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lake Apanas near Jinotega

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ISLARIO
  9/5/2017 19:45 EST

Has anyone visited Lake Apanas near Jinotega?

How id the town of Jinotega?

Thanks

iguanalover
  9/6/2017 08:20 EST

Jinotega is a service town. Very Nica. Cool, green and small townish. The Lake is beautiful, but not touristy. Nice area, big trees, friendly people.

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waltermboyleses
  9/6/2017 09:36 EST

We drove thru Jinotega - looked nice. We plan to return as tourists.
Matagalpa looked like a Swiss village stuck on a hillside. Not good for wheel chairs.
H2O 212F

novato1953
  9/6/2017 09:44 EST

I like it up there. Cooler weather and plenty of peace and quiet, relatively speaking. And if that appeals to you, then while you're in the neighborhood check out San Rafael del Norte -- a place that by comparison makes Matagalpa look like Manhattan and Jinotega seem like South Beach.

waltermboyleses
  9/6/2017 12:15 EST

And the drive to San Raf is beautiful.
H2O 212F

ralphjones738
  9/7/2017 15:26 EST

Lake Apanas is a man made reservoir created in the 60's to provide water for the Central America power plant. It is about 20 miles long in what was part of the river drainage for the Tuma river. The south end of the lake closest to Jinotega is rather dirty since Jinotega waste water enters the lake at this end. We have had outbreaks of Leptospirosis which Minsa has warned us about. The north end of the lake near Astoria is cleaner and has better fishing as does Lago Dorado at the north end of lake Apanas. You can drive completely around the lake and to the dam and morning glory type spillway. Right now the country side is green but if you wait till November or later in the dry season it will be quite brown.
My wife and I have been living by the lake for 7 years now.
Jinotega is a small town about 2.5 kilometers by 1 kilometer in size in a north -south facing valley. It is a service town in which the main road through town is lined with Agro chemical shops, hardware stores, bars, used equipment sales and repair, and repair shops. The town is a very loud and busy place Wednesdays to Sundays when many of the people from the surrounding area are in town for their shopping and business.

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ISLARIO
  9/8/2017 16:42 EST

Ralph, thanks for the details.
I have been looking at property there around the lake, what do you think the price of a half acre or an acre on the lake should cost?

Thanks

elduendegrande
  9/8/2017 17:35 EST

The draw to jinotega would be the weather, city amenities (?) in an area surrounded by greenery and would be a straight shot to mga for airport, shopping, medical.
We seriously looked at it but declined because of the roads, the irony being that now there is a great road and 2 good ones. The road from jinotega to selva negra is my pick for the most scenic road in Nic.

My take on the town is an overgrown farm town which is mostly on the flat lands but they are starting to carve up the hills. It looks like a town that has a reason to exist, not just a dumping ground for surplus people. My feel for Jinotega is that crime is fairly low compared to esteli, but every time my wife hears on the radio of a murder there she rubs it in because I wanted to move there. I remind her that many of these murders are out in the boonies and not necessarily in the city. It is mostly family violence and country stuff. Jinotega is the end of the world,the dept is big with few paved roads and a whole lot of nothing stretching to the caribe.
Cultural level probably close to zero, so bring or create your own.

I have always thought of Matagalpa as a traffic jam on a hill, but it has more architecture, a park/zoo, shopping, etc. Too claustrophobic and urban sprawl for me.

The lake is essentially undeveloped with a few fish shacks, etc. Be advise that the level changes with the rains so "lake front" may be a fuzzy concept. I recall a development being hyped there years ago but it seamed to have fizzed. Inquire as to the bug situation.

In town there are slim pickings on amenities. Hotel Cafe grossly overpriced and over hyped, 2 thumbs down on the restaurant, we ended up eating in tico 2 around the corner. See what booking.com has to say, but for food tico 2 is probably the everyday choice.

ralphjones738
  9/9/2017 12:59 EST

Islario, The price will depend on which utilities are directly available and how it is sold. You will pay more if you are buying several lots compared to just one parcel. The most important items are Access to 220v Electric service, Clean Potable water, and all season road access. Spring water here will have to be treated if you intend to drink it.
Prices can be funky here. A bare weed covered acre on the lake fair price would be $3k to $6k depending on access and top soil cover. remember when looking at property near the lake that the bedrock may be only 3 to 6 inches below the soil. Lots may be a fair price $1.5k per 900 sq. meters. but this is with access to 220v service and treated water service and all season access. I paid $1.5k last year to add a 1200 sq. meter buffer to my property on one side. One thing you must ask and be very careful of is if the property is indigenous land. Tribal land can not be sold but leased and can not be recorded in the Alcaldia. Much of the land around lake Apanas is tribal land. You are better off purchasing land that the title is recorded with the Alcaldia.

ISLARIO
  9/9/2017 16:33 EST

Ralph, once again thanks for being so detailed.
Which part of the Lake do you live on?

I am looking near Asturias, is that a good area and is the lake clean there?

Thanks again.

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