To get to Cardeñajimeno (1,195 inhabitants), in the alfoz of Burgos, You have to navigate carefully through an intricate labyrinth of roundabouts to leave the city and cross the beautiful Fuentes Blancas park, the green lung of Burgos. Crossing the BU-800, which runs parallel to the Arlanzón River, one arrives in just a few minutes at this town that El Cid once crossed on his exile on his way to the nearby Monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña where, according to the Cantar, they stayed. Mrs. Jimena and her daughters. A sculpture and a colorful mural of the Cid, in fact, decorate the center of the town, presided over by the Parish of the Nativity of Our Lady.
Two workers remove party flags from the poles and hardly anyone leaves on the street. Storm Irene has just passed by doing its thing and an icy wind shakes your face at midday. “This town is very well located, is stuck to Burgos and has many beautiful areas to walk, in the mountains”reasons Irene, a waitress, while walking her dog leaving the colony of semi-detached houses in the south of the town, some with beautiful designs and large gardens that could well be in wealthy neighborhoods of Madrid.
Of the around 300 homes in total in Cardeñajimeno, low-rise houses and chalets are the majority, some “highly sought after”, especially in the Fuentes Blancas urbanization, where they can cost 500,000 euros (or more). It is not in vain that this municipality is the second richest in all of Castilla y León. According to the latest data published by the Tax Agency, Cardeñajimeno, with 35,845 euros of average gross income, is only surpassed by Simancas, in Valladolid, with 43,180 euros on average.
village life
“There are many doctors here, my neighbors on both sides are [se calcula que hay unos 20 residendo en el municipio]”reasons Francisco, who travels all over the world for his work in the energy sector and does little here, but he really likes having come.”I’ve only been there for two years but I’m happy here. You are almost in the city, but it allows you to live a village life,” says the young man, who is not even 40 years old, while also walking his dog.
The fact that it is such a rich municipality compared to the average for the community – the average income is 26,083 euros – has the residents somewhat upset. “It’s in the media and we’ll see if they’re going to come and steal one day. Besides, this is not a rich municipality, there are a few who raise the average a lot,” admits a neighbor about some wealthy businessmen in the waste sector who live in the area. town. Doctors, lawyers, businessmen and police officers and firefighters are some of the inhabitants of new mint of the town, which 20 years ago barely reached 600 inhabitants [ha doblado vecinos desde entonces]. Construction companies began to build chalets in the years of the urban boom at their discretion and individuals also built their own on private plots.
“[El pueblo] It’s very sought after, it’s like a neighborhood and you live well, and Burgos is next door, it doesn’t take long to get to Gamonal,” says Roberto, a businessman who bought his 100 m2 semi-detached house for around 180,000 euros 14 years ago and lives comfortably here with his family. “I have little life here, the truth is, the park with the girls… and there is a canteen, if one day you want to have something it’s fine.
The bar, which was closed for a while, is run by a Brazilian family. Famous are the concerts they put on every 15 days. People even come from the city of Burgos. There are tortilla skewers at the bar and black pudding too, of course. [la ruta de la morcilla, que recorre las principales localidades que la producen, pasa por aquí]. For 1.5 euros you can have a Ribera. “Look, ask that guy, he’s a millionaire,” jokes one of the countrymen who is having the aperitif about another who has just entered when we ask him about the matter.
“Ordinary people”
“Here we are normal and ordinary people, but there are also businessmen, some live in San Medel [una pedanía que pertenece a Cardeñajimeno y está situada al otro lado del río]”, they both say, apparently tired of that label of a rich municipality that has been attached to them and that has skyrocketed prices. “The thing is, look, That haystack there, which is ready to be thrown away, they sell it to you for 45,000 euros,” he complains. Thus an intense conversation begins among the parishioners about the fact that there are no free houses to rent.
At Idealista, the chalets range between 139,999 and 330,000 euros. In Fuentes Blancas, the urbanization one kilometer from the urban center, the price is even higher [llegan al medio millón]. A security checkpoint that is not in use gives the entrance to the limited urbanization, cWith a total of 64 high-end single-family homes that have paddle tennis and tennis facilities.
Cardeñajimeno has undoubtedly been the fashionable municipality for years. It has a fitness center, a civic center and a sports center [en proceso de acabarse]; In addition, the City Council finances activities of all kinds, such as skiing or trips to the beach for just three euros for those registered. The town has a pharmacy, an ATM to withdraw cash and a store, although residents travel to Burgos to make large purchases. During the week, vans of meat and fresh fish sellers come and do a lot for the neighbors. “It has always been considered a dormitory city, but we do more and more activities here and it is no longer necessary to go to Burgos”, says Carmen Montes, the mayor whom everyone knows as Maika.
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As he explains in the modern and new Town Hall building, at the entrance to the town, the average profile of the neighbor is “middle-aged people with children, although there are also older people in the center of the town.” “There are many doctors and many healthcare workers, In fact, during the pandemic we had one of the highest mobility rates. The truth is that we have a high social and cultural level,” admits the mayor, who also came to Cardeñajimeno when the municipality exploded due to the attractions it offered.
“It is next to the Fuentes Blancas natural park and is the most populated of all those in the Alfoz. Furthermore, to come here, you did not have to cross any polygon. Life is good here,” says the mayor, whose town hall organizes spinning, aerobics and maintenance activities for the elderly, as well as English and robotics classes for the little ones. “You pay a symbolic fee, between ten and fifteen euros; at the City Council we have no difficulties,” says the mayor, who adds that there are few plots left to build, if only the sub-5 urbanizable area.