Zarcero

Zarcero
District
Topiary at Parque Francisco Alvarado in Zarcero
Zarcero district
Zarcero Zarcero district location in Costa Rica
Coordinates: 10°11′21″N84°22′30″W / 10.1890471°N 84.37505°W / 10.1890471; -84.37505
Country	Costa Rica
Province	Alajuela
Canton	Zarcero
Area
• Total	11.72 km2 (4.53 sq mi)
Elevation	1,736 m (5,696 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	4,004
• Density	340/km2 (880/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−06:00
Postal code	21101

Zarcero is a district of the Zarcero canton, in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica. ^{[1] [2]}

History

Interior of Iglesia de San Rafael, Zarcero, Costa Rica.

Zarcero was granted the title of "ciudad" (city) by a law on 24 July 1918.

Geography

Zarcero has an area of 11.72 km^{2 [3]} and an elevation of 1,736 metres. ^[1]

It is located in the Cordillera Central (Central Mountain Range) of Costa Rica, 50 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital city of Alajuela and 27 kilometers southeast of Ciudad Quesada.

Zarcero, known for its brisk mountain climate, lies in a dairy and agricultural area also noted for the local enterprises that practice organic farming. Distinctive jams, cheese and other dairy products are among the items produced.

Locations

• Barrios (neighborhoods): Cantarranas, Santa Teresita

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1883	328		—
1927	791		—
1950	1,159		46.5%
1963	1,499		29.3%
1973	2,148		43.3%
1984	2,517		17.2%
2000	3,790		50.6%
2011	4,004		5.6%
Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos [4] Centro Centroamericano de Población [5]

For the 2011 census, Zarcero had a population of 4,004 inhabitants. ^[6]

Transportation

Road transportation

The district is covered by the following road routes:

• National Route 141
• National Route 741

Places of interest

Parque Francisco Alvarado: The park sits in front of the church at the town center. It is noted for its topiary garden produced and maintained by Evangelista Blanco since the 1960s. Shrubs in the park have been trimmed into the shapes of various animals, including some that are quite abstract and bizarre.

Iglesia de San Rafael: Zarcero's pink and blue church was constructed in 1895. The interior features very nice paintings of the stations of the cross. Materials for the construction of the church are not what they seem. Columns are painted to look like marble, and the exterior is metal siding, not brick as it appears.

External links

• Municipality of Zarcero
• Zarcero as it looked in 1988
• Photos of Zarcero

References

• Costa Rica portal

1. "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. 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. "Área en kilómetros cuadrados, según provincia, cantón y distrito administrativo". Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 September 2020.
4. "Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos" (in Spanish).
5. "Sistema de Consulta de a Bases de Datos Estadísticas". Centro Centroamericano de Población (in Spanish).
6. "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.