The Plaza de Mayo, situated close to the waterfront at Buenos Aires's eastern edge, was the starting point for the original settlement, and, as the city expanded outward in a semicircle, it continued to serve as the principal urban focus. Since the 1950s, outlying shopping centers and other facilities have grown considerably. Hotels, restaurants, and theaters, however, along with financial, commercial, and government offices and a number of luxurious residences, remain concentrated in an area immediately north and west of the plaza. A spurt in the building of high-rise offices and apartments, the expansion of avenues, and the addition of freeway accesses further accentuated the importance of this area in the 1970s and early 1980s.
A main axis runs due west from the Casa Rosada, or Executive Office Building, on the Plaza de Mayo, to the National Congress, along the Avenida de Mayo (which is 1.6 km/1 mi long), and then continues west for more than 40 km (25 mi) as the Avenida Rivadavia. To the south of the main axis lies the colorful neighborhood of La Boca, with many people descended from emigrants from Genoa, Italy. This area also has industrial zones and working-class neighborhoods. To the north are the majority of the city's parks, its two racetracks, and many of the middle- and upper-class neighborhoods, especially along the Río de la Plata. This northern expansion of wealthier districts has extended beyond the Federal Capital district toward Olivos, Vicente López, Martínez, and San Isidro.
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Buenos Aires Information info
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