San José

San José, Costa Rica

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

San José (Spanish: San José, pronounced [sa? xo?se]) is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.

Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San José is one of the youngest capital cities in Latin America by year of conception, though it was not named capital until 1823.^[1] Today it is a modern city with bustling commerce, brisk expressions of art and architecture, and spurred by the country’s improved tourism industry, it is a significant destination and stopover for foreign visitors.^[2]

The population of San José Canton is 346,799,^[3] though the metropolitan area stretches beyond the canton limits and comprises a third of the country’s population. San José exerts a strong influence on a wider range because of its proximity to minor cities (Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago) and the country’s demographic assemblage in the Central Valley.^[4]

The city lies at a mean elevation of 1,161 m above sea level, and enjoys a stable climate throughout the year, with an average temperature of 25^oC (77^oF) and annual precipitation of 1800 mm, more than 90% of it falling in the rainy season from May to November.^[5]

University of Santo Tomás, the first university of Costa Rica was established here in 1843. San José serves as the headquarters of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The city is served by Juan Santamaría International Airport, 23 km west of downtown, in the city of Alajuela.

History

See: History of Central America.

San José was a small village of little significance until 1823. In that year, Costa Rica’s first elected head of state Juan Mora Fernández, moved the government of Costa Rica from the old Spanish colonial capital city of Cartago. This was a time of much optimism in the newly independent Federal Republic of Central America, of which Costa Rica was at that time a state.

Districts and barrios

San José is divided into 11 districts (distritos):

• Catedral
• El Carmen
• Hatillo
• Hospital
• La Uruca
• Mata Redonda
• Meire
• Pavas
• San Francisco de Dos Ríos
• San Sebastián
• Zapote