Nordelta - Advice Please!

[mikek]

I love nordelta for its safety!

 

[el rubio]

Nordelta, like all the big 'Countrys' and barrios, is a bubble - that's precisely why they exist, to insulate the inhabitants from the less desirable characteristics of the outside world. It is nonetheless desirable in the sense of the pleasant surroundings, open space, fresh air etc etc. Like anywhere in the world though you have to connect with people and be part of a community that is on your wavelength to be happy.

Tigre is a nice town not far from Nordelta which is popular with tourists and weekenders from BA. There are boat trips around the delta which is very interesting and great it you like canoeing or sailing, plus quite a few restaurants, several museums and it has all developed organically (unlike Nordelta) since the late 19th century when the Brits moved in.

We had our children at St George's school in Polvorines for a short while in 2005 and found it to be strong on style but very short on substance. Personal security is an issue just about everywhere these days and seeing rambo-style guards patrolling outside a school carrying loaded machine guns really put us off.

I would certainly recommend a gated estate, especially with young children in the equation. There are some lovely areas of San Isidro, Acasusso and elsewhere but so many people in open barrios have a horror story.

I hope this works our for you. My advice as a Brit of 30 years' experience in BA is to learn the language well and to give the place a chance. There is lots to put up with but the positives outweigh the negatives, and if you have enough money to be able to avoid the downsides you should be ok.

 

[Wryter47]

As a 10-year Argentine veteran and ex-Manhattanite who plans to live here the rest of his life, I confess I am pretty much convinced that gated
commnities are here to stay but equally convinced I could never live in one. I think they are fundamentally based on fear, selfishness,
and convoluted excuses aimed at justifying it all. I have former friends who have bailed out of Argentine life and gone into hiding with
their equally scared and antisocial contemporaries and they are as lost to me as if they had moved to Connecticut from Mahattan. Their
decisión to live in gated communities says it all. Too bad for them, I say. Ya esta.

 

[el_expatriado]

Don't let the naysayers turn you off Nordelta. You're making the right choice. Las Canitas, as another poster suggested is a horrible idea for a family with kids. It's full of restaurants, clubs, and bars. It's a perfect place for a young couple or someone single but not a good idea for a family with small children.

Nordelta has the advantage that the interconnecting streets between the 20 neighborhoods are also private, so there is a beautiful walking/biking trail that surrounds all 20 neighborhoods that is for the exclusive use of residents and is well-maintained. People here on this forum are naturally against the "barrio cerrado" concept, but Nordelta has a level of cleanliness that you can't get anywhere else in the province of buenos aires (or the city for that matter). Even areas like San Isidro are not going to be up to the first world standards you're used to life in Australia.

Nordelta is like a first world bubble within Argentina. After 10 years living here (my case) it's nice to be able to live somewhere that feels like home. You could easily confuse Nordelta for a suburb of Southern California or Sidney.

 

[syngirl]

Don't let the naysayers turn you off Nordelta. You're making the right choice. Las Canitas, as another poster suggested is a horrible idea for a family with kids. It's full of restaurants, clubs, and bars. It's a perfect place for a young couple or someone single but not a good idea for a family with small children.

Nordelta has the advantage that the interconnecting streets between the 20 neighborhoods are also private, so there is a beautiful walking/biking trail that surrounds all 20 neighborhoods that is for the exclusive use of residents and is well-maintained. People here on this forum are naturally against the "barrio cerrado" concept, but Nordelta has a level of cleanliness that you can't get anywhere else in the province of buenos aires (or the city for that matter). Even areas like San Isidro are not going to be up to the first world standards you're used to life in Australia.

Nordelta is like a first world bubble within Argentina. After 10 years living here (my case) it's nice to be able to live somewhere that feels like home. You could easily confuse Nordelta for a suburb of Southern California or Sidney.

Well don't you just think you have the RIGHT idea of how to raise a family.

We have a toddler, thanks. We lived in Las Canitas. It was great, everything within walking distance, the parks are right there, there are some fantastic schools a few minutes away in Belgrano. We now live in Urquiza, we don't own, Las Canitas was getting too expensive for us -- building expenses were too high for us. In Urquiza, we have everything within a few blocks walk of our house. My almost 4 yr old now rides his bike to school (obviously with me walking behind, after all, he is not quite 4).

There's a tonne of ways to raise a family Expatriado, you just happen to be egotistical enough to think you apparently know the only right way to do it. People with that type of actitud you show in the above post are why I wonder whether I'd actually want to live in Nordelta.

 

[RodalfoWalsh]

Well don't you just think you have the RIGHT idea of how to raise a family.

We have a toddler, thanks. We lived in Las Canitas. It was great, everything within walking distance, the parks are right there, there are some fantastic schools a few minutes away in Belgrano. We now live in Urquiza, we don't own, Las Canitas was getting too expensive for us -- building expenses were too high for us. In Urquiza, we have everything within a few blocks walk of our house. My almost 4 yr old now rides his bike to school (obviously with me walking behind, after all, he is not quite 4).

There's a tonne of ways to raise a family Expatriado, you just happen to be egotistical enough to think you apparently know the only right way to do it. People with that type of actitud you show in the above post are why I wonder whether I'd actually want to live in Nordelta.

Did someone touch a serious nerve? Holy freaking ridiculous response to el expatriado's post.

 

[sgibson123]

Just to be clear. Nordelta is not free of crime. Two houses in our barrio have been robbed in 8 months. Might not be as often as in non barrio cerrados but it does happen. The bubble does get burst every once in a while.

Clearly barrio cerrados are not for everyone. You have to just know what your family needs. Nordelta is very north american. But so is San Isidro Chico. IMO.

 

[Girino]

Did someone touch a serious nerve? Holy freaking ridiculous response to el expatriado's post.

Living in a barrio cerrado like those in Nordelta is like living in denial. So it is living in a compound in the Middle East.
In my opinion, they just call for more attention and are an easy prey for inside jobs.

 

[el_expatriado]

Living in a barrio cerrado like those in Nordelta is like living in denial. So it is living in a compound in the Middle East.
In my opinion, they just call for more attention and are an easy prey for inside jobs.

Wrong! Living in Nordelta or any barrio cerrado is the commonsense reaction to the breakdown in Argentina's social structure. When people will literally kill you here for a pair of sneakers or your cell phone you know something is wrong. I'm pleased that in Nordelta pretty much the only thing I have to worry about are inside jobs. Yes, it does get robbed, but usually by professional thieves with inside information. A couple incidents from 2014:

Thieves using scuba gear infiltrated a mansion in the barrio La Isla and went directly for the house's safe. Obviously they had inside information. Two months later AVN (the neighborhood association) was installing radar on the lake.

Four people were detained in the barrio La Alameda after numerous thefts while people were not home. The thieves had rented a house in the neighborhood and were doing intelligence on the neighbors movements. All visitors cars are searched on entry/exit of the neighborhood, so by renting a house they were able to escape the controls. Again, inside job.

What you have are robberies done by professional thieves who are going after big scores. These robberies don't worry me. What worries me is a drugged-up pibe paco from the conurbano who so far gone that he no problem killing you over 10 pesos. These kind of incidents have been 100% eliminated from Nordelta. The only thing to worry about are inside jobs.

 

[Natbar]

Wow! Does this mean that once you enter Nordelta you are stuck there and never see the outside world again! I beg to differ! Lol! Lol! Lol!