Palm Oil Plantation

Big "farms" raise palms and extract palm oil from them. It is a major industry in this part of Costa Rica. The workers live in company housing and get goods from company stores. It has always seemed to me that this is a colonial holdover from days gone by. Still, they continue here and the palms seem to be marching south getting closer and closer to our little town. I wonder if the holding company will begin buying or leasing land in our little pueblo?

This is an example of the company housing that has been used for some time, but it is now going out of fashion in favor single story structures.

Typically the houses are painting bright colors. Here one is blue and the one on the right that you can barely see is green. They are built around a soccer field which is one recreation in which everyone can take part. Little equipment is required.