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Cox Today
Cox is one of the relatively small inland municipalities in the northern part of the Vega Baja del Segura area of the province of Alicante, and like many others its history and identity are defined by the geography of its location.
The town of Cox is one of three (the others being Granja de Rocamora and Callosa de Segura) which nestle against the eastern slopes of the Sierra de Callosa, one of the mountainous outcrops which punctuate the otherwise flat plain of the Vega Baja. The fertile soil of this plain continues to provide ideal terrain for agriculture, as it has done for countless centuries, and in the last 50 years production has increased sharply due to the arrival of the Tajo-Segura water supply canal which helps the area to withstand drought, ensuring continued prosperity.
Agriculture is one of the defining features of Cox, but its location next to the mountains also made it an important historical stronghold, and this can still be seen today by the survival of the castle on one of the outcrops above the town. The town centre is only 16 metres above sea level but the castle stands 80 metres higher, and affords panoramic views over the surrounding countryside.
Evidence has been found in the area of the castle of human settlements dating back to the Bronze Age, but the buildings which can currently be seen there are the work of re-settlers in the 15th century.
Other historic sites in Cox include the church of San Juan Bautista in the town centre, which was one of the few buildings to survive the Torrevieja earthquake of 1829, and the sanctuary of Nuestra Señora del Carmen. The Virgen del Carmen is one of the patrons of the town, and it is in her honour that the main local Fiestas are held every August (although others are celebrated in honour of San Isidro every May, and Cox is also one of the municipalities where bonfires are lit on the night of San Juan on June 24).
During a visit to Cox the local museum is also recommended, as is the 17th century windmill, but in general the municipality escaped the invasion of residential tourism which has swept across other parts of Alicante in recent years. Under 200 of the 7,000-strong population are from other EU countries and the UK, and instead of setting up home here in general visitors enjoy stopping stop off as they pass through, and sampling at their place of origin the foodstuffs which they have no doubt tried in coastal areas of the province of Alicante and even in northern European countries!
Both the mountains and the flat plain of the Segura also attract plenty of walkers and climbers, and while the Sierra de Callosa may not be the highest in the area, reaching a maximum altitude of 578 metres above sea level, over 1,500 hectares are protected as a municipal nature reserve.
Cox is located just a couple of kilometres from the A-7 motorway, which follows the whole of the Spanish Mediterranean coastline, and the new AVE high-speed rail line to Murcia includes a station named Cox/Callosa de Segura a short distance to the south. This proximity to the main arteries of communication in south-eastern Spain ensures not only that the cities of Murcia to the south-west and Alicante to the north-east are within easy driving distance, as are the beaches of the southern Costa Blanca to the east, but also that the twin attractions of history and fruit are likely to continuing attracting visitors in the foreseeable future!