Spain: Community of Valencia (Comunidad Valenciana)

Overview

The Community of Valencia (population 4.5 million) in the far east contains the provinces of Alicante, Castellón and Valencia, and embraces an area of 23,305km2 (8,998mi2). The main towns include Alcoy, Alicante, Castellón, Elche and Valencia (Spain’s third-largest city). Valencia is a large industrial and commercial centre with shipyards, textile, chemical, metal and tin industries (it also produces Spain’s most famous porcelain, Lladró). It’s most famous for its fiesta of Saint Joseph in March known as Las Fallas, which culminates in a parade and ritual burning of enormous papier mâché figures, although the city offers many more attractions such as the new eye-catching avant-garde Arts Palace complete with Europe’s largest aquarium and will host the America’s Cup in 2007. The region has its own language, Valenciano (a dialect of Catalan), and although Spanish is spoken by almost everyone, Valenciano is used in official communications by the regional government and local municipalities.

The region’s coastal area includes the renowned Costa Blanca (white coast) bordering the province of Alicante and the Costa del Azahar (orange blossom coast) of Castellón and Valencia, famous for its bountiful citrus harvest. The land along the coast is low-lying and consists of dunes and offshore sand bars which form lagoons, such as La Albufera south of Valencia, a beautiful inland sea that’s a haven for over 250 species of birds. A chain of mountains run parallel to the coast, which has large fertile plains and huertas. Valencia is famous for its citrus fruit, particularly its oranges, which are grown in the Huerta de Valencia, an area irrigated by the Turia River. Table wine is produced in inland areas, which, although palatable enough, isn’t among Spain’s best. There are salt mines on the coast of Alicante. Tourism is the region’s main industry, although farming is important to the local economy and includes fruit, vegetables and rice.

The region has a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and hot summers and enjoys an average of 320 days sunshine a year (between 2,700 to 3,000 hours annually), with summer temperatures often exceeding 30°C (86°F). The climate on the Costa Blanca has been described by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as one of the healthiest in the world. The region has excellent communications with the rest of Spain, including modern motorways, main railway lines, and major airports at Alicante and Valencia. There are also ferry services to the Balearics from Denia and Valencia.

Costa Blanca

The Costa Blanca (population 1.3 million) is one of Spain’s most popular coastal resorts among foreign visitors and residents, and stretches for 100km (63mi) along the east coast, mainly in Alicante province. Geographically, the Costa Blanca has two clearly defined sections. The northern part, known as the Marina Alta and Marina Baja areas, enjoys a dramatic backdrop of high mountains, such as Montgó at Denia and Puig Campana in Benidorm. There are cliffs and sandy coves along the coast, while inland, there are many picturesque villages with panoramic views of the surrounding orange, lemon and almond groves, such as Orbeta, Orba and Tormos and others in the Jalón Valley (a conservation area where housing is strictly controlled). The southern coast, comprises lowlands, with flat salt plains backing long sandy beaches. The main towns and cities in the Marina Alta and Baja areas include Altea, an attractive unspoilt village; Benitachell, an inland village; Calpe, an attractive and lively town home to the symbol of the Costa Blanca, the famous ‘Rock of Ifach’; Denia, the capital of Marina Alta with extensive amenities and facilities; Javea, one of the Mediterranean’s most attractive sea ports and known as the ‘Pearl of the Costa Blanca’ is home to a huge expatriate community, of whom the majority are British; Moraira; Benidorm is infamous for its ugly, high-rise apartment blocks and hotels. However, it’s a popular resort, both in the summer and winter, when northern Europe’s retirees flock there. The city of Alicante is the capital and is a thriving and cosmopolitan city with good amenities and services. South of Alicante is Torrevieja, one of the most popular resorts in the area and one of Spain’s fastest growing towns, which has seen massive expansion and construction in recent years.

The Costa Blanca offers a wealth of leisure and sports facilities, including numerous golf courses, although not as many as the Costa del Sol. Advantages of the area include a year-round pleasant climate, good communications (with the rest of Spain, the UK and Europe) and attractive property prices. The area also has a well-established expatriate community (mostly British). The property market is currently buoyant – Alicante is Spain’s most popular province with foreign property buyers – and prices rose by 20 per cent in 2004. Property on the Costa Blanca is generally cheaper than on the Costa del Sol, although prices are similar for villas in the north around Altea, Moraira and Javea. A two-bedroom apartment costs from €130,000 and new, detached, bungalow-style villas start at around e350,000, although luxury villas in prime positions cost over a million euros. New construction continues apace, particularly in the south and it’s claimed that over a million new homes will be built on the Costa Blanca over the next decade.

Comprehensive information about the Costa Blanca can be found in this book’s sister publication, Costa Blanca Lifeline by Joanna Styles (published by Survival Books).

Costa del Azahar

The Costa del Azahar (Orange Blossom Coast) lies north of the Costa Blanca and runs from Benicássim in the north to Gandía in the south. Valencia lies in the centre of the coast. The area is famous for its acres of orange groves, whose intoxicating scent is carried for miles in early spring, its long sandy beaches and the Albufera, a vast freshwater marshland home to unique bird life and Valencia’s rice growing industry. Main towns in the area are Gandía, a large town and service centre with a beach resort; Cullera, a family resort; Vinarós; the historic Benicarló; the beautiful town of Peníscola, famous for its perfectly preserved medieval centre perched on a rock over the sea; and Benicássim, the largest resort in the northern part of the coast. The area is popular with Germans and Spanish, although Britons are now increasingly interested in it. The property market is currently buoyant and prices rose by 20 per cent in 2004, a trend that’s expected to continue over the next few years coinciding with the opening of Castellón airport (late 2006) and the America’s Cup in Valencia. Prices are cheaper than in the Costa Blanca and start at e120,000 for a two-bedroom apartment and at €180,000 for a three-bedroom townhouse.

The most popular regions among foreigners are described in further detail in this book’s sister publication, The Best Places to Buy a Home in Spain by Joanna Styles (published by Survival Books).

© Survival Books Limited 2005

“Buying a Home in Spain 2006” 5th Edition, David Hampshire.

Reproduced with the permission of Survival Books Limited.

Further information on this topic can be found in “Buying a Home in Spain 2006” 5th edition, by David Hampshire.

For extensive, annually updated information about buying a property in Spain, you can purchase this book at www.survivalbooks.net