Tarrazú is the fifth
canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative division terminology
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and ente ...
in the province 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 ...
in
Costa Rica.
The head city of the canton is
San Marcos. It is part of
Los Santos Zone
Los Santos Zone ( es, Zona de los Santos) is a mountainous region in the San José Province of Costa Rica, in the center-south of the country. It is also known in Spanish as or just .
It corresponds to a wide sector of a series of intermontane ...
, together with
Dota
''Dota'' is a series of strategy video games by Valve. The series began in 2003 with the release of '' Defense of the Ancients'' (''DotA''), a fan-developed multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) mod for the video game '' Warcraft III: Reig ...
and
León Cortés Castro
León Cortés Castro (December 8, 1882 – March 3, 1946) was a Costa Rican politician. He served as President of Costa Rica from 1936 to 1940. During his term he introduced new bank reforms, supported banana plantations in the South Pacific re ...
.
Geography
Tarrazú has an area of
and a mean elevation of .
The Pirrís River (also known as Parrita River) establishes much of the northern boundary of the three-pronged canton, which reaches south across the Coastal Mountain Range to its border with the canton of
Aguirre in
Puntarenas Province
Puntarenas () is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the western part of the country, covering most of Costa Rica's Pacific Ocean coast, and it is the largest province in Costa Rica. Clockwise from the northwest it borders on the provinc ...
.
Tarrazu is located about south of the Capital San Jose, in a pristine valley surrounded by mountains that are part of the Talamanca Sierra in southern Costa Rica. Downtown San Marcos is above sea level but is surrounded by peaks as high as above sea level.
Districts
The canton of Tarrazú is subdivided into three
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 county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
:
#
San Marcos
#
San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Lawrence of Rome, Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to:
Places Argentina
* San Lorenzo, Santa Fe
* San Lorenzo Department, Chaco
* Monte San Lorenzo, a mountain on t ...
#
San Carlos
History
The canton was established by a legislative decree of 7 August 1868. It was part of the
Desamparados
Desamparados is a district of the Desamparados canton, in the 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 ...
canton by that time.
Demographics
At the
2011 census
Eleven or 11 may refer to:
* 11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12
* one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11
Literature
* ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn
*'' ...
, Tarrazú had a population of .
Transportation
Road transportation
The canton is covered by the following road routes:
Economy
Highland coffee is the main source of income of local people. However, tourism and avocado production are of increased importance. During the months of December, January and February, population increases three-fold due to harvest time. San Marcos, the biggest town in the region, has become the center of economic activity.
More recently the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity has invested millions of dollars in the Pirris Hydro Dam, scheduled to start generating energy by March 2011. The Hydro Dam is now the highest structure of its kind in Central America and will be key to the economic development of the region, not only in the highlands but the coastal regions of Quepos and Parrita.
The region is deeply dependent on remittances from emigres who live in the United States, namely New Jersey. Few households in the region do not have a family member who lives and works in the United States. Ironically, this outmigration has led to an influx of thousands of Panamanian laborers to help realize the annual coffee harvest.
Tarrazu, particularly the San Lorenzo area, is felt to produce the most desirable coffee in Costa Rica. ''Finca Palmilera'' coffee is grown here. In November 2012, it was the most expensive coffee sold in Starbucks coffee shops in the United States.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarrazu Canton
Cantons of San José Province