Alajuela (city)

Submitted by editor on Sat, 03/27/2010 - 16:08

Alajuela

— City —

Cathedral and Central Park of Alajuela.

Seal

Nickname(s): Ciudad de los Mangos (Spanish)
" City of Mangoes "

Motto: Pro Patria Nostra — Sanguis Noster

(Latin)
" For our country, our blood "

Alajuela

Location in Costa Rica

Coordinates: 10°01′N 84°13′W / 10.017°N 84.217°W

Country

Costa Rica

Province

Alajuela Province

District

Alajuela Canton

Founded

1782

Districts

Alajuela
San José
Carrizal
San Antonio
Guácima
San Isidro
Sabanilla
San Rafael
Río Segundo
Desamparados
Turrúcares
Tambor
Garita
Sarapiquí

Government

- Mayor

Roberto Thompson

Area

- Total

8.88 km² (3.4 sq mi)

Population

- Total

46,554

Website

http://www.munialajuela.go.cr

Alajuela is the capital city of the province of Alajuela in Costa Rica. It is also the name of the district that includes the city. Alajuela serves as the capital for the canton of Alajuela, an area much larger than the district. It is the birthplace of Juan Santamaría, the national hero of Costa Rica. Juan Santamaría International Airport, the main airport serving Costa Rica (IATA: SJO / ICAO: MROC), is located 3 kilometers south of the city.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Economy
4 Administrative divisions
5 Gallery

Geography

The district of Alajuela covers an area of 8.88 km², and has a population of 46,554. It lies at an elevation of 952 meters above sea level in the Central Valley (Valle Central), 19 kilometers northwest of the national capital city of San José.

It was created by law Nº 36, on December 7, 1848 with two cantons and eight parochial districts.

In the pre-Columbian era, the land that today is Alajuela was inhabited to the south by indigenous Garabito tribes, and to the north by that of the Votos.

The province of Alajuela is one of the largest in the country. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the province of San Jose to the south, the province of Heredia to the east, and the provinces of Guanacaste and Puntarenas to the west.

Its participation in important historical events has ensured it has a privileged place in Costa Rican history. The national hero Juan Santamaría, who died during the campaign in 1856 to remove invaders threatening Costa Rica's sovereignty, was born in Alajuela. This historical event is celebrated and remembered every year on the 11th of April and it is a national holiday.

Alajuela's climate is renowned as one of the best worldwide.

The area often experiences earthquakes; the 2009 magnitude 6.1 earthquake was the strongest to hit the area, causing several landslides.

History

In pre-Columbian times the land where canton of Alajuela is today was part of the so-called Huetar Kingdom of the West, which was inhabited by native tribes, who at the time of the Spanish conquest were led by Chief Garabito.

The first Spanish settlers came in 1650, and established themselves in the untouched lands of the region. Later, in a letter of obligation granted in 1864, the place is mentioned as La Lajuela in the Valley of Barva, near the Canoas river.

In 1777 the dwellers of La Lajuela and Ciruelas, having been served with notice to move to Villa Vieja (today’s Heredia), requested the provisional construction of a public place of prayer in the house of Don Dionysius Oconitrillo, of Spanish origin, 30 meters north of where Alajuela’s cathedral is today. After increases of population in the five existing quarters then: Targuaz, Puás, Ciruelas, La Lajuela and Rio Grande, the citizens faced difficulties to maintain their religious obligations, so they requested the Bishop of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, Monsignor don Esteban Lorenzo de Tristán, permission to erect a parish and a public place of prayer.

According to a motion issued in the Spanish Parliament of Cadiz (Spain, May 19, 1812), the first town hall of Alajuela was founded in 1813. On December 18th of the same year, the La Lajuela quarter obtained the title of town and it was renamed: it was first called "Villa Hermosa," then it was called "San Juan Nepomuceno de Alajuela" and finally the title of city was granted on November 20th 1824 and with it the name "Alajuela" which remains today.

Alajuela is also the hometown of one of the most popular soccer teams of the country, Liga Deportiva Alajuelense soccer club.

Economy

The main exports are coffee, sugar-cane, corn, beans, tobacco, citrus fruits, strawberries, tubers like cassava, flowers and ornamental plants. Other commercial activities include poultry farming, beekeeping, pig farming and the dairy industry.