Usaquén

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**Usaquén**
Usaquén in Bogotá
Area:	65.31 km²
Population:
Type of locality:	Mixed

Usaquén is the first locality in Bogotá, capital of Colombia. It is located in the northeastern part of the city. It was a separate municipality of Cundinamarca until 1954, when it was annexed into the city.

1 General information
2 History
3 Neighborhoods and parks
- 3.1 Neighborhoods
- 3.2 Parks
4 External links

[edit] General information

[edit] Borders

North: The municipality of Chía
East: The municipality of La Calera
South: The locality of Chapinero
West: The locality of Suba

[edit] Points of interest

The Zona Colonial (Colonial area), which consists of the Santa Barbara church (constructed in 1665 and modernized in the 20th century), the old country manor of the same name (now a mall), seminaries, schools, and the famous Mercado de las pulgas (flea market).
Country Club, a golf club for Bogotá's upper class.
Unicentro, one of the largest shopping malls in Colombia.

[edit] Transportation

Private busses run on the major roads, such as Carrera 7ª, Avenida Novena, Avendia 19, Carrera 15, and Calles 100, 127, 140, 163, and 170.

The TransMilenio system serves the locality only on its western border with Suba. The system runs along Autopista Norte to the Portal del Norte on Calle 170. Included in the next phase of construction is a line along Carrera 7, which would serve the heart of Usaquén.

Departing from the Zona Colonial, trains run routes to the north, serving the various localities on the northern plains.

[edit] History

The name comes from the cacique Usaque, which was founded by indigenous peoples in 1539 and abandoned by Spanish decree in 1777. It was gradually repopulated by people from Bogotá, and was host to some fighting during the war for Colombian independence. It was re-founded as a municipality in 1846, and in 1860 it was the scene of a battle between government troops and Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera. After winning that battle, Cipriano took power of the country.

Until 1954, the municipality covered 71 km², starting from Avenida España in the south and ending at 12km on the road to Chía. It had traditionally been a spot for Bogotá's elites to maintain country homes. When it was integrated into the city, it maintained many of its municipal institutions, but with the supervision of Bogotá's mayor. Under the new constitution of 1991, Bogotá was reorganized into localities. Usaquén was numbered first of twenty.

On December 31, 1978, the guerilla group M-19 took the military base called Cantón Norte, robbing the arsenal.

[edit] Neighborhoods and parks

[edit] Neighborhoods

Among the important neighborhoods are: Lijacá, Verbenal, San Antonio, Servitá, San Cristóbal Norte, Toberín, Cedritos, Bella Suiza, La Carolina, Santa Ana, Santa Barbara, San Gabriel Norte, Cantón Norte, Francisco Miranda, Las Margaritas, San Patricio and the old village of Usaquén.