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 counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

of the San Carlos canton, in the Alajuela 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 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 km² and an elevation of metres. It is located at the foot of the

Cordillera Central Central Cordillera refers to the New Guinea Highlands. Cordillera Central, meaning ''central range'' in Spanish, may refer to the following mountain ranges: * Cordillera Central, Andes (disambiguation), several mountain ranges in South America ** ...

(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 and 90.9 km from the national capital city of

San José San José or San Jose (Spanish for Saint Joseph) most often refers to: *San Jose, California, United States *San José, Costa Rica, the nation's capital San José or San Jose may also refer to: Places Argentina * San José, Buenos Aires ** San ...

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: * CR RNS 140

National Route 140 * CR RNS 141

National Route 141 * CR RNT 748

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. 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 ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Districts of Alajuela Province Populated places in Alajuela Province