City Showcase: Bahía Herradura
Back after an extended holidays pause, let's continue with our deep dive of the cities on Isla Bonita. Today, we cover a city on the Western Coast of the island, Bahía Herradura (Spanish for "Horseshoe Bay").
Pixelated photo courtesy of the Isla Bonita Space Department, still buying Soviet equipment from the 70s
General information
City name: Bahía Herradura
Date of foundation: somewhere in the 1900s
Population: ≈170,000 people
Size: 16 sq km.
Land area: about 60% of the city limits, depending on the tide (!)
Average income: §45k/person/year
Geographical location and weather
The area currently under Bahía Herradura city limits is, above all, one of contrasts. Broadly speaking, there are two main areas divided by Mount Camarón (the large hill that links with Cuerno de Águila to the south): to the south, there's a valley corresponding to the northwestern part of the Anclaje urbanised area, while to the north, there lies an area of extensive mudflats that extends through most of the western coast of Isla Bonita.
The southern portion of Bahía Herradura, contiguous and hard to distinguish from the Anclaje and Cuerno de Águila urban areas
The southern portion is hilly, punctuated by Cerro Feria (where the state fair currently stands —also called Cerro Cementerio, on account of the General Cemetery at its feet and extending beyond city limits) and Cerro Universidad (home to the aptly named Universidad del Cerro campus). Its northern part, near Monte Camarón, is residential and suburban, while the southern section, near Cuerno de Águila, features a shopping district and plenty of green areas.
The Western Flats, to the north of Mount Camarón
The northern part of the city, by contrast, stands on the southernmost section of the Western Flats. The namesake Bahía Herradura is a large, shallow horseshoe-shaped lagoon on which shores the city was first founded, on the hillside of the main Isla Bonita highland (Interior lies across the hills). Most of the flats, however, are aptly named: sandy, relatively salty soils with plenty of mudflats and swamps.
Mount Camarón has a great influence on the weather, too. The southern part lies in its rain shadow, with most of the rain having to come from nearby South Bay, which leads to drier conditions overall, and, particularly in the lower parts, marked seasonal differences and temperature inversions. The flats, on the other hand, receive a good amount of sea breeze from the west, which leads to persistent fog, particularly during the mornings, and Mount Camarón creates rain on its windward side, which results in slighty wetter conditions despite being on the rainshadow of the neighbouring Isla Enojada.
The two parts have been linked via tunnels and an overland route, currently occupied by Subway Line 3, but otherwise function more or less independently of each other, to such an extent that people have called for the splitting of the two sides into independent cities, a petition the Isla Bonita government has so far rebuked, arguing it would be "expensive", "unefficient" and "something the SimCity engine simply cannot do".
A typical late October report: fog and humidity on the northern, windward side, with a more sheltered valley to the South
History
Bahía Herradura was founded on the shores of its namesake bay (actually a lagoon) in the early 20th century, mostly as an agricultural town lording over the Flats. As the crow flies, it's close to Anclaje, but the main town's location was somewhat inconvenient, over the mountains from the two main settlements of the island, and lacking a good water connection. Even after the First North Line railway (part of the Anclaje Northwest conglomerate) tunnel's completion brought it substantially closer to Anclaje, it remained a town of its own, separate —to this day, arguably— from the rapidly expanding metro area to its south.
While this is true of the main town, some areas under Bahía Herradura's city limits were much better located. The highlands to the south were attractive to residential developers, who could market them to suburbanites looking for a single-family house way from the main city, but easily reachable by rail (the aforementioned Anclaje Northwest line), highway and eventually, the old Line 3. Some companies even moved their headquarters to a small commercial area around Nuevos Pueblos railway station, though the area was never as attractive to them as the Cuerno de Águila downtown, for instance.
This is what passes for a main street in some places
The impassable barrier of Mount Camarón and the centre of population displacement south meant that, while the old Bahía Herradura town languished, the suburbs grew until they joined the rest of the built-up area beyond their borders. Even when new developments were suggested beyond Mount Camarón, the attention landed almost exclusively on the barrier islands off the Western Flats, gently bathed by the sea breeze year-round. An all-inclusive hotel resort and golf club was soon to be followed by luxury flats and a small boardwalk.
Isla Segunda, the largest of the barrier islands
Despite this, Bahía Herradura remained, at best, a sleepy suburb, overlooked by authorities and even the writers of this guide. Two events have changed this somewhat:
Transportation and infrastructure
High Speed Rail
As the first town on the way to the Narrows, and beyond, to Isla Enojada, Bahía Herradura became the focal point, and for some time, the terminus of High Speed Rail 1, to link South Bay with Isla Enojada. Its flat geography was conductive to long stretches of fast rail, and few expropriations would be needed, as the North Line already ran in said direction. A second tunnel was required by the project, to accommodate both high-speed and regular trains, and Bahía Herradura gained two stations on this line, one on each side of the mountains.
The so-called Herradura Knot and Tunnel, one of the most important transport connections on the whole island
New Port
In turn, the development of railway infrastructure, plus overcrowding at the Anclaje seaport, led authorities to consider a new port and free zone in the Bahía Herradura area to complement the island's industrial capabilities. Bahía Herradura's coast was too shallow for a deep-water port, but advancements in dredging technology led the Isla Bonita government to finally authorise the building of the New Port project on the southernmost barrier island, Isla Primera, and the shore on the mainland, turning the flats inbetween into a deep-water channel.
The New Port proper, on the foothills
The investment, well over §1,000,000, paid not only for the port itself, but also rail connections to the mainline and to Cuerno de Águila, to the south, a highway extension and tunnel under the channel, a large industrial park and a residential area on the foothills of Mount Camarón. Despite the cost and its foggy location, many believe the New Port revitalised the area and allowed the Anclaje metro area to grow beyond its geographical constraints.
The Isla Segunda underwater tunnel was pre-built using a novel technique before being sunk into place
The La Paz quartier was built to home dock and industrial workers
As a result of these investments, nowadays Bahía Herradura is connected to the main South Bay metro area by rail (Anclaje Northwest/HSR), subway (Lines 3 to Anclaje and 8 to Cuerno de Águila), trams and buses, as well as ferry connections to cities all over the island.
Attractions
Arguably because of its agricultural, then industrial character, Bahía Herradura doesn't have a lot of tourist attractions. Nevertheless, some sights are worth a day trip.
Cementerio General and Fair Hill
The island's main cemetery, open to all religious affiliations (or lack thereof) is mostly located on Bahía Herradura, on the foothills of Cerro Feria, extending into the neighbouring cities. It's surrounded by the Intercommunal Park, one of the largest green spaces in all of South Bay —although a point of contention between the cities, since Anclaje seems to have mostly abandoned it—, and it offers a peaceful place overlooking the bay.
This picture is from before the latest developments, but it's a great showcase of the hallowed grounds
On top of the hill lie the State Fair grounds, open to the public from 12 to 12, and The Lodge, a summer retreat for government officials that is occasionally open to the public.
All these places can be reached by bus, while Cerro Feria station on Line 3 stands at the hill's foot (on the Bahía Herradura side — Anclaje and Cuerno de Águila have entrances of their own).
Isla Primera
Formerly the crown jewel of the Western Flats, much of Isla Primera has been apportioned by the New Port. Despite this, it does retain a few attractions —namely, the lighthouse, a small beach and the casino. If you're coming on a cruise, expect to disembark here. Only bus connections, though many bus lines terminate at the nearby depot.
Isla Tercera
Follow the sea road beyond Isla Segunda (and its hotel) and you'll land into Isla Tercera, the quietest of the barrier islands. The western side features a calm beach, while the eastern side has a lovely boardwalk.
The Flats
The newest development in Bahía Herradura has been the northern part of the city, a formerly agricultural area turned into low-rise buildings, a Marina, and a Campground next to the Military Base. Great for family, but also a quiet area for tourists that can be reached by the new Tranvía del Norte, stops Centro Cívico, Zoológico, Marina and Pescadores. The names are a good clue as to what's next to each stop, if your Spanish is any good.
Part of the flats. In this photo: the Marina to the west, the Campgrounds center-east, and part of the Zoo to the south
Join us next time, when we do a retrospective on the 200th anniversary of Anclaje!
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