Veinte de Junio
Encyclopedia
Veinte de Junio is a town
located 35 km from Buenos Aires
, in La Matanza
, Buenos Aires Province
, Argentina
.
Veinte de Junio is an outback sleepy rural town, relatively isolated from the rest of the Greater Buenos Aires
.
The town and railway station, Estación 20 de Junio, were named after Argentina’s Nation
al Flag Day
: June 20.
According to the , the population was 828.
The town is bordered by Pontevedra
(north), González Catán
(east), Marcos Paz
(southwest) and Virrey del Pino (southeast).
Alejo Castex is the only paved street and it is lined with tall trees and weekend-houses; only can be heard the bird songs
of thousands of Rufous-bellied Thrush
es, Chalk-browed Mockingbird
s, Rufous Hornero
s and the far-away roar of tractor
s working on the farm
s.
Veinte de Junio only counts with a general store
, a kindergarten
, and a primary and secondary
public school; for almost everything the town depends from the nearby city of Pontevedra
, in Merlo Partido
.
For many residents the isolation is the cause of the lack of development of the town; for many others it’s a blessing because the remoteness makes Veinte de Junio a safe place to live, a place where crime and delinquency are very rare.
The town grew around a railway station built in the first decade of 20th century by the French–owned company Compagnie Générale de Chemins de Fer dans la Province de Buenos Aires
, 4 km from Pontevedra. In fact, by those days the station was known as Estación Pontevedra.
The land around the station was urbanized forty years later, in 1947, and it was known as Parque Ibáñez–Estación Pontevedra, but its name changed in 1949 when Merlo and La Matanza partido
s established its limits: the railway station left within the limits of La Matanza and Pontevedra within the limits of Merlo.
During Carlos Menem
’s administration, the state-run railway system was privatized and thousands of kilometers of tracks were closed; Estación 20 de Junio was closed on March 13, 1993.
The train station seems to be frozen in time; during the weekends, groups of bikers spend leisure time in bicycle touring
, following the dead rail tracks, and it is very common to see them stopping by Estación 20 de Junio.
The residents, organized in a non-government association
, had been working in order to reestablished the train service between González Catán and Veinte de Junio.
At the entrance of the town a narrow creek flows slowly meandering through the farms; the creek is called Arroyo de la Cañada Pantanosa. The creek drains to La Matanza River and during springtime the countryside blooms with wild flowers alongside the creek, evoking bucolic scenes.
According the Provincial Office of Statistics, the figures for 2001 are as follow:
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
located 35 km from Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, in La Matanza
La Matanza Partido
La Matanza is a partido located in the Greater Buenos Aires in Buenos Aires Province in Argentina....
, Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
Veinte de Junio is an outback sleepy rural town, relatively isolated from the rest of the Greater Buenos Aires
Greater Buenos Aires
Greater Buenos Aires is the generic denomination to refer to the megalopolis comprising the autonomous city of Buenos Aires and the conurbation around it, over the province of Buenos Aires—namely the adjacent 24 partidos or municipalities—which nonetheless do not constitute a single administrative...
.
Nation
A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
al Flag Day
Flag Day
A flag day is a flag-related holiday—either a day designated for flying a certain flag , or a day set aside to celebrate a historical event such as a nation's adoption of its flag....
: June 20.
According to the , the population was 828.
The town is bordered by Pontevedra
Pontevedra, Buenos Aires Province
Pontevedra is a city located in Merlo Partido, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The town was named after the homonymous city of Pontevedra, Spain....
(north), González Catán
González Catán
González Catán is a city located in La Matanza Partido, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The city is the second-largest by area in the county , and the second most-populous.It forms part of the Greater Buenos Aires urban conurbation....
(east), Marcos Paz
Marcos Paz Partido
Marcos Paz is a partido in the Argentine province of Buenos Aires. Its capital city is Marcos Paz.Established on 25 October 1878 , Marcos Paz is located at the eastern border of the Greater Buenos Aires with the rest of the province, although on an administrative sense, it is not considered part of...
(southwest) and Virrey del Pino (southeast).
Alejo Castex is the only paved street and it is lined with tall trees and weekend-houses; only can be heard the bird songs
Bird Songs
Bird Songs is the 22nd album by Joe Lovano to be released on the Blue Note label. It was released in 2011 and features Esperanza Spalding, James Weidman, and Otis Brown III primarily performing Charlie Parker's music.-Track listing:# "Passport" - 5:27...
of thousands of Rufous-bellied Thrush
Rufous-bellied Thrush
The Rufous-bellied Thrush is a songbird of the thrush family . It occurs in most of east and southeast Brazil from Maranhão south to Rio Grande do Sul states, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and northern regions of Argentina....
es, Chalk-browed Mockingbird
Chalk-browed Mockingbird
The Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Mimus saturninus, is a bird found in most of Brazil, and parts of Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, and Suriname. It's a bird of open wooded areas, including urban and suburban gardens...
s, Rufous Hornero
Rufous Hornero
The Rufous Hornero, Furnarius rufus, is a large ovenbird from eastern South America. Also known as the Red Ovenbird, it is a common species of second-growth scrub, pastures and agricultural land, and the species is often seen near areas of human inhabitation...
s and the far-away roar of tractor
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
s working on the farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
s.
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
, a kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
, and a primary and secondary
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
public school; for almost everything the town depends from the nearby city of Pontevedra
Pontevedra, Buenos Aires Province
Pontevedra is a city located in Merlo Partido, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The town was named after the homonymous city of Pontevedra, Spain....
, in Merlo Partido
Merlo Partido
Merlo is a partido of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is located in Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina, west of the city of Buenos Aires. Its capital is the city of Merlo....
.
For many residents the isolation is the cause of the lack of development of the town; for many others it’s a blessing because the remoteness makes Veinte de Junio a safe place to live, a place where crime and delinquency are very rare.
Ferrocarril Compañía General en la Provincia de Buenos Aires
The Ferrocarril Compañía General de Buenos Aires was a French–owned company, formed in 1904, which operated a metre gauge railway network in Argentina....
, 4 km from Pontevedra. In fact, by those days the station was known as Estación Pontevedra.
The land around the station was urbanized forty years later, in 1947, and it was known as Parque Ibáñez–Estación Pontevedra, but its name changed in 1949 when Merlo and La Matanza partido
Partido
A partido is an administrative subdivision of the . They are formally considered to be a single municipality, and usually contain one or more population centers...
s established its limits: the railway station left within the limits of La Matanza and Pontevedra within the limits of Merlo.
During Carlos Menem
Carlos Menem
Carlos Saúl Menem is an Argentine politician who was President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. He is currently an Argentine National Senator for La Rioja Province.-Early life:...
’s administration, the state-run railway system was privatized and thousands of kilometers of tracks were closed; Estación 20 de Junio was closed on March 13, 1993.
The train station seems to be frozen in time; during the weekends, groups of bikers spend leisure time in bicycle touring
Bicycle touring
Bicycle touring is cycling over long distances – prioritizing pleasure and endurance over utility or speed. Touring can range from single day 'supported' rides — e.g., rides to benefit charities — where provisions are available to riders at stops along the route, to multi-day...
, following the dead rail tracks, and it is very common to see them stopping by Estación 20 de Junio.
The residents, organized in a non-government association
Voluntary association
A voluntary association or union is a group of individuals who enter into an agreement as volunteers to form a body to accomplish a purpose.Strictly speaking, in many jurisdictions no formalities are necessary to start an association...
, had been working in order to reestablished the train service between González Catán and Veinte de Junio.
At the entrance of the town a narrow creek flows slowly meandering through the farms; the creek is called Arroyo de la Cañada Pantanosa. The creek drains to La Matanza River and during springtime the countryside blooms with wild flowers alongside the creek, evoking bucolic scenes.
Population
In 1991 the population of Veinte de Junio was 102 and ten years later it grew to 828.According the Provincial Office of Statistics, the figures for 2001 are as follow:
- The percentage of households with unsatisfied basic needs was 13.83%.
- The literacy rate was 97.61%.
- People in Veinte de Junio obtain water from wellWater wellA water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
s, pumpPumpA pump is a device used to move fluids, such as liquids, gases or slurries.A pump displaces a volume by physical or mechanical action. Pumps fall into three major groups: direct lift, displacement, and gravity pumps...
s and rainwater tankRainwater tankA rainwater tank is a water tank used to collect and store rain water runoff, typically from rooftops via rain gutters...
s and the percentage of households with water supplied by pipe was 1.19%; there is no sewerage systemSanitary sewerA sanitary sewer is a separate underground carriage system specifically for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings to treatment or disposal. Sanitary sewers serving industrial areas also carry industrial wastewater...
.