TROPICAL PLACES – 20 MINUTES TO DAVID, PANAMA

General Information About DAVID, PANAMA

David was founded in 1602 and is strategically located in the center of the western-most province of Panama – Chiriqui (pronounced chee-ree-Key). Chiriqui is one of the richest provinces and David reaps the benefits as a bustling commercial, distribution and government centre. The second largest city in Panama, it is the focus of Chiriqui’s strong regional identity and it retains a sedate provincial atmosphere.

The Chiriqui highlands are located in one of the most desirable areas of the world. Think about it! Perfect climate, pollution free, great retirement benefits, very low or no property taxes, few government regulations, etc. To get this cool climate one must go up to 3500 – 6000 feet and this is especially important with rising global warming. If you look at a map of Panama you will see that the highland area is very small. Although the Talamanca mountain range extends almost to the canal, most of it is not available for development and has no infrastructure or Indian reservations. This leaves just a small area around the Baru Volcano. One should remember that the Chiriqui highlands are not only on the inter-national retirement hit list but a popular playground for Panamanians as well.

David is located just 45 minutes east of the Panama/Costa Rican border and about a six hour drive west of Panama City or by air, or 55 minutes flight from Panama City to David. One way flight fare is $55. The city is about a half an hour from the beaches or from the mountains to the north and fifteen minutes from the Port of Pedrigal where you can moor your boat or embark on a fishing excursion.

David is situated on gently rolling plains about half way between the Pacific Ocean to the south and the Cordillera Talamanca Highlands to the North. On the ocean, a short drive away, you will find the city of Puerto Armuelles and the beaches of Lar Barqueta, Las Lajas and Playa Hermosa. Near David you will find the small mountain town of Boquete and a little further away (about 45 minutes away) toward the Costa Rican border and then right at the town of Concepcion is Volcan. Both of these towns are in the shadow of the extinct volcano called Volcan Baru and they are known for their fresh mountain air, beautiful vistas, mountain grown coffee and fresh vegetables. As a bustling agricultural centre, David is home to an annual international trade and agricultural fair hosted in March of every year.

David, close to sea level, is warm, but Volcan and Boquete enjoy spring like weather all year long. Even in the rainy season, typical mornings are bright with sunshine, then clouds roll over

One of the best features about David is that it is a very safe place to live. It is quiet, peaceful and close to nature and at the same time, a bustling agricultural centre known for its fresh fruit, vegetables, rice, sugar, dairy and livestock products. There is local, mountain grown coffee from Boguete and fresh fish from nearby Pedrigal. For the consumer, this translates into a veritable cornucopia of choices, at the local farmers markets scattered throughout the city. The city is also a major commercial and distribution hub generating the second most important economy in the country, after Panama City.

As a result, David has everything you need to live a comfortable life. There is a wide selection of consumer goods from clothing to electronics to automobiles and you find most products at below the cost of similar goods in the USA or other Central American countries.

Approximately 125,000 people live within the greater David area and the total provincial population of Chiriqui is about 350,000. The overall standard of living is relatively high yet the cost of living is low, even for Panama. There is a high level of employment and the city infrastructure is generally quite well-maintained. Like most of Panama, the streets and highways are in good repair, electricity and excellent potable water (claimed to be the world’s purest) are plentiful and there is an inexpensive, regularly scheduled bus service to any part of the city, along with twice weekly garbage collection throughout the city. David has excellent communication services also. There is one telephone network, two cellular providers, inexpensive long distance service and two cable companies, two high-speed internet providers and numerous radio stations and Direct TV service.

Shopping and living in David gives you access to every type of merchandise and service you might desire. There are several excellent hospitals, eight auto dealers, two department stores, several mini department stores, six major appliance and electronic stores, a shopping mall, good bakeries and pastry shops, a dozen large supermarkets, 2 theatres (with English movies), numerous dry cleaners, a Blockbusters and a dozen other video stores, a Price Smart (Costco), bowling lanes, soon to open ‘Do-It’ Center Hardware, numerous paint and building materials stores, quality tool houses and well stocked hardware, automotive and industrial supply stores, etc. You can find everything you are used to at home.

Something else you will appreciate are the friendly people. Panamanians are fun loving by nature and among the friendliest people on earth. They will go out of their way to help you and generally expect little in return. They are generally well educated (David has one major and six smaller universities) and they have a culture that cherishes family, is almost without racial prejudices and treats everyone as equals, including foreigners. You will meet a great number of people who speak and understand some English and they are very accommodating to visitors trying to speak Spanish.

If you are planning to build a residence in Panama you will be pleasantly surprised by the high quality and workmanship of the construction. Homes are tastefully designed, well built and moderately priced. While the rest of Latin America is dominated by Spanish colonial style, Panama offers a wide variety of architectural styles as well as traditional French, English and Spanish styles.