Costa Rica guide

San José, Costa Rica

San José is the capital and largest city of the nation of Costa Rica. It is also the capital of the San José Province. San José is located in the center of the country at 9°56′N 84°5′W; it is on a mountain plateau at an elevation of about 1,170 meters (3,839 feet) above sea level.

According to the 2000 census, the city had a population of 309,672 people in San José Canton: the latter half of the 20th century was a period of rapid growth for the city, considering that in 1950 its population was a mere 86,900. The metropolitan area of San José exceeds the canton limits and surpasses one million inhabitants.

History of San Jose:
A small village of little significance until [1824]. In that year, Costa Rica's first elected head of state, liberal Juan Mora Fernández, decided to move the government of Costa Rica from the old Spanish colonial capital of Cartago and make a fresh start with a new city. This was a time of much optimism in the newly independent nation of Central America, of which Costa Rica was at that time a state (see: History of Central America). The new capital of San José grew rapidly, extending into the Central Valley. Because of its late 18th century origin, San José has little of the Spanish colonial architecture common in most other Latin American capitals.

The University of Costa Rica was established here in 1843, in that time with the name of "University of Santo Tomás". San José also serves as the headquarters of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The city is served by Juan Santamaría International Airport, 23 km west of downtown, near Alajuela.

Important places in the city include the Banco Central de Costa Rica building, the Banco Nacional building (much taller than other buildings nearby, giving the city its particular skyline), La Sabana Metropolitan Park, Avenida Central (a pedestrian thoroughfare and one of the major commercial areas in the city). The Central Park and the Plaza de la Cultura are visited by thousands of workers and tourists every day. The Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica (National Theatre of Costa Rica), Melico Salazar Theater, and the Cathedral are other landmarks in the central area. In the south, the Clínica Bíblica (a private hospital) and the Pacific Train Station are important buildings.

Climate

San José City lies in the Torrid Zone, like the rest of the country, but its elevation gives it a mild climate. The temperature ranges between 18 °C and 26 °C. The rainy season is from April to late November but cloudiness and rainfall can occur during the dry season. Relative humidity tends to range between 60% and 90%.

Attractions

The National Theather and the Melico Salazar offer hectic calendars of cultural activities, featuring theather and dance groups and orchestra music throughout the year.

Besides the nightlife in San José, there are many museums and other attractions offering alternative ways of exploring the city. One of these is the Gold Museum, which offers a rare look at various gold artifacts of the ancient Latin American civilizations. An interesting attraction for the less adventurous is the Lankester Botanical Gardens just outside of San José.
A third well-known, though more controversial, landmark is the Hotel and Casino del Rey, which is a hotel infamous for its ease of meeting people (local and foreign). It's located in the heart of San José and is host to the Blue Marlin Bar.

There are some cafés in the downtown area, in the Central Mail building, The National Theather and the Melico Salazar, where national coffee is prepared and served in typical Costa Rican ways.

Also see:
• Wildlife of Costa Rica
• List of birds of Costa Rica

See:
• Costa Rica information
• Guanacaste Province
• Liberia, Costa Rica
• San José, Costa Rica

• Tamarindo
• Manuel Antonio
• Arenal Volcano
• Osa Peninsula and Corcovado National Park
• Monteverde

• Kayaking
• Beaches

• Casa Mar Lodge
• Hotels in Monteverde
• Property
• Adventure Tours are in Costa Rica
• Costa Rica Luxury Real Estate Agents
• Costa Rica Scuba Diving Paradise
• travel to costa rica
• real estate in costa rica

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "San José, Costa Rica".