Thirty-five miles southeast of Buenos Aires, the city of La Plata was chosen in 1882 to be developed as the capital of the province of Buenos Aires, since the national capital was designated federal territory. A commission that included the then governor of the province, Dardo Rocha, looked for communities that would meet standards of convenience to communicate with the city of Buenos Aires, quality of land so that the new city could be appropriately developed and surrounding space to maintain agricultural centers nearby. It was Rocha who made the final decision on the town of Ensenada, located on the river bank of Río de la Plata and connected to Buenos Aires by a rail road.
Currently the city has over 500 thousand people dispersed on 940 square kilometers. Since La Plata was projected in architectural plans before being constructed, the city offers a unique harmony between industrial areas and environmentally friendly residential spaces. Most of the major buildings were constructed within the first 20 years of the city’s existence. La Plata is known as the city of diagonals because of the way in which its streets cross it: every six blocks a diagonal avenue cuts the otherwise square design of the roads. The two most important diagonal avenues are 73 and 74, which cross the city from east to west and north to south respectively and at which intersection is the Plaza Moreno, where the Fundamental Stone –heart of the city- is located.
Home to La Plata National University since 1987, the city attracts intellectuals with its observatory and paleontology museum; well-known personalities like the novelist Ernesto Sábato graduated from this university. La Plata has much to offer in landmarks and historical insights, starting with its gothic-style cathedral, the biggest in the country. The museum of natural science, the Argentine Theater and the racecourse are considered major attractions.
Though in 1998 UNESCO validated La Plata as a candidate city to be designated a World Heritage site, recent development of edifications are causing the city to loose its laid-out aesthetics, thus the designation is still on hold.
Since its inception, La Plata has been a center of culture, politics, science, architecture, sports and other interests. Traditional to Latin American culture, two soccer leagues represent La Plata, however, rugby is widely practiced in the city, as is hockey, basketball and horse racing.
La Plata is known for being a “green” city, with lots of nature blended in the urban setting. The biggest park, El Bosque, is home to an amphitheater, a zoo of Victorian style, the astronomical observatory and the Museum of Natural Science.
After the famous feminist first lady, Eva Perón, passed away in 1952, La Plata was named “City Eva Perón,” name that prevailed for three years but was changed back to La Plata when the government of Juan Domingo Perón fell.
La Plata sits at 26 meters above sea level, with considerable humidity year-round. The telephone code is 0221.