San Jose

San José is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the central part of the country, and borders (clockwise beginning in the north) the provinces of Alajuela, Heredia, Cartago, Limón and Puntarenas. The provincial capital is San José. The province covers an area of 4,965.9 km². and has a population of 1,435,447.

The province of San José is subdivided into 20 cantons.

Canton (Capital):

San José (San José)
Escazú (Escazú)
Desamparados (Desamparados)
Puriscal (Santiago)
Tarrazú (San Marcos)
Aserrí (Aserrí)
Mora (Ciudad Colón)
Goicoechea (Guadalupe)
Santa Ana (Santa Ana)
Alajuelita (Alajuelita)
Vázquez de Coronado (San Isidro)
Acosta (San Ignacio)
Tibás (San Juan)
Moravia (San Vicente)
Montes de Oca (San Pedro)
Turrubares (San Pablo)
Dota (Santa María)
Curridabat (Curridabat)
Pérez Zeledón (San Isidro de El General)
León Cortés (San Pablo)

San José (“Saint Joseph”, 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. 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.

The population of San José Canton is 365,799, 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.

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.

University of Santo Tomás, the first university of Costa Rica was established here in 1843. That institution maintained close ties with the Roman Catholic Church and was closed in 1888 by the progressive and anti-clerical government of President Bernardo Soto Alfaro as part of a campaign to modernize public education. The schools of law, agronomy, fine arts, and pharmacy continued to operate independently, but Costa Rica had no university proper until 1940, when those four schools were re-united to establish the modern University of Costa Rica (UCR), during the reformist administration of President Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia. 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.

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

Climate

San José City lies in the Torrid Zone and is in a tropical rainforest. However its elevation gives it a mild climate. Under the Köppen climate classification it features a Tropical wet and dry climate that borders on a Subtropical highland climate. The temperature ranges between 15 and 30 °C (59 and 86 °F). The rainy season is from May to late November, but cloudiness and rainfall can occur during the dry season. The weather is also very windy; this may decrease the apparent temperature even more. Relative humidity tends to range between 60% and 90%.

Attractions

There are numerous areas around San José:

El Pueblo is an assortment of more than 50 bars, clubs, and shops.
Calle de la Amargura in San Pedro near the University of Costa Rica has a wide selection of bars, restaurants and discos and serves drinks for relatively low prices. Pickpockets and criminals involved with drug smuggling and violent crimes are a cause of concern.

National Theater.

Both The National Theater (Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica) and The Melico Salazar Theatre offer hectic calendars of cultural activities, featuring acting and dance groups as well as orchestral musical presentations throughout the year.

The downtown area, located in the Central Edificio Correos building, is loaded with cafes. The National Theater and The Melico Salazar Theatre, where national coffee is prepared and served in typical Costa Rican ways.

There are also many museums and other attractions offering alternative ways of exploring the city. One of these is the Gold Museum, which offers an unusual view of various gold artifacts of the ancient Latin American civilizations. An interesting attraction is the Lankester Botanical Garden at the outskirts of San José. This gardens and many attractions not far from San José can be visited on the multiple day tours offered in the city. Other attractions include various bars and clubs which concentrate their activity on holding musical shows and events.