Arroyomolinos

While I wait with growing anxiety, frustration, excitement, frustration,  (and did I mention frustration?) for my visa to arrive, I'll give you some information on my soon-to-be hometown: Arroyomolinos, Madrid.

Distance from Madrid : 29 km

Area : 20.66 km²

Population: 13,835

Arroyomolinos is in the autonomous community of Madrid, not to be confused with the actual city of Madrid.  There are 17 autonomous communities in Spain.  They can kind of be related to the American version of a state. 


Arroyomolinos in the 1970s

From what I've read, Arroyomolinos is VERY MUCH like my current place of residence, Cary, NC.  It was a quaint, lovely town until the 2000s when it exploded with middle and upper-middle class suburbanites.  In 2000 the town had only 3,824 people, but in the past ten years it has grown to over 13,000 people. The town is now divided into 3 barrios.  The southern barrio is the old quarter and the older nieghborhood.  The northern barrios are Las Castañeras and Ciudad Jardín.  The eastern barrios are Zarzalejo and El Bosque.



Arroyomolinos today

From my apartment, I should be able to walk to school in 5-10 minutes, but I am still heavily leaning towards getting a bicycle while I'm over there, because it doesn't seem to be very pedestrian friendly.  There is a bus stop right by my apartment that can take me to Madrid center in 30 minutes, so I am all set!