Alajuela (canton)

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Alajuela
Canton
Alajuela city & SJO 12 2009 MDV 4909.jpg
Alajuela urban area
Bandera de la Provincia de Alajuela.svg
Flag
Escudo de Alajuela.svg
Seal
Alajuela (canton)
Alajuela canton
Costa Rica Alajuela location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Alajuela
Alajuela canton location in Alajuela Province
Costa Rica location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Alajuela
Alajuela canton location in Costa Rica
Coordinates: 10°09′50″N84°15′52″W / 10.163979°N 84.2645463°W / 10.163979; -84.2645463
Country Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica
Province Alajuela
Creation7 December 1848
Head city Alajuela
Districts
Districts
Government
 • Type Municipality
 • BodyMunicipalidad de Alajuela
 • MayorRoberto Hernán Thompson Chacón (PLN)
Area
 • Total391.62 km2 (151.21 sq mi)
Elevation
942 m (3,091 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total254,886
 • Estimate 
(2022)
322,143
 • Density650/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Time zone UTC−06:00
Canton code201
Website www.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.

Contents

History

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

Geography

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

Mayor

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]
PeriodNameParty
2002–2006 Fabio Molina Rojas Bandera de Partido Liberacion Nacional.svg 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

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]
Costa Rica Alajuela Concejo Municipal 2024.svg
Political parties in the Municipal Council of Alajuela
Political partyRegidores
№OwnerSubstitute
Bandera de Partido Liberacion Nacional.svg National Liberation Party (PLN)3Marvin Venegas MelendézLuis Emilio Hernández León
Mercedes Gutiérrez Carvajal(VP)Argerie María Córdoba Rodríguez
Eder Francisco Hernández UlloaLuis Porfirio Campos Porras
Bandera del Partido Unidad Social Cristiana.svg Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC)2Jorge Arturo Campos ArayaMarvin Alberto Mora Bolaños
Kathia Marcela Guzmán CerdasMaría Fernanda Marten Rodríguez
Bandera Partido Renovemos Alajuela Costa Rica.svg Let's Renovate Alajuela Party (PRA)1Francisco Javier Sánchez Gómez(P) [lower-alpha 1] Ananias Fuentes Navarro
Bandera Partido Progreso Social Democratico Costa Rica.svg Social Democratic Progress Party (PSD)1Sergio Murillo PicadoEduardo Naranjo Muñoz
Bandera Partido Nuestro Pueblo Costa Rica.svg Our Town Party (PNP)1Germán Vinicio Aguilar SolanoHumberto Soto Herrera
Bandera Aqui Costa Rica Manda.svg Costa Rica Rules Here (ACRM)1Bernal Alonso Soto SaboríoOsvaldo Alpizar Núñez
Bandera Partido Despertar Alajuelense Costa Rica.svg Alajuela's Awakening (DA)1Ana Patricia Guillén CamposMarlene Garita Santamaría
Bandera Partido Liberal Progresista Costa Rica.svg Progressive Liberal Party (PLP)1Yadu Graciela Fuentes ArayaKatia Vanessa Arroyo Vargas

Landmarks

Alajuela Cathedral dome Domo de la Catedral.jpg
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

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

Historical population
Census Pop.±% 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%
2022321,872+2.14%
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

Road transportation

The canton is covered by the following road routes:

Rail transportation

The Interurbano Line operated by Incofer goes through this canton.

Economy

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

  1. ↑ Also legally named Francisco Javier Sánchez Cabezas.

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 "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. 1 2 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. 1 2 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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