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Montes de Oca (canton)

Coordinates: 9°56′24″N 84°00′40″W / 9.940046°N 84.0110652°W / 9.940046; -84.0110652
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Montes de Oca
Fuente de la Hispanidad, roundabout under Route 39 and on Route 2
Fuente de la Hispanidad, roundabout under Route 39 and on Route 2
Flag of Montes de Oca
Official seal of Montes de Oca
Motto(s): 
Cuna de la Educación Superior
(Cradle of Higher Education)
Map
Montes de Oca canton
Montes de Oca canton location in San José Province##Montes de Oca canton location in Costa Rica
Montes de Oca canton location in San José Province##Montes de Oca canton location in Costa Rica
Montes de Oca
Montes de Oca canton location in San José Province
Montes de Oca canton location in San José Province##Montes de Oca canton location in Costa Rica
Montes de Oca canton location in San José Province##Montes de Oca canton location in Costa Rica
Montes de Oca
Montes de Oca canton location in Costa Rica
Coordinates: 9°56′24″N 84°00′40″W / 9.940046°N 84.0110652°W / 9.940046; -84.0110652
Country Costa Rica
ProvinceSan José
Creation1 August 1915
Named forDon Faustino Montes de Oca
Head citySan Pedro
Districts
Government
 • TypeMunicipality
 • BodyMunicipalidad de Montes de Oca
 • MayorDomingo Arguello García (PUSC)
Area
 • Total
15.78 km2 (6.09 sq mi)
Elevation
1,262 m (4,140 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
49,132
 • Estimate 
(2022)
53,862
 • Density3,100/km2 (8,100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−06:00
Canton code115
Websitemontesdeoca.go.cr

Montes de Oca is a canton in the San José province of Costa Rica.[1][2] The head city of the canton is San Pedro.

Toponymy

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Its name honors a former congressional representative from the area, Don Faustino Montes de Oca (1859–1902).

History

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Montes de Oca was created on 1 August 1915 by decree 45.[2]

Government

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Mayor

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According to Costa Rica's Municipal Code, mayors are elected every four years by the population of the canton.[3] As of the latest municipal elections in 2024, the Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC) candidate, Domingo Arguello García, was elected mayor of the canton with 25.56% of the votes, with Haydee Castillo Castro[a] and Andrés Vesalio Guzmán Gómez as first and second vice mayors, respectively.[4]

Mayors of Montes de Oca since the 2002 elections[5]
Period Name Party
2002–2006 Sonia María Montero Díaz PAC
2006–2010 Fernando Trejos Ballestero UPC
2010–2016 PRC
2016–2020 Marcel Soler Rubio CGMO
2020–2024
2024–2028 Domingo Arguello García PUSC

Municipal Council

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Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (called regidores) are elected every four years. Montes de Oca's Municipal Council has 7 seats for regidores and their substitutes, who can participate in meetings but not vote unless the owning regidor (regidor propietario) is absent.[3] The current president of the Municipal Council is National Liberation Party regidor Enrique Sibaja Granados, with Social Christian Unity Party regidora Jeiny Lizano Vargas as vice-president.[6] The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024–2028 period is as follows:

Composition of the Municipal Council of Montes de Oca after the 2024 municipal elections[7]
Political parties in the Municipal Council of Montes de Oca
Political party Regidores
Owner Substitute
Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC) 2 Jeiny Lizano Vargas(VP) Jessica Viviana Mora Romero
Jeison Francisco Salazar López Jorge Antonio Mora Portuguez
Montes de Oca People Coalition (CGMO) 2 Carolina Monge Castilla Kimberly María Ortiz Villalta
Jorge Luis Espinoza Camacho Gustavo Campos Alfaro
National Liberation Party (PLN) 1 Enrique Sibaja Granados(P) Danilo Rodríguez Arias
We Are Montes de Oca Coalition (CSMO) 1 Marta Cleotilde Corrales Sánchez Irene Salazar Carvajal
In Common Party (PEC) 1 Kattia López Alvarado Maritere Alvarado Achio

Geography

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Montes de Oca has an area of 15.78 km2 (6.09 sq mi) and a mean elevation of 1,262 m (4,140 ft).[8][1]

The elongated canton reaches from the suburbs of the national capital of San José eastward to the province of Cartago, and neighbors the cantons of Curridabat, San José, Cartago, and Goicoechea. The Torres River delineate a portion of the northern boundary, while the Ocloro River and Poró Creek mark the southern boundary.

Districts

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The canton of Montes de Oca is subdivided into the following districts:

  1. San Pedro
  2. Sabanilla
  3. Mercedes
  4. San Rafael

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.±% p.a.
19273,676—    
19509,916+4.41%
196324,043+7.05%
197333,633+3.41%
198439,065+1.37%
200050,433+1.61%
201149,132−0.24%
202253,862+0.84%
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos[9]
Centro Centroamericano de Población[10]

Montes de Oca had an estimated 53,862 inhabitants in 2022,[11] up from 49,132 at the time of the 2011 census.[12]

The canton is known for its high level of commercial development, the number of universities and other centers of higher education, and its active night life. It is one of the most urbanized and vibrant cantons in the San José area, both day and night.

In 2022, Montes de Oca ranked fourth highest in the Costa Rican cantonal Human Development Index, with a score of 0.857.[13]

Education

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Montes de Oca is known in Costa Rica as the Cradle of Higher Education as it is home to the University of Costa Rica as well as other university-level centers of study, such as the Universidad Latina and the Universidad Americana (UAM) Escuela Laboratorio. The canton can boast of 99% literacy, compared with 95% in Costa Rica at large.

Points of interest

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Mall San Pedro
  • Fuente de la Hispanidad (The Fountain of Hispanity), a large fountain in a major roundabout built in the mid-80s that focuses on Costa Rica's cultural heritage. It is a major landmark in the area.
  • Mall San Pedro, a shopping center built in the mid-90s, contains tattoo parlors, a movie theater, a food court, video game shops, and clothing stores.
  • Iglesia de San Pedro (San Pedro Catholic Church)
  • Calle de la Amargura (Bitterness Street) a street centered around the nightlife of the University of Costa Rica.

Transportation

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Road transportation

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The canton is covered by the following road routes:

Rail transportation

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The Interurbano Line operated by Incofer goes through this canton.

Notes

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  1. ^ Also legally named Heidi Castillo Castro.

References

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  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. ^ a b Asamblea Legislativa de la República de Costa Rica (13 May 2024). "Código Municipal" [Municipal Code]. Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica (in Spanish).
  4. ^ Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (8 March 2024). "N.° 1658-E11-2024 - Declaratoria de elección de alcaldías y vicealcaldías de las municipalidades de los cantones de la provincia de San José, para el período comprendido entre el primero de mayo de dos mil veinticuatro y el treinta de abril de dos mil veintiocho" (in Spanish).
  5. ^ Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones. "Resoluciones declaratorias de elección". Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (in Spanish).
  6. ^ Municipalidad de Moravia (14 October 2024). "Miembros del Concejo". Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  7. ^ Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (12 February 2024). "N.° 2218-E11-2024 - Declaratoria de elección de regidurías de las municipalidades de los cantones de la provincia de San José, para el período comprendido entre el primero de mayo de dos mil veinticuatro y el treinta de abril de dos mil veintiocho" (in Spanish).
  8. ^ Instituto Geográfico Nacional de Costa Rica (20 June 2024). "División Territorial Administrativa, 2024" [Administrative Territorial Division, 2024] (PDF) (in Spanish).
  9. ^ "Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos" (in Spanish).
  10. ^ Centro Centroamericano de Población de la Universidad de Costa Rica. "Sistema de Consulta a Bases de Datos Estadísticas" (in Spanish).
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ 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".