Merced 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 counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

of the San José canton, in the San José province 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 ...

. It is one of the four administrative units that form San José downtown () properly. This division is merely commercial, but covers an important part of "josefino" life and activities.

Geography

Merced has an area of 2.17 km² and an elevation of 1154 metres. Merced lies in the north of the canton, limiting only with Tibás Canton from

San José Province 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, Limón, Cartago and Puntarenas. The provincial and national capital ...

to the north, and with the districts of

Uruca Uruca is the seventh district of the San José canton, in the San José province of Costa Rica. It is an important industrial and commercial area of San José. Commonly known as La Uruca, it's the second biggest district by area (after Pavas), ...

to the north,

Mata Redonda Mata Redonda is a district of the San José canton, in the San José province of Costa Rica. Geography Mata Redonda has an area of 3.69 km2 and an elevation of 1125 metres. It borders with two San José cantons, Escazú and Alajuelit ...

to the west,

Hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

to the south, and

and El Carmen districts to the east, all of them from the same canton of San José.Mapa Cantonal del Censo de 1984
published by the National Institute of Statistics and Census(INEC) and updated by the Central American Population Center (CCP)

Locations

This district comprehend several "barrios" or neighbourhoods, like Bajos de la Unión, Claret, Coca-Cola, Iglesias Flores, Mantica, Barrio México, Paso de la Vaca y Pitahaya. In the territory there are many banks, public institutions and popular markets. Its main landmark is the

Costa Rican Center of Science and Culture The Centro Costarricense de la Ciencia y la Cultura (Costa Rican Center of Science and Culture) is a science and culture museum complex in Costa Rica. Located in a fortress-like building that once served as the central penitentiary between 1910 an ...

, one of the main institutions of Costa Rican culture. The neighborhoods are full of history and some of them are known for received several immigrants from all over the world during different decades. By the early 1950s a lot of members of the Jewish and Asian communities were established around Paseo Colón near Barrio La Pitahaya and Mantica, this changed drastically after moving San José Synagogue to the West Area of the city (Escazú). Nowadays the zone is populated by Costa Ricans, Nicaraguans, Colombians, Venezuelans, Americans, Italians and Dominicans, making La Pitahaya one of the most diverse neighborhood in SJO. Barrio Mexico and Barrio Claret has been the first stop in San José for thousands for limonenses since the early 1960s.

Demographics

For the 2011 census, Merced had a population of 12257 inhabitants.

Transportation

Road transportation

The district is covered by the following road routes: * CR RNP 1

National Route 1 * CR RNS 108

National Route 108

External links

Municipalidad de San José. Distrito Merced
– Website of San Jose Mayor, includes a map of the district and related info.

References

{{CostaRica-geo-stub Districts of San José Province Populated places in San José Province