Sant Joan d Alacant Alicante

isobelpaolini | Feb 1, 2010 |

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Spain has always been a popular tourist destination with northern Europeans, especially the British and Irish. One of the more popular areas in Spain for tourism is along the Costa Blanca. The Costa Blanca is part of the province of Alicante and many thousands of people visit the area every year. The main city on the Costa Blanca is of course Alicante and just outside Alicante is a small town known as Sant Joan d'Alacant.

Sant Joan d'Alacant has a very long history and because of its close proximity to Alicante, the history of Sant Joan d'Alacant has all too often being heavily influenced by that of Alicante. Although the history of Sant Joan d'Alacant goes right back in time, with the first mention of the town around the eighth century, it was not until the early 20th century that the population began to rise in any substantial number and the town became what it is today. There are a few reasons for this.

The depopulation was a direct result of Christian reoccupation of the area and the rout in of the Muslims during the famous battles between the Moors and Christians in the 13th century. Once the Christians had resettled on land, the Muslims were expelled from the area. The Muslims had brought with them methods of irrigation which transformed the countryside of Alicante. And when they were expelled, much of the local agricultural knowledge and knowledge of the related industries was in the hands of skilled Muslims. So when they left, the remaining population had no choice but to emigrate. Although there were several attempts to bring the population back up to a decent level, they all failed until the 20th century. During the early 20th century, a series of national roads were built and one of those national roads happened to link to Sant Joan d'Alacant. This promoted the town again as somewhere that was accessible.

Today, much of the industry is based around tourism. The nearest beach is only 2 km away and Alicante is but a short drive. Many of the local townspeople travel to Alicante every day in order to work, but the tourist industry in Sant Joan d'Alacant also employs a large number of people. You will find excellent accommodation here with Sant Joan d'Alacant hotels being very clean and friendly. The population today of Sant Joan d'Alacant is around 21,500 inhabitants which makes it one of the highest populated towns in the region.

Of course, many people who visit this area tend to choose one town as their base. The best thing about choosing Sant Joan d'Alacant as your base is that you are almost away from the hustle and bustle of the larger cities. Once you have rented a car you can travel around the region to your hearts content. Most of the larger cities such as Benidorm, Alicante, Elche, and Torrevieja, are no more than an hour's drive. Also, many people come to the Costa Blanca for the beautiful countryside that is part of the province of Alicante. There are many mountains, especially in the northern half of the province and a large number of hill walkers are attracted here each year. Or, you may just want to spend your time driving the short distance to the local beach and relaxing under the Spanish sun.