Grecia 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, municip ...

of the Grecia canton, in the

Alajuela Alajuela () is a district in the Alajuela (canton), 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 ...

province of

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

. Grecia has an area of and an elevation of . It is in the foothills 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 ** ...

on the eastern edge of the Central Valley. The city, which was once named "the cleanest city in Latin America,"

Geography

Grecia has an area of and an elevation of . It is in the foothills of the

on the eastern edge of the Central Valley. The city, which was once named "the cleanest city in Latin America," is northwest of the provincial capital city of Alajuela, from

Juan Santamaría International Airport Juan Santamaría International Airport () is the primary airport serving San José, the capital of Costa Rica. The airport is located in Alajuela Province, northwest of downtown San José. It is named after Costa Rica's national hero, Juan ...

, and from the national capital city of San José.

History

Pre-Columbian Era

Grecia, and its neighboring districts, was previously inhabited by

indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

belonging to the Western Huetar Kingdom. This presence occurred during the reign of King Garabito.

19th Century

Grecia was petitioned to be founded as a town as early as October 1828. The first group of settlers, who later became bosses to future settlers, found the unestablished land to be very fertile. Furthermore, the

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonom ...

motivated these travelers to discover pathways up North by offering them incentives. These discoveries and rewards led to an increase of migration of settlers into the northwest of the Central Valley, looking for unclaimed land to work on. Eventually, the increase of settlements and construction of homes in the territory motivated residents to look for permission from the local government to officially establish the town. Their request, named File Number 21, was not approved until ten years later. Legislation Number 69 was signed and enacted on April 27, 1838. The act allowed travelers to explore past the "other side of the Poas" and construct a settlement they would call Grecia.

Economy

Grecia is part of the tourist route of the western region of the Central Valley of Costa Rica, given the existence in the canton of waterfalls, protected areas, and the Catholic church of Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, which is part of Costa Rica's historical-architectural heritage.

Culture

Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes

Grecia is noted for its unique church, , made entirely of pre-fabricated steel plates painted red. The building was constructed in the 19th century to represent the practice of Catholic religion in Grecia and honor the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

. Initially approved to be designed as a doric style brick temple, the Church of Our Lady of Mercy is built with neoclassical influence due to Angel Miguel Velasquez, secretary of

public works Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and procured by a government body for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, ...

at the time who introduced the design to the district. There are several urban legends about this church. One recounts how the church was donated by some foreign country, and sent to

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

as a gift, but was wrongly shipped to Grecia, Costa Rica. Another legend states that the final destination of the church was the city of

Punta Arenas Punta Arenas (, historically known as Sandy Point in English) is the capital List of cities in Chile, city of Chile's southernmost Regions of Chile, region, Magallanes Region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. Although officially renamed as ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

but was disembarked, by mistake, in the port of

Puntarenas Puntarenas () is a city in the Puntarenas Province, on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. As the seat of the Municipality of Puntarenas canton, it is awarded the title of city, which comprises the Puntarenas, Chacarita and El Roble districts. A ...

, Costa Rica, and later sent to the city of Grecia, where it was assembled. However, records clearly show that the instruction, shipment, and construction of the church were a coordinated effort of Grecia's population, the Catholic Church, the Costa Rican government, and Alejo E. Jiménez Bonnefil (1858–1922), a Costa Rican coffee producer and exporter who was in charge of commanding and importing the church from the manufacturer in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, in the late 19th century.

Parks and recreation

Grecia Central Park

Located in front of Our Lady of Mercy Church, Grecia Central Park is one of the many parks in the district. The park has undergone numerous changes over the past few years, including the remodeling of its entire electrical system. The

recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for happiness, enjoyment, amusement, ...

ground is primarily used for walking. After numerous closures, however, the local government made an effort to promote the use of the space for its residents. The Vamos al Parque program, in collaboration with 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 ...

, developed events such as free art, education, and recreation activities for its residents.

Flora and fauna

A toucan named Grecia is the first toucan to receive a prosthetic beak. Its name is due to where the bird was found injured prior to its admission to the

Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center, formerly Rescate Animal Zoo Ave, is an urban park of approximately , located in La Garita, in the canton of Alajuela, Costa Rica. It has an average altitude of 814 meters and is bounded to the north by the bed of t ...

(formerly Rescate Animal Zoo Ave), south of the city.

Demographics

In June 2023, the population of Grecia was predicted to be 16,158—an 8% increase over 2011. In the district, population is predicted to vary by age, with 21.4% at age 19 and under, 6.5% from 20 to 24, 35.7% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64 and 11.1% who were 65 or more.Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos, Box 3, Costa Rica
Población total proyectada al 30 de junio por grupos de edades, según provincia, cantón, distrito, y sexo.
2023

Government and politics

The

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

of the district of Grecia is that of the Grecia canton—Grecia is a district in the Grecia canton. The municipality serves every district in the canton and its main responsibility is to administer local services and satisfy the interests of its residents. In 2020, Francisco Murillo Quesada, a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

, became the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of the Grecia canton. This also made him the mayor of the district of Grecia. He succeeded Minor Molina in May 2020. The first and second vice mayors of Grecia are Nora Maria Suarez Cruz and Francisco Rodriguez Gutierrez, respectively.''Numero 1494-E11-2020. Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones,''
(PDF) Republica de Costa Rica. Retrieved 12 March 2024 The district of Grecia is one of the seven districts that belong to the local government of the Grecia canton. The municipality consists of a popularly elected

council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

, a

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, refers to anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the ...

for each district, and a mayor. Currently, the trustee of the Grecia district is Luz María Jiménez Arrieta. She succeeded Roy José Rodríguez Corrales, who resigned in 2023.
Numero 5509-M-2023 Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones
' (PDF) Republica de Costa Rica. Retrieved 14 March 2024.

Transportation

Road transportation

The district is covered by the following road routes: * CR RNS 107

National Route 107 * CR RNS 118

National Route 118 * CR RNS 154

National Route 154 * CR RNT 711

National Route 711

References

{{Districts of Alajuela Province Districts of Alajuela Province Populated places in Alajuela Province