After a long hiatus brought about by political turmoil and lack of time, I finally bring you the newest entry in the Online Isla Bonita Tourism Catalog: Finisterra!

Finisterra some 50 years ago

Finisterra today, plus parts of Cuerno de Águila (north, right) and Pueblo Simón (east, down)

Finisterra is the southernmost suburb in the South Bay area, home to 200,000 people, at the very southwest corner of Isla Bonita, south of Cuerno de Águila.

General information

City name: Finisterra
Date of foundation: XX century
Population: 274,857
Size: 16 sq km.
Land area: about half
Average income: §35k/person/year.

History

Early years

What is now known as Finisterra was little more than farmland overlooking the South Bay, the final remnants of the Cuerno de Águila massif and a small strip of land on the western side of it. The railway opened in the early 20th century, turning was is now the Old Town neighbourhood into a seaside resort where upper-middle class Bonitoans could buy a second house.

The Hotel de Finisterra, at the far right, was seen as the most luxurious place to enjoy the summer breeze

The integration of Finisterra to the South Bay metropolitan area came gradually as the urban area expanded west, then south. The flatlands were the first to be taken over: just a municipal border away from the burgeoning Las Granjas district in nearby Cuerno de Águila, and close to the already-established Pueblo Simón to its east, they were quickly turned into a large, dense residential neighbourhood, linked by monorail and highway to the main city.

The Nuestra Señora de Gracia church stands at the center of the new residential development, with a road stretching from its gates southward into the sea (pictured 50 years ago)

Same neighbourhood today —white-roofed houses have given way to more European-style constructions and some buildings have been renewed

The monorail enabled the Las Granjas business district to spill into Finisterra, to the west of the former picture

As essentially a peninsula jutting into the ocean, Finisterra has a long south coast. However, most of it is rugged and lacks natural bays. Only a small sliver of land right next to its border with Pueblo Simón allows for a ferry terminal (pictured 50 years ago)

The same area today, with a small boardwalk

The second big growth spurt came, like the first one, as built-up area in Cuerno de Águila spilled over, this time on the narrow western sea shelf. This side of the city was much difficult to build in, owing to less area and the waterlogged conditions, but market pressures eventually prevailed in building up a new neighbourhood.

Catania train station lends its name to the surrounding seaside neighbourhood, built on reclaimed land and with several canals

Closeup of Catania station and beach. The latter extends into neighbouring Cuerno de Águila

The final, and current growing stage of Finisterra came as flat land is running out in the very hilly South Bay area. New residential developments have sprung up over the Massif, greatly helped by the fact that the geography of Finisterra is not so steep as that of its neighbours to the north. Still, development has required a series of complicated holding walls and the abandonment of any sort of grid.

Dorsal quartier, straddling its namesake avenue and on the side of the Finisterra massif, was the first hill development in the city

The seesawing climb of Transversal avenue is characteristic of the compromises made to deal with the complicated geography of the area

The top of the hill is occupied by the Mormon temple of Finisterra, Meudon station (underneath Dorsal avenue, which takes a 90° turn to the west here) and the Finisterra zoo. Beyond that, this photo shows what was then wilderness

The same area today, with new single-family housing, schools and even a new church

Since the first edition of this Finisterra brochure, development has continued over the hill, to the south, through what has come to be known as the Russian quartier, though the to-be-named quartier of Playa Ancha, on the seaside, remains undeveloped.

The Russian quartier extends to the south of the zoo (bottom left), beyond the Roman-style portal that once marked the start of a protected nature area

So, this is supposed to be the next residential area…?

Geography and climate

Finisterra juts out of the southwesternmost extremity of Isla Bonita. Its maritime location greatly tempers temperatures in summer, with a constant seabreeze keeping daytime temperatures hovering in the 20s (celsius), especially on its westernmost reaches. In common with the rest of Isla Bonita's mediterranean climate, there's a dry(er) season around July, with December seeing the most rain, but just barely.

That being said, the hills and the westerlies combine to form a number of microclimates. Flat coastal lands see moderate amounts of rain and humidity, while west-facing hills endure increasing amounts of precipitation on account of their geography. East-facing sides of hills, on the other hand, are particularly dry -- an area which includes most of the new developments and some areas near the southern coast.

Precipitation in June. Note the drier western side, which can see some June Gloom but nevertheless is missed by the rain.

Compare the December graph, which is wetter throughout but shows essentially the same rain patterns, with marked wet and dry stripes dissecting the Massif

Besides precipitation patterns, Finisterra features an extremely mild Mediterreanean climate. It has only registered snow once and it has never seen freezing temperatures, while summer temperatures have never reached over 30°C. There's a reason why it remains so popular as a day trip retreat from Anclaje and the South Bay area -- and in the second part, we'll feature how to get to this suburb and what to see. See you then!