FEATURE STORY
LIMÓN RISING
New port brings development to Caribbean coast by Fred Denton
About $1 billion will be invested in provincially funded enhancements to health services, schools, housing, roads, security and culture. 10 | #searchfindhowl| online
T
he attributes of Costa Rica’s “other” coast, the Caribbean, and its port city of Limón are sometimes overlooked or underrated, but that could soon be changing with a new port and development. Having weathered some rough times over the years, Limón is poised for an economic turnaround with regional and national ripple effects that should leave few sectors untouched. A new $1.1 billion container terminal, scheduled to open in February 2019, will be unprecedented in scale and scope and have a transformational impact on Limón port operations.. Limón retains a certain mystique as a sort of wild, untamed paradise where bananas are grown, cocaine enters Central America for transshipment and miles of undeveloped tropical beaches run from the city’s outskirts to the Panama border. Some perceive it to be the kind of place where people truly wanting to “fall off the map” are drawn, fancying the notion of a
cold beer and a traditional plate of whole fried snapper, accompanied by rice and beans with coconut oil.
Original gateway to the world On Christopher Columbus’ fourth and final voyage to the New World, he landed in 1502 at Isla Uvita, off the coast of Limón. Columbus was greeted by the Carib Indians, who were festooned with gold jewelry, which he thought was an indication of the “riches” to be found in the country. Some speculate that this gave rise to the country's name, "Rich Coast,” though the jewelry may have been obtained through trading. Limón was formally founded in 1854 but remained sparsely uninhabited until 1867, when construction began on the railroad that would connect the country’s new port with the Central Valley to facilitate the export of coffee with
howlermag.com
