San Francisco, Córdoba

San Francisco is a city in the east of the province of Córdoba, Argentina, near the border with the province of Santa Fe, on the intersection of National Routes 19 and 158. It is the fourth most populated city in Córdoba, with about 59,000 inhabitants, and the head town of the San Justo Department.

History

The original town was founded on 9 September 1886 by José Bernardo Iturraspe, as part of a colonization plan of the provincial government. The current location of the city is slightly south from that settlement and dates from 1888, when the railroads of the Córdoba Central Railway reached the area. The town was declared a city in 1915. A large portion of the city's population is made up of immigrants from the region of Piemonte in Italy, and their descendants.

The running water service came only in the 1940s. It was also at this time that the city was connected by Route 19 with the provincial capital (Córdoba) and with Santa Fe. The old tracks of the "Central Córdoba" were removed in the 1960s from what had become the city center, which was modernized.

UN/LOCODE is ARSFO.

Economy

San Francisco's economy is centered around agriculture. However there are also many metal work factories that create electrical panels (WEG [http://www.weg.net/ar] ), parts for automobiles (ZF SACHS [http://www.sachs.com.ar/argentina.htm] ), tolvas (AKRON [http://www.akron.com.ar/akron/empresa.php?id_leng=1] ). Construction jobs make up the vast majority of jobs in San Francisco. Due to the high population of Italian immagrants there exists several pasta factories as well. SanCor and Arcor both have factories near the city limits.

About the City

San Francisco is located on the "frontera" (border) of Cordoba´s and Santa Fe's provincial borders. The city is also located in a geographic depression and during the heavy summer rains the entire city can flood with up to two feet of water that covers the streets. The city is easily accessible due to Route 19 that leads to Santa Fe. The city is centered around Plaza San Martin which is a large brick plaza used for a variety of demonstrations and festivals. Most of the city streets are laid cobble stone that have been polished black from traffic. Many San Francisco residents get from place to place by riding bikes.

Notable natives

San Francisco is the birthplace of:
* Former Ministry of Economy and presidential candidate Domingo Cavallo.
* Tango singer Abel Córdoba.
* Poet Rodolfo Godino.
* Tennis player Mariano Puerta
* Guillermo Acosta Economist
* Gary Singer

References

H.R.Stones, British Railways in Argentina 1860-1948, P.E.Waters & Associates, Bromley, Kent, England, 1993.

* [http://www.sanfranciscovirtual.com "San Francisco Virtual"] — Portal and official website of the municipality.
*
* [http://www.cordobaglobal.com.ar/zona_este/sfrancisco.htm "Córdoba Global"]