Montes de Oca is a
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 ...
.
The head city of the canton is
San Pedro.
Toponymy
Its name honors a former congressional representative from the area, Don Faustino Montes de Oca (1859–1902).
History
Montes de Oca was created on 1 August 1915 by decree 45.
Geography
Montes de Oca has an area of km²
and a mean elevation of metres.
The elongated canton reaches from the suburbs of the national capital of
San José eastward to the province of Cartago, and neighbors the cantons of
Curridabat
Curridabat is a district of the Curridabat canton, in the San José province of Costa Rica.
Geography
Curridabat has an area of km2 and an elevation of metres.
It is situated on the eastern border of the San José capital city, north of ...
,
San José,
Cartago, and Goicoechea. The Torres River delineate a portion of the northern boundary, while the Ocloro River and Poró Creek mark the southern boundary.
Districts
The canton of Montes de Oca is subdivided into the following
districts
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 ...
:
#
San Pedro
#
Sabanilla
Sabanilla is a town and one of the 119 Municipalities of Chiapas, in southern Mexico.
As of 2010, the municipality had a total population of 25,187, up from 21,156 as of 2005. It covers an area of 171.4 km2.
As of 2010, the town of Sabanill ...
#
Mercedes
#
San Rafael
Demographics
For the
2011 census, Montes de Oca had a population of inhabitants.
The canton is known for its high level of commercial development, the number of universities and other centers of higher education, and its active night life. It is one of the most urbanized and vibrant cantons in the San José area, both day and night.
Montes de Oca ranks first in the Costa Rican cantonal HDI, with 0,946.
Education
Montes de Oca is known in Costa Rica as the ''Cradle of Higher Education'' as it is home to the
University of Costa Rica
The University of Costa Rica (Spanish: ''Universidad de Costa Rica,'' abbreviated UCR) is a public university in the Republic of Costa Rica, in Central America. Its main campus, Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio, is located in San Pedro Mo ...
as well as other university-level centers of study, such as the
Universidad Latina
Latin University of Costa Rica ( es, Universidad Latina de Costa Rica), commonly called ''ULatina'', is the largest private university in Costa Rica, with more than 16,000 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs in Business, Educat ...
and the Universidad Americana (UAM) Escuela Laboratorio. The canton can boast of 99% literacy, compared with 95% in Costa Rica at large.
Points of interest
* ''Fuente de la Hispanidad'' (The Fountain of Hispanity), a large fountain in a major roundabout built in the mid-80s that focuses on Costa Rica's cultural heritage. It is a major landmark in the area.
* Mall San Pedro, a shopping center built in the mid-90s, contains tattoo parlors, a movie theater, a food court, video game shops, and clothing stores.
* ''Iglesia de San Pedro'' (San Pedro Catholic Church)
* ''
Calle de la Amargura
The {{lang, es, Calle de la Amargura ("Bitterness Street") is a four-block-long street located
in San Pedro district, Montes de Oca canton, and is one of the best-known zones near San José city. ''La Calle'', as it is often called, is very clo ...
'' (Bitterness Street) a street centered around the nightlife of the University of Costa Rica.
Transportation
Road transportation
The canton is covered by the following road routes:
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 canton.
References
{{CostaRica-geo-stub
Cantons of San José Province
Populated places in San José Province
Greater Metropolitan Area (Costa Rica)