San Juan de Santa Bárbara
| San Juan de Santa Bárbara | |
|---|---|
| District | |
San Juan de Santa Bárbara de Heredia's Patron Saint
|
|
 San Juan de Santa Bárbara
|
|
| Coordinates: 10°1′51″N 84°10′21″W / 10.03083°N 84.17250°WCoordinates: 10°1′51″N 84°10′21″W / 10.03083°N 84.17250°W | |
| Country |
 Costa Rica
|
| Province | Heredia Province |
| Canton | Santa Bárbara |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.43 km2 (1.71 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,045 m (3,428 ft) |
| Population (2009) | |
| • Total | 6,396 |
| • Density | 1,400/km2 (3,700/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Vecino de San Juan, San Juaneño |
| Time zone | Central Standard Time (UTC-6) |
| Climate | Am |
San Juan de Santa Bárbara is one of the six districts that make up the canton of Santa Bárbara in Heredia, Costa Rica. The district consists of two major neighborhoods: San Juan Arriba (Upper San Juan), and San Juan Abajo (Lower San Juan).
Like the rest of the canton, before the Spanish settlers came, Santa Bárbara was originally occupied by the Huetares, an indigenous tribe. The Huetare King, Cacique Garabito, dominated the area. When the Spanish arrived, they originally called the area Churruca or Surruco.Heredia, Barva, and Alajuela, three neighboring cities, were populated and settled in the late 1700s. As trade increased between the three cities, the canton developed.
In 1836, an Englishman named John Hale sold his land to residents of what is now San Juan. The land was bought using profits from the sugarcane that was grown at the time. On 7 December 1848, the fourth canton of Heredia was created, with San Juan as a founding district.
In 1852, Horacio Morales helped build the first chapel in San Juan, although many parishioners still went to Santa Bárbara. By 1885, the district educated as many boys as girls, with schools for both.
San Juan inaugurated the canton's first hydroelectric plant in 1914 along the Porrosatí River that separates the districts of Santa Bárbara and San Juan. During Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno second term in office, between 1924 and 1928, water delivery systems were installed in San Juan using water from the Potrerillos River.
San Juan's main economic activity is agricultural production, particularly coffee. In 1973, 1,074 kilograms of coffee were produced in San Juan. Because of a sawmill in the district, another important activity was lumber production.
There are various commercial businesses in San Juan, including restaurants and corner stores. There is a coffee processing facility in San Juan which serves many local farmers. San Juan is locally known for a ceviche restaurant near its central plaza.
San Juan was featured in an episode of Repretel's "Informe Once" (Eleven Report). The episode described several cottage industries in the district, including an agricultural producer and an ice-cream maker, as well as a country house in the traditional Costa Rican adobe and cane style.
...
Wikipedia