This article is about the neighborhood of Florida within Buenos Aires Province. For the pedestrian street in downtown Buenos Aires, see Florida Street.
Florida grew and prospered in the late 1800s when it became a railway stop; the community became progressively more urban and started to receive Italian and English immigrants who set small farms that provided vegetables and fruits to nearby Buenos Aires. Today it is an upper middle class residential area serving as a bedroom community.
Florida is served by the Mitre and Belgrano Norte railway lines, both providing fast access to the city of Buenos Aires. Its main commercial areas are Maipú Avenue and San Martín Avenue.
Florida Este was founded in 1891 when the Buenos Aires and Rosario Railway opened a station in the section from Belgrano that then reached Bartolomé Mitre, Borges and San Isidro. Some versions state that the station (and subsequently the village) was named "Florida" to commemorate a victory over a Spanish army in the Paraje La Florida of Upper Peru on May 25, 1814, during the War of Independence.
The official date of establishment was set by a decree that gave approval to the builder of the railway line to divide the lands into lots for future sale. The date was set on May 7, 1891. Between 1895 and 1915 the "Compañía de los Ferrocarriles Pobladores" and the French Bank, owner of lands in the area, sold them to families that soon arrived.
The Florida Este station was a meeting place for the inhabitants of the districts, with Luis Poggi's general store (located on the corner of San Martín and Fray Justo Sarmiento) as one of the pioneers in the zone. Most of the residential houses were grouped near the station, while the country houses were in what is now Melo street. Small vegetable farms were established near Mitre Avenue.
By Municipal Ordinance, Florida was declared a "village", in 1907. Six years later the bishop of La Plata, Juan Terrero, blessed a precarious chapel built on lands donated by José Antonio Trabucco. The Rossi family donated an image of the Virgin Mary sculpted in Carrara marble in Italy. The first priest of the region was Father José A. Coffa, who was succeeded by Father Vanini, who started works for a construction of the church. The church, finished in 1931, was named "Nuestra Señora de la Guardia", and was the first church in Florida.[1]
Education
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In the area there are several educational institutions. According to Vicente Lopez Municipality information in 2017 there were:[2]
Kindergartens
Kindergarten No. 3: Franklin 1785, West Florida.
Kindergarten No. 5: Tuyutí 1119, West Florida.3
Kindergarten N ° 8: Santa Rosa 4148, Florida West.
Kindergarten No. 10: Aristóbulo del Valle 2375, Florida.
Kindergarten No. 13: Melo 1861, Florida.
Primary Education
Manuel Dorrego School, Posadas 1115 - Florida Oeste - Vicente López
Municipal Training Centers
"JORGE LLOBET", Santa Rosa 4146, Florida West
Vicente López Community College (CUV)
Private Schools
The area had a German school, Rudolf-Steiner-Schule.[3]
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