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Alajuela (canton)

Coordinates: 10°09′50″N 84°15′52″W / 10.163979°N 84.2645463°W / 10.163979; -84.2645463
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Alajuela
Canton
Alajuela urban area
Alajuela urban area
Flag of Alajuela
Flag
Official seal of Alajuela
Seal
Map
Alajuela canton
Alajuela canton location in Alajuela Province##Alajuela canton location in Costa Rica
Alajuela canton location in Alajuela Province##Alajuela canton location in Costa Rica
Alajuela
Alajuela canton location in Alajuela Province
Alajuela canton location in Alajuela Province##Alajuela canton location in Costa Rica
Alajuela canton location in Alajuela Province##Alajuela canton location in Costa Rica
Alajuela
Alajuela canton location in Costa Rica
Coordinates: 10°09′50″N 84°15′52″W / 10.163979°N 84.2645463°W / 10.163979; -84.2645463
Country Costa Rica
ProvinceAlajuela
Creation7 December 1848
Head cityAlajuela
Districts
Districts
Government
 • TypeMunicipality
 • BodyMunicipalidad de Alajuela
 • MayorRoberto Hernán Thompson Chacón (PLN)
Area
 • Total
391.62 km2 (151.21 sq mi)
Elevation
942 m (3,091 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
254,886
 • Estimate 
(2022)
322,143
 • Density650/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−06:00
Canton code201
Websitewww.munialajuela.go.cr

Alajuela is a canton in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica.[1][2] Its head city is the provincial capital city of Alajuela.

History

[edit]

Alajuela was created on 7 December 1848 by decree 167.[2]

Geography

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Alajuela has an area of 391.62 km2 (151.21 sq mi)[3] and a mean elevation of 942 m (3,091 ft).[1]

Northward from the city of Alajuela, the canton continues along the border with the province of Heredia to its east, encompassing a strip of the Cordillera Central (Central Mountain Range) between Poas Volcano and Barva Volcano. On the Caribbean side of the mountains, the canton takes in a portion of the Sarapiquí area. The Río Poás (Poas River) forms the major portion of the canton's western border, finally giving way to the Río Poasito as the territory ascends into the Cordillera Central.[citation needed]

Southwest of the city of Alajuela, the canton of Alajuela ends at the confluence of the Río Grande (Great River) and the Río Virilla (Virilla River).[citation needed]

Government

[edit]

Mayor

[edit]

According to Costa Rica's Municipal Code, mayors are elected every four years by the population of the canton.[4] As of the latest municipal elections in 2024, the National Liberation Party candidate, Roberto Hernán Thompson Chacón, was elected mayor of the canton with 22.73% of the votes, with Sofía Marcela González Barquero and Elías Mateo Chaves Hernández as first and second vice mayors, respectively.[5]

Mayors of Alajuela since the 2002 elections[6]
Period Name Party
2002–2006 Fabio Molina Rojas PLN
2006–2010 Joyce Mary Zurcher Blen
2010–2016 Roberto Hernán Thompson Chacón
2016–2020
2020–2024 Humberto Soto Herrera
2024–2028 Roberto Hernán Thompson Chacón

Municipal Council

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Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (called regidores) are elected every four years. Alajuela's Municipal Council has 11 seats for regidores and their substitutes, who can participate in meetings but not vote unless the owning regidor (regidor propietario) is absent.[4] The current president of the Municipal Council is the Let's Renovate Alajuela Party member, Francisco Javier Sánchez Gómez, with National Liberation Party member, Mercedes Gutiérrez Carvajal, as vice president.[7] The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024–2028 period is as follows:

Current composition of the Municipal Council of Alajuela after the 2024 municipal elections[8]
Political parties in the Municipal Council of Alajuela
Political party Regidores
№ Owner Substitute
National Liberation Party (PLN) 3 Marvin Venegas Melendéz Luis Emilio Hernández León
Mercedes Gutiérrez Carvajal(VP) Argerie María Córdoba Rodríguez
Eder Francisco Hernández Ulloa Luis Porfirio Campos Porras
Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC) 2 Jorge Arturo Campos Araya Marvin Alberto Mora Bolaños
Kathia Marcela Guzmán Cerdas María Fernanda Marten Rodríguez
Let's Renovate Alajuela Party (PRA) 1 Francisco Javier Sánchez Gómez(P)[a] Ananias Fuentes Navarro
Social Democratic Progress Party (PSD) 1 Sergio Murillo Picado Eduardo Naranjo Muñoz
Our Town Party (PNP) 1 Germán Vinicio Aguilar Solano Humberto Soto Herrera
Costa Rica Rules Here (ACRM) 1 Bernal Alonso Soto Saborío Osvaldo Alpizar Núñez
Alajuela's Awakening (DA) 1 Ana Patricia Guillén Campos Marlene Garita Santamaría
Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) 1 Yadu Graciela Fuentes Araya Katia Vanessa Arroyo Vargas

Landmarks

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Alajuela Cathedral dome

In the center of Alajuela, next to Parque de Alajuela, also known as "Parque de los Mangos", is Alajuela Cathedral, whose main feature is its red dome. This park is a popular place for locals to socialize, especially in the afternoons. One block west of the park is the Mercado Central de Alajuela, a bustling shopping centre.[citation needed] Poás Volcano National Park is about 37 kilometres (23 mi) north of Alajuela city and is known for its five waterfalls at La Paz Waterfall Gardens.[9]

To the north of the Central Park is the Museo Histórico Cultural Juan Santamaría. This museum, situated in a building built in 1894-45, which was formerly a prison in the barracks of Alajuela, contains many historical maps, artifacts and portraits of the 1856-1857 campaign. In 1977 it became the headquarters of the Centro de Investigación para el Perfeccionamiento Técnico (CIPET), an institution of the Ministry of Public Education.[10]

Districts

[edit]

The canton of Alajuela is subdivided into the following districts:

  1. Alajuela
  2. San José
  3. Carrizal
  4. San Antonio
  5. Guácima
  6. San Isidro
  7. Sabanilla
  8. San Rafael
  9. Río Segundo
  10. Desamparados
  11. Turrúcares
  12. Tambor
  13. Garita
  14. Sarapiquí

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.±% p.a.
186411,521—    
188315,247+1.49%
189219,300+2.65%
192725,656+0.82%
195037,376+1.65%
196364,398+4.27%
197396,325+4.11%
1984127,472+2.58%
2000222,853+3.55%
2011254,886+1.23%
2022322,143+2.15%
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos[11]
Centro Centroamericano de Población[12]

Alajuela was estimated to have 322,143 inhabitants in 2022, an increase from its 254,886 at the time of the 2011 census.[13][14]

Alajuela had a Human Development Index of 0.784 in 2022,[15] the highest score in its province and 19th among all cantons in Costa Rica.

Transportation

[edit]

Road transportation

[edit]

The canton is covered by the following road routes:

Rail transportation

[edit]

The Interurbano Line operated by Incofer goes through this canton.

Economy

[edit]

It is a major area for the production of coffee, strawberries and ornamental plants.[16][17] The Doka Estate lies within the canton, in Sabanilla District, and is a major coffee producing estate, supplying directly to Starbucks.[18]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Also legally named Francisco Javier Sánchez Cabezas.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Declara oficial para efectos administrativos, la aprobación de la División Territorial Administrativa de la República N°41548-MGP". Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica (in Spanish). 19 March 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b División Territorial Administrativa de la República de Costa Rica (PDF) (in Spanish). Editorial Digital de la Imprenta Nacional. 8 March 2017. ISBN 978-9977-58-477-5.
  3. ^ Instituto Geográfico Nacional de Costa Rica (20 June 2024). "División Territorial Administrativa, 2024 – Totales de Provincias, Cantones y Distritos de Costa Rica" [Administrative Territorial Division, 2024 – Totals of Provinces, Cantons and Districts of Costa Rica] (PDF) (in Spanish).
  4. ^ a b Asamblea Legislativa de la República de Costa Rica (13 May 2024). "Código Municipal" [Municipal Code]. Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica (in Spanish).
  5. ^ Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (8 March 2024). "N.° 2156-E11-2024 - Declaratoria de elección de alcaldías y vicealcaldías de las municipalidades de los cantones de la provincia de Alajuela, para el período comprendido entre el primero de mayo de dos mil veinticuatro y el treinta de abril de dos mil veintiocho" (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  6. ^ Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones. "Resoluciones declaratorias de elección". Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Regidores". Municipalidad de Alajuela (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  8. ^ Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (12 March 2024). "N.° 2219-E11-2024 - Declaratoria de elección de regidurías de las municipalidades de los cantones de la provincia de Alajuela, para el período comprendido entre el primero de mayo de dos mil veinticuatro y el treinta de abril de dos mil veintiocho" (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  9. ^ Fodor's Costa Rica 2012. Fodor's. November 2011. p. 267. ISBN 9780307929044.
  10. ^ "Museo (arquitectura)" (in Spanish). Museo Histórico Cultural Juan Santamaría. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos" (in Spanish).
  12. ^ Centro Centroamericano de Población de la Universidad de Costa Rica. "Sistema de Consulta a Bases de Datos Estadísticas" (in Spanish).
  13. ^ Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (July 2023). Estimación de Población y Vivienda 2022 : Resultados Generales [2022 Population and Housing Estimate : General Results] (PDF) (in Spanish). ISBN 9789930525753. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  14. ^ "Censo. 2011. Población total por zona y sexo, según provincia, cantón y distrito". Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  15. ^ Sistema Nacional de Información y Registro Único de Beneficiarios del Estado; Escuela de Estadística de la Universidad de Costa Rica; Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (9 June 2023). "Atlas de Desarrollo Humano Cantonal en Costa Rica, 2022". Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  16. ^ McNeil, John (2011). The Rough Guide to Costa Rica. Rough Guides. p. 121. ISBN 9781858287133.
  17. ^ Drew, Keith (2012). The Rough Guide to Costa Rica. Rough Guides. p. 133. ISBN 9781405391993.
  18. ^ Glassman, Paul (2006). Costa Rica Guide. Open Road Publishing. p. 43. ISBN 9781593600686.
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