| Balcort | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Historical facts | |
| Founded | 1841 |
| Patron Saint | St. Catherine |
| Information | |
| Parish | Chester |
| Population | 3,145 |
| Postal code | 1400-1500 |
Catherinestraat
Balcort (Oceana: Balkuert or Balkort, IPA: /'balkɔrt/) is a settlement in Chester Parish and a suburb of Grijzestad. It was founded in 1841 as a separate community but with the expansion of Grijzestad is now a neighborhood of the city.
History[]
Balcort was founded in 1841 by Hans Balle, a wealthy German-Brunanter landowner. The region was dominated by his large farm, which was surrounded by the homes of his many farm workers. This community gained the name "Balcort"- Bal from the landowner's name and cort from the Latin for estate (thus making Balle's Estate).
Balcort only became a more urban community in the 1900s, when the large estate was broken up and sold. A grid of streets was made and the area was officially incorporated into a village in 1933. In 1974, Balcort was merged into the greater Grijzestad region and has become a suburb. Balcort has become a home for working professionals, many which work in downtown Grijzestad.
In the early 20th century a significant number of Oceana people came from Lovia and many of them settled in Balcort to work in Grijzestad and the nearby farms. When the streets were being surveyed and named by city planners many of the townspeople requested to name a street "Cesta" (the Oceana word for street); the middle street (east-west) was named Cestalaan, and though its name was a redundancy it has stuck. With a drought in the 1950s (in Lovia) and financial difficulties many Oceana moved to Balcort, where there was already an established expatriate community. Today around 30-40% of residents have Oceana ancestry, of whom 20-25% still have some knowledge of the Oceana language. It is mostly the older generations that can speak it well, though. Balcort has a small football club, Oceana Grijzestad, which competes in the Chester Parish league.
Expansion of Balcort occurred in the 1960s and 1970s with shopping centers, newer buildings and a prison.
Economy[]
The economy of Balcort has traditionally focused on agriculture. Being only 25 minutes from Grijzestad, Balcort has become a weekend destination for people who want to escape the city and enjoy countryside air. The town has the largest shopping mall in the parish, which attracts many from the region.
Transportation[]
Roads to the Balcort region were first made in the 1880s and paved in the late 1950s. A train passed by the town starting in 1927 but most of the rail line in he village was dismantled in 1949. The remaining railway is now used by the Chester Crosslink to go to and from downtown Grijzestad. Bus transportation is served by an express line of Grijzestad buses, which comes every half-hour to 45 minutes.
Map[]
See the page Map colors for an explanation of what each color means.
| FOR SALE 1 Hans Ballestraat |
SASbank 3 Hans Ballestraat |
*1 | USB Center 5 Hans Ballestraat |
FOR SALE 7 Hans Ballestraat |
*2 | FOR SALE 9 Hans Ballestraat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hans Ballestraat | ||||||
| FOR SALE 2 Hans Ballestraat |
Grand Hotel 1 Van der Holdt Straat |
FOR SALE 2 Van der Holdt Straat |
FOR SALE 4 Hans Ballestraat |
 6 Hans Ballestraat | ||
| Cestalaan | ||||||
| FOR SALE 1 Cestalaan |
FOR SALE 3 Cestalaan |
Balcort Park 5 Cestalaan |
Balcort Station 7 Cestalaan | |||
| Groenstraat | Crosslink | |||||
| Nieuwgalerie 3 Van der Holdt Straat |
FOR SALE 2 Groenstraat |
Groenstraat Primary School 4 Groenstraat |
FOR SALE 2 Catherinestraat | |||
- *1 - Van der Holdt Straat
- *2 - Catherinestraat