Alajuela () is a district in the
Alajuela canton of the
Alajuela Province
Alajuela () is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the north-central part of the country, bordering Nicaragua to the north. It also borders the provinces of Heredia to the east, San José to the south, Puntarenas to the southwest and ...
of
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
. As the seat of the Municipality of Alajuela canton, it is awarded the status of city. By virtue of being the city of the first canton of the province, it is also the capital of the Province of Alajuela.
Because of its location in the
Costa Rican Central Valley, Alajuela is nowadays part of the conurbation of the
Greater Metropolitan Area. The city is the birthplace of
Juan Santamaría, the national hero of Costa Rica and the figure who gives the name to the country's main
international airport
An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer r ...
, which is south of Alajuela downtown.
Geography
Alajuela has an area of km
2 and an elevation of metres.
It is located in the
Central Valley, 19 kilometres northwest of
San José.
Climate
The climate is
tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
, typical of the Central Valley, but slightly warmer than San José. Temperatures are moderate, averaging 23–26 degrees Celsius with a low humidity level, with dewpoints around 20 almost all year round. Alajuela and its surroundings are famed for having "the best weather in the world".
Demographics
For the
2011 census, Alajuela had a population of inhabitants.
History
In pre-Columbian times the land where the canton of Alajuela is today was part of the
Western Huetar Kingdom, which was inhabited by native tribes, who at the time of the Spanish conquest were led by
Chief Garabito.
The first Spanish settlers established settlements in the region in about 1650.
[Ocampo Barrantes, Marlon. "Los Orígenes de la Población de Alajuela, 1601-1782". Editorial UNED, Costa Rica, 2009.] In a letter of obligation granted in 1864, the place is mentioned as La Lajuela in the Valley of Barva, near the Canoas river.
In 1777, the dwellers of La Lajuela and Ciruelas, having been served with notice to move to Villa Vieja (today's Heredia), requested the provisional construction of a public place of prayer in the house of Don Dionysius Oconitrillo, of Spanish origin, 30 metres north of where Alajuela's cathedral is today.
After increases of population in the five existing quarters then: Targuaz, Puás, Ciruelas, La Lajuela and Rio Grande, the citizens faced difficulties to maintain their religious obligations, so they requested permission to establish a parish and a public place of prayer from the Bishop of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, Monsignor don Esteban Lorenzo de Tristán.
According to a motion issued in the Spanish Parliament of
Cádiz
Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia.
Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...
on 19 May 1812, the first town hall of Alajuela was founded in 1813. On 18 December of the same year, the La Lajuela quarter obtained the title of town and it was renamed. It was first called "Villa Hermosa", then it was called "San Juan Nepomuceno de Alajuela" and finally the title of city was granted on 20 November 1824 and with it the name "Alajuela" which remains today.
Participation in important historical events by citizens of Alajuela has ensured the city's reputation as a storied place in Costa Rican history. The national hero Juan Santamaría, who died during the
Filibuster War in 1856 to remove invaders threatening Costa Rica's sovereignty, was born in Alajuela. This historical event is celebrated and remembered every year on 11 April and it is a national holiday.
The area often experiences earthquakes. The
2009 magnitude 6.1 earthquake caused several landslides.
Economy
The main exports of the region are coffee, sugar-cane, maize, beans, tobacco, citrus fruits, strawberries, tubers like cassava, flowers and ornamental plants. Other commercial activities include poultry farming, beekeeping, pig farming and the dairy industry. More recently, Alajuela has seen important investment in free zone parks and heavy industry companies, with a considerable number of them dedicated to manufacturing a variety of medical devices.
Transportation
Alajuela is an important transport hub for the country, connecting the
capital city of San José with northwestern Costa Rica. As a part of the
Greater Metropolitan Area, most of the inhabitants of Alajuela work in other cities or regions of the Central Valley, and every day receives residents from other locations to work in local factories. Central America's
second busiest airport,
Juan Santamaría International Airport, is three kilometers south of the district center.
Road transportation
The district is covered by the following road routes:
*
National Route 3
The following highways are numbered 3, H-3, PRI-3, AH3, E03 and R3. For roads numbered A3, see A3 roads. For roads numbered M3, see M3. For roads numbered N3, see N3. For roads numbered 3A, see 3A.
International
* Asian Highway 3
* Europea ...
*
National Route 123
*
National Route 124
*
National Route 125
*
National Route 130
*
National Route 153
Rail transportation
The
Interurbano Line operated by
Incofer
upright=1.20 , Universidad de Costa Rica station, San Pedro, Montes de Oca.
Rail transport in Costa Rica is primarily under the stewardship of Incofer (Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarriles), an autonomous institution of the state. Incofe ...
goes through this district.
Sports
Liga Deportiva Alajuelense is the province's major football club, having won 30 league titles. The club has a historical rivalry with
Deportivo Saprissa
Deportivo Saprissa is a Costa Rican sports club, mostly known for its football team. The club is based in San Juan de Tibás, San José, and play their home games at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá. The team's signature colours are purple ...
, both popularly viewed as the two best football clubs of Costa Rica. They play their home games at the
Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto
The Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto is a football stadium in ''El Llano'' neighborhood of Alajuela, Costa Rica, which is the home of Liga Deportiva Alajuelense, one of the most successful football clubs from Costa Rica. It also serves as the home g ...
, located in this district, and a new stadium is currently being built on another location inside the Alajuela Province.
Gallery
File:AeropuertoJuanSantamaría.jpg, Juan Santamaría International Airport
File:Skatepark Alajuela por la noche.jpg, Alajuela skatepark
File:Santamaria, Juan -monumento Alajuela 04.jpg, Monument to Juan Santamaria, who was born in Alajuela, popular hero of the Filibuster War
File:Alajuela likeluis.jpg, Alajuela´s catholic Cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...
is located in front of Alajuela´s central park (Officially named Parque General Tomás Guardia Tomás may refer to:
* Tomás (given name)
* Tomás (surname) Tomás is a Spanish and Portuguese surname, equivalent of ''Thomas''.
It may refer to:
* Antonio Tomás (born 1985), professional Spanish footballer
* Belarmino Tomás (1892–1950) ...
)
File:Teatro Municipal Alajuela 2011.jpg, Municipal Theatre of Alajuela
File:Iglesia Metodista de Alajuela.jpg, Alajuela´s Methodist Church
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
Sister cities
*
San Bartolomé de Tirajana
San Bartolomé de Tirajana is a village and a Spanish municipality in the south-eastern part of the island of Gran Canaria in the Las Palmas province in the Canary Islands. With an area of , San Bartolomé de Tirajana is the largest municipa ...
, Spain
*
Lahr
Lahr (officially Lahr/Schwarzwald since 30 September 1978) (); gsw, label= Low Alemannic, Lohr) is a town in western Baden-Württemberg, Germany, approximately 50 km north of Freiburg im Breisgau, 40 km southeast of Strasbourg, and 95&nb ...
, Germany
*
Montegrotto Terme, Italy
[Page 2]
Murals of La Guacima , Page 2
, accessdate: 5/13/2014
*
Bordano
Bordano ( fur, Bordan) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Udine in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste and about northwest of Udine, on the right bank of the Tagliamento river.
Bordano bor ...
, Italy
*
Downey, California
Downey is a city located in Southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is considered part of the Gateway Cities. The city is the birthplace of the Apollo space program. It is also the home ...
, USA
*
Dothan, Alabama
Dothan () is a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties and the Houston county seat in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is Alabama's eighth-largest city, with a population of 71,072 at the 2020 census. It is near the state's southeastern corner ...
, USA
*
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Mexico, while the Guadalaj ...
, Mexico
*
Ibaraki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, Tochigi Prefecture ...
, Japan
[pref.ibaraki.jp]
IBARAKI Prefectural Government
, accessdate: 5/13/2014
*
Hangzhou
Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also Chinese postal romanization, romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the prov ...
, China
Notable residents
Historical
*
Gregorio Jose Ramirez (1796–1823) Politician, Military Commander.
*
José María Alfaro Zamora (1799–1856) Costa Rican Head of State (1842–44, 1846–47)
*
Florentino Alfaro Zamora (1805–1873) Politician
*
Juan Alfaro Ruiz
''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish language, Spanish and Manx language, Manx versions of ''John (given name), John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronoun ...
(1810–1856) Politician
*
Jose Maria Figueroa
Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods.
*Jose ben Abin
*Jose ben Akabya
*Jose the Galil ...
(1820–1900) Artist. He recorded the early events of Costa Rican history in his
Album de Figueroa
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...
*
Apolinar de Jesus Soto
Apolinar is a masculine given name which may refer to:
* Apolinar de Jesús Soto Quesada (1827–1911), Bolivian politician
* Apolinar Serrano (1833–1876), Spanish bishop of Havana
* Apolinar Velez (1865–1939), Filipino politician
See also (1827–1911) Vice-President of Costa Rica (1886–1889). The title was called then ''Primer Designado''
*
Juan Santamaría (1831–1856) Costa Rican national hero.
*
Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez
General Tomás Miguel Guardia Gutiérrez (December 16, 1831 – July 6, 1882) was President of Costa Rica
The president of the Republic of Costa Rica is the head of state and head of government of Costa Rica. The president is currently elec ...
(1831–1882) President of Costa Rica (1870–82) Born in
Bagaces
Bagaces is a district of the Bagaces canton, in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica.
Geography
Bagaces has an area of km² and an elevation of metres. Communities
The district includes the towns of Bagaces, Pijije, Montenegro, Montano, a ...
, Guardia married and lived in Alajuela most of his life
*
Emilia Solórzano Alfaro (1835–1914) Costa Rican First lady (1870–1882) For her activism in favor of Education and Human Rights, she was declared ''Benemerita de la Patria'' in 1972.
*
Leon Fernandez Bonilla (1840–1887) Historian, Lawyer, Diplomat, Journalist. Declared ''Benemerito de la Patria'' (Distinguished Citizen) in 1994.
*
Bernardo Soto Alfaro
Ramón Bernardo Soto Alfaro (12 February 1854 – 28 January 1931) was President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
Pres ...
(1854–1931) President of Costa Rica (1885–1889)
*
Anastasio Alfaro (1865–1951) Zoologist, Geologist, Archeologist, Ethnologist. Creator of the
Museo Nacional de Costa Rica
The Museo Nacional de Costa Rica is the national museum
A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or ...
.
*
Ricardo Fernandez Guardia (1867–1950) Historian, Author, Diplomat. Declared ''Benemerito de la Patria'' (Distinguished Citizen) in 1944.
*
León Cortés Castro (1882–1946) President of Costa Rica (1936–40)
*
Otilio Ulate
Luis Rafael de la Trinidad Otilio Ulate Blanco (August 25, 1891 – October 10, 1973) served as President of Costa Rica from 1949 to 1953. His French heritage comes from his mother, Ermida Blanco. He never married but had two daughters, Olga Ma ...
(1891–1973) President of Costa Rica (1949–53)
*
Carlos Luis Fallas
Carlos Luis Fallas Sibaja (January 21, 1909 – May 7, 1966), also known as Calufa (from the initial syllables of his first, middle and last name), was a Costa Rican author and communist political activist.
Born in Alajuela to a single mother, F ...
(1909–1966) Costa Rican most important author, political activist. Elected for the Congress (1944–48). Posthumously declared ''Benemérito de la Patria'' (Distinguished Citizen) in 1977.
*
Alejandro Morera Soto (1909–1995) Footballer. Played with
LD Alajuelense in Costa Rica, and
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football.
Found ...
, Spain.
*
Margarita Madrigal
Margarita Madrigal (May 15, 1912 – July 23, 1983) was a Costa Rican American author and language teacher best known for the ''Madrigal's Magic Key to...'' and ''An Invitation to...'' series. During her career, she wrote 25 books covering ...
(1919–1983) Best-selling author of language textbooks.
Born in or live in Alajuela
* Fernando Durán (1939– ) Author
*
Edgar Zúñiga
Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''gar'' "spear").
Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, rev ...
(1950– ) Sculptor
*
Jorge Arroyo
Jorge Eduardo Arroyo-Pérez (born in San José in 1959) is a Costa Rican writer, playwright, opinion columnist, essayist, poet and theater director. He is currently Costa Rica's ambassador to UNESCO.
The only author to receive four times the ...
(1959– ) Playwright
References
External links
*
Municipalidad de Alajuela, December 2007Directorio y Guía de Alajuela
{{Authority control
Greater Metropolitan Area (Costa Rica)
Districts of Alajuela Province