on their value and functionality.

Between two railways, from station Quinta 54 to station Quinta 63, according to the measurements and plans made by surveyor José A. Lagos in 1873, the land occupying part of Chacra 169 is where the neighborhood of Pueblo Nuevo was to be created. The name is a contrast from Pueblo Viejo (Old Town) that had been established previously.

The neighborhood, that common micro-space, was constructed and brought to life by its citizens, acquiring its own form of identity throughout the years. In this space, cultivated by its railroad environment, it's possible to identify its cultural diversity, due to the heterogeneity of the population, from the point of view of its immigrant origins and their occupations. This is best seen in the buildings, with a repertoire of scattered elements that reflect the Spanish, Italian, and French immigration. The urban hierarchization of this neighborhood was contributed by the F.C.B.A.P. and its important English-style buildings.

Location and characteristics

Pueblo Nuevo is located in the geographical center of the city of Junín. It has a total of 47 blocks demarcated to the west by Rivadavia Avenue, to the north by the railway factories and Newbery Street, to the east by República Avenue, and to the south by San Martín Avenue. Its southern border is demarcated by the shopping center and neighborhood of El Picaflor and the southeast neighborhood of Villa Ortega. It is located 12 kilometers from Laguna de Gómez National Park.

Club Ciclista Juninense

A huge part of the neighborhood is located within The Junín Railway Tourist Circuitand within this circuit, you will find The Official Train Station of Junín.

The neighborhood's day and nightlife varies according to the zone; while a great part of the neighborhood is quiet and has little traffic due to most of the streets being made of cobblestone, the part closest to the city center is a much busier area due to the high amount of shops and businesses situated there, which include bars, pubs, and restaurants.

Sport institutions

Pueblo Nuevo is a neighborhood of two important sports entities within the city like the Club of Jorge Newbery famous for its participation in the National Championship of 1974 in the First division of Argentina, which is currently playing in the Federal B Tournament; and the Ciclista Juninense basketball club, renown within its discipline for having been champion of the National Promotion Tournament during the 2013-2014 season and still present in the three seasons of National Basketball league.

The UNNOBA School of Technology

University Row

Today, among the streets there are institutions, museums, and public and private elementary and high schools, which makes it a very rich area in terms of the variety of options it offers. There is also a university row on Newbery Street where there are different establishments belonging to the National University of Northwestern Buenos Aires (UNNOBA), such as the School of Technology, the School of Economic and Legal Sciences, the Annex Building, the Technological Pole, The Center for Basic and Applied research, the university dining hall and the Silvina Ocampo University Library. Included in the University's row there's the Junín's Historical Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Art Argentina (MACA), the "Juan Pérez Cruz" Conservatory of Music, and the Plaza Ferrocarriles Argentinos. There is currently a municipal project to renovate and improve the area.

Plaza de los Ferrocarriles, behind the train station

The Prince of Wales Visit (King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom)

At 4:40 PM, on Monday, September 21st, 1925, the train carrying Edward of Windsor, Prince of Wales arrived in Junín, during his journey to the Republic of Chile. The rainy weather did not stop the large crowd of people from flocking to the Pacific Railroad station to welcome him. It was quite an event for the neighborhood.

In Junín, Prince Edward paid tribute to the memory of the fallen British soldiers who had died fighting in the war. This was held in the Plaza Ferrocarriles Argentinos.