Quesada is a
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
of the
San Carlos canton, in the
Alajuela
Alajuela () is a district in the Alajuela canton of the Alajuela Province of Costa Rica. 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 i ...
province of
Costa Rica.
It is the head city of the canton of
San Carlos. Although Ciudad Quesada is the official name, it is commonly referred to by the area name of San Carlos. Ciudad Quesada is also the most populous city in the canton of San Carlos.
The city is the economic and political center of the region, especially for the agricultural and dairy industries. The Quesada district and its surrounding areas produce about 65% of all milk in Costa Rica.
Geography
Quesada has an area of km
2 and an elevation of metres.
It is located at the foot of the
Cordillera Central (Central Mountain Range) on the southern edge of the San Carlos Plain, an expansive lowland that forms a major part of the Caribbean slope in northern Costa Rica. It is 79 km northwest of the provincial capital city of
Alajuela
Alajuela () is a district in the Alajuela canton of the Alajuela Province of Costa Rica. 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 i ...
and 90.9 km from the national capital city of
San José.
History
The city was first called La Unión, which was later changed to Villa Quesada. Villa Quesada was granted the title of "Ciudad" (City) by law on July 8, 1953.
Demographics
For the
2011 census, Quesada had a population of inhabitants.
Transportation
Road transportation
The district is covered by the following road routes:
*
National Route 140
*
National Route 141
*
National Route 748
Economy
The city is a major commercial center for ranching and agricultural enterprises in the surrounding area. It is known for its leather goods, as well as for its dairy production. The city harbours some important manufacturing plants related to the agribusiness sector.
This city harbors facilities of Costa Rica's largest dairy cooperative in order to produce cheese and powder milk. It also has a R&D center operating in the same facilitie
Dos Pinos
Tourism
There are several hot springs in the area, some of which have developed into resorts, attracting Costa Ricans and foreign tourists.
Nearby places of interest
Zoológico La Marina is a private nonprofit zoo operated by the Alfaro family on five hectares of their cattle ranch. There are more than 450 species of animals and birds on display, most of which were confiscated by the government from illegal private ownership. The facility also maintains a successful breeding program of tapirs, an increasingly endangered species. It is 11 kilometers northeast of Ciudad Quesada on the road to Aguas Zarcas.
Sports
The town's football club is
A.D. San Carlos
Asociación Deportiva San Carlos is a Costa Rican football team based in Ciudad Quesada, the capital of San Carlos, Alajuela. They currently play in the Costa Rican First Division. Their home stadium is Estadio Carlos Ugalde Álvarez.
History
...
, who have spent over 25 years in the
Costa Rican Primera División
The Primera División of Costa Rica, commonly known as Fútbol de Primera División (FPD), and Liga Promerica for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional association football division in Costa Rica. It is administered by the Unión de Clubes ...
. They play their home games at the
Estadio Carlos Ugalde Álvarez
Estadio Carlos Ugalde Álvarez is a multi-use stadium in Ciudad Quesada, Costa Rica. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of A.D. San Carlos
Asociación Deportiva San Carlos is a Costa Rican football team bas ...
.
See also
*
Canton of San Carlos
*
District of Florencia
*
District of Buenavista
*
District of Aguas Zarcas
*
District of Venecia
*
District of Pital
*
District of La Fortuna
*
District of La Tigra
*
District of La Palmera
*
District of Venado
*
District of Cutris
*
District of Monterrey
*
District of Pocosol
*
List of districts of Costa Rica
According to the Territorial Administrative Division the cantons of Costa Rica are subdivided into 488 districts (''distritos''), each of which has a unique five digit postal code.
Government organization
Each canton is divided into distric ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Districts of Alajuela Province
Populated places in Alajuela Province