The Chilean Coastal Range

     The Andes Mountains run along the border of Chile with Argentina and Bolivia. It is the world's longest continental mountain range with 138 volcanos on the Chilean side alone. Its highest peak, Aconcagua (situated just northeast of Santiago) reaches 6,962 meters (22,841 feet) above sea level. The Andes, along with its myriad snowcapped volcanoes and lakes, provide beauty that is virtually unparalleled in the rest of the world. Most of the peaks in the Andes are rocky and barren, far above the tree line. But the rock formations, often incrusted with glaciers, are stunning.
     Nevertheless, the Andes are effectively uninhabitable. There are small Indian populations at high elevation, as well as mining operations, but it is hard to breath at such altitudes and the climate rapidly changes from fiercely cold to fiercely hot. Even in relatively lower elevations of the range in northern Chile, such as Chile's ugliest city Calama (2,400 meters or 7,900 feet), daily living can be a challenge. Its 143,000 inhabitants, who have learned to live with the thin air supply, are almost entirely involved in copper mining or services to the mining industry. In that (technically tropical) place, it is not impossible to see daytime high temperatures around 70 degrees fahrenheit and early morning low temperatures of only 10 degrees fahrenheit. Thus, a person may have to change his clothes several times a day! One can only imagine what life would be like at double or even triple that elevation. Moreover,  most of the volcanoes in the Andes range are active, making human settlement quite risky over the long run. Therefore, other than for occasional skiers, hikers and miners, the Andes provides little draw other than providing a spectacular scenic backdrop.
     However, Chile also has a coastal range, which reaches almost 10,000 feet in the north (near Antofagasta) and almost 5,000 feet in the central part of the country, where the highest peaks are snow covered for short periods during the winter (and can be seen from Santiago). Much of this range is inhabitable in its lower elevations, and even useful for agricultural purposes, particularly in central Chile. The scenery is pleasant, with rolling hills and many view spots either towards the Pacific Ocean or towards the snowcapped Andes. The coastal range in  northern Chile (such as in Iquique) is barren but provides spectacular scenery, for those who like a desert view at least, of seemingly endless sandy peaks reaching 6,000 feet high (or more) butting up against the ocean. In the photograph below taken from Valparaíso harbor, one can see Valparaíso to the right with Viña del Mar directly ahead an to the eft, the coastal range peak of  Cerro La Campana (a national park) with the snowcapped Andes range and Aconcagua behind it (double click it to see more detail).

     Consequently, when immigrants (that are not planning to live in Santiago) make plans about where to settle in Chile, they might consider living in or near the coastal range. The pine-covered coastal ranges in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth regions of Chile are very pleasant, in particular those located west of otherwise unimpressive cities like Rancagua, San Fernanado, Curicó, Talca, and east of Concepción, Valparaíso and San Antonio.