San José, Costa Rica
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Images, from top down, left to right: San José skyline, Chinatown, Central Avenue, Herdocia Building, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese, the Juan Mora Fernández statue, the Garabito, inside view of the National Theatre of Costa Rica, the Costa Rican Center of Science and Culture.
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| Nickname(s): Chepe | ||||||||||
| Motto: Ad Meliora (Latin) "Towards better things" |
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 San José and surrounding area |
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 San José
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| Coordinates: 9°56′N 84°5′W / 9.933°N 84.083°WCoordinates: 9°56′N 84°5′W / 9.933°N 84.083°W | ||||||||||
| Country | Costa Rica | |||||||||
| Province | San José | |||||||||
| Canton | San José | |||||||||
| Founded | ca. 1739 | |||||||||
| Capital as of | 16 May 1823 | |||||||||
| Boroughs | 8 districts | |||||||||
| Government | ||||||||||
| • Mayor | Johnny Araya Monge (PASJ | |||||||||
| Area | ||||||||||
| • City and municipality | 44.62 km2 (17.23 sq mi) | |||||||||
| • Metro | 2,044 km2 (789 sq mi) | |||||||||
| Elevation | 1,172 m (3,845 ft) | |||||||||
| Population (2015) | ||||||||||
| • City and municipality | 333,981 | |||||||||
| • Density | 6,455.71/km2 (16,720.2/sq mi) | |||||||||
| • Urban | 1,543,000 (March 2,013) | |||||||||
| • Metro | 2,158,898 | |||||||||
| • Metro density | 1,056.2/km2 (2,736/sq mi) | |||||||||
| • Demonym | Josefino/a | |||||||||
| Time zone | Central Standard Time (UTC-6) | |||||||||
| Postal Code | 10101 | |||||||||
| Area code(s) | + 506 | |||||||||
| HDI (2011) | 0.756 – high | |||||||||
| Climate | Aw | |||||||||
| Website | http://www.msj.go.cr | |||||||||
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San José (literally meaning "Saint Joseph", pronounced: [saŋ xoˈse]) is the capital of Costa Rica and the nation's largest city. Located in the Central Valley, in the western province of the country, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation. The population of San José Canton is 288,054, though the metropolitan area stretches beyond the canton limits and comprises a third of the country's population. It is named in honor of Joseph of Nazareth.
Though few people live in the city center, it is the most important working area of the country, which brings in more than a million people daily. Despite its problems, according to studies in Latin America, San José is still one of the safest and least violent cities in the region. In 2006, the city was appointed Ibero-American Capital of Culture.
San José is the sixth-most important destination in Latin America, according to The MasterCard Global Destinations Cities Index 2012. San José ranked 15th in the world’s fastest-growing destination cities by visitor cross-border spending.
The population grew during the eighteenth-century colonial planning, which was different from the traditional foundation plans of Spanish cities in the continent.
Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, its objective was to concentrate the scattered inhabitants of the Aserrí Valley. To do so, the construction of a chapel near the area known as La Boca del Monte was ordered; this was completed two years later. That year St. Joseph was chosen as parish patron, hence its current name. The chapel, which was very modest, was erected with help from the church of Cartago.
San José had water problems, and that was one of the main reasons that the population grew slowly. However, the water supply was assured by ditches, and the fertility of the surrounding fields along with the installation of the Tobacco Factory of Costa Rica, which would aid urban concentration.
As San José, unlike what happened to Cartago, was not founded with a formal act of foundation, it was not considered as a city or town, and consequently the city lacked a city government. It was not until the enactment of the Constitution of Cádiz in 1812 when San José had its first city government. In 1813, the Spanish parliament gave the town the title of city, which was then lost in 1814 when Ferdinand VII of Spain annulled the proceedings by the courts. The municipal government was restored in 1820 with the title of city population.
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Wikipedia