GENERAL SARMIENTO

partido (county) of Gran (Greater) Buenos Aires, Argentina. It lies northwest of the city of Buenos Aires, in Buenos Aires provincia. The early settlement of the county centred on the agricultural plantation San Jos del Pilar, established by Adolfo Sordeaux in 1862. This plantation settlement led Sordeaux to establish the towns of San Miguel and Bella Vista in 1872. In 1889 General Sarmiento county (named for Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Argentine president, 186874) was created by expropriating lands from Pilar and Moreno counties. Besides the cabecera (county seat) of San Miguel, the major localities in the county are Bella Vista, Jose C. Paz, and Villa de Mayo. General Sarmiento now lies almost totally within the Gran Buenos Aires urban area. Three major railways running northwest from Buenos Aires serve the county. Area 76 square miles (196 square km). Pop. (1991 prelim.) 646,891.