Alajuelita (canton)
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Alajuelita | |
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Alajuelita Cross, was illuminated and visible from most of the Central Valley | |
![]() Alajuelita canton | |
Coordinates: 9°53′20″N 84°06′55″W / 9.8890038°N 84.1151684°W | |
Country | ![]() |
Province | San José |
Creation | 4 June 1909 |
Head city | Alajuelita |
Districts | |
Government | |
• Type | Municipality |
• Body | Municipalidad de Alajuelita |
• Mayor | María del Rosario Siles Fernández[a] (PNG) |
Area | |
• Total | 21.47 km2 (8.29 sq mi) |
Elevation | 1,194 m (3,917 ft) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 77,603 |
• Estimate (2022) | 81,012 |
• Density | 3,600/km2 (9,400/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC−06:00 |
Canton code | 110 |
Website | munialajuelita |
Alajuelita is a canton in the San José province of Costa Rica.[1][2]
History
[edit]Alajuelita was created on 4 June 1909 by decree 58.[2] The first settlements in the area occurred by 1650. The name "Alajuelita" comes from a diminutive form of the name of Alajuela Province due to original settlers coming from that province.
Geography
[edit]Alajuelita has an area of 21.47 km2 (8.29 sq mi)[3] and a mean elevation of 1,194 m (3,917 ft).[1]
The odd-shaped canton reaches southwest from the suburbs of the national capital city of San José. It is delineated by the Tiribí River on the northeast, Cañas River on the east, Poás River on the southeast, and the Cerros de Escazú at it far southwestern end. The Santuario Nacional Santo Cristo de Esquipulas is located in this canton[4] along with the San Miguel Hill, whose metallic cross built at its peak is definitely one of the more beloved landmarks in Costa Rican Central Region.[5]
Government
[edit]Mayor
[edit]According to Costa Rica's Municipal Code, mayors are elected every four years by the population of the canton.[6] As of the latest municipal elections in 2024, the New Generation Party candidate, María del Rosario Siles Fernández[a], was elected mayor of the canton with 47.78% of the votes, with Jonathan Miguel Arrieta Ulloa and Javiera Tatiana Centeno Barboza as first and second vice mayors, respectively.[7]
Period | Name | Party |
---|---|---|
2002–2006 | Víctor Hugo Echavarría Ureña[b] | ![]() |
2006–2010 | Tómas Poblador Soto | ![]() |
2010–2016 | Víctor Hugo Echavarría Ureña[b] | ![]() |
2016–2020 | Modesto Alpizar Luna | ![]() |
2020–2024 | ||
2024–2028 | Michaell Álvarez Quirós |
Municipal Council
[edit]Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (called regidores) are elected every four years. Alajuelita's Municipal Council has 7 seats for regidores and their substitutes, who can participate in meetings but not vote unless the owning regidor (regidor propietario) is absent.[6] The current president of the Municipal Council is the Social Christian Unity Party member Henry David Salazar Quesada, with New Generation Party member Grettel Andrea Murillo Quirós as vice president.[9] The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024–2028 period is as follows:
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Political parties in the Municipal Council of Alajuelita | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Political party | Regidores | ||||
№ | Owner | Substitute | |||
![]() |
New Generation Party (PNG) | 3 | Laura Alicia Araúz Tenorio | Rosibel Calderón Chinchilla | |
José Alix Reyes Gómex[c] | Hector Alonso Hidalgo Sánchez | ||||
Grettel Andrea Murillo Quirós(VP) | Flor Zúñiga Rodríguez | ||||
![]() |
Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC) | 2 | Henry David Salazar Quesada(P) | Luis Fernando Chinchilla Retana | |
Patricia Mayela Guido Chinchilla | Katherine Marcela Mora Bonilla | ||||
![]() |
National Liberation Party (PLN) | 1 | Leyda María Badilla Sánchez | Carolina Mora Sibaja | |
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Our Town Party (PNP) | 1 | José Alberto Páez Zúñiga | Esteban Emilio Chavarría Villalta |
Districts
[edit]The canton of Alajuelita is subdivided into the following districts:
Demographics
[edit]Census | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
1927 | 2,571 | — |
1950 | 3,920 | +1.85% |
1963 | 10,848 | +8.14% |
1973 | 23,013 | +7.81% |
1984 | 31,390 | +2.86% |
2000 | 70,297 | +5.17% |
2011 | 77,603 | +0.90% |
2022 | 97,158 | +2.06% |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos[11] Centro Centroamericano de Población[12] |
Alajuelita had an estimated population of 81,012 people in 2022, up from 77,603 at the time of the 2011 census.[13][14]
In 2022, Alajuelita had a Human Development Index of 0.712.[15]
Education
[edit]- Escuela San Felipe, founded 1966
Transportation
[edit]Road transportation
[edit]The canton is covered by the following road routes:
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Declara oficial para efectos administrativos, la aprobación de la División Territorial Administrativa de la República N°41548-MGP". Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica (in Spanish). 19 March 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ a b División Territorial Administrativa de la República de Costa Rica (PDF) (in Spanish). Editorial Digital de la Imprenta Nacional. 8 March 2017. ISBN 978-9977-58-477-5.
- ^ Instituto Geográfico Nacional de Costa Rica (20 June 2024). "División Territorial Administrativa, 2024 – Totales de Provincias, Cantones y Distritos de Costa Rica" [Administrative Territorial Division, 2024 – Totals of Provinces, Cantons and Districts of Costa Rica] (PDF) (in Spanish).
- ^ "Santuario Nacional Santo Cristo de Esquipulas". 11 October 2017.
- ^ "La cruz del cerro San Miguel en Alajuelita" (PDF). kerwa.ucr.ac.cr (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- ^ a b Asamblea Legislativa de la República de Costa Rica (13 May 2024). "Código Municipal" [Municipal Code]. Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica (in Spanish).
- ^ Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (8 March 2024). "N.° 2157-E11-2024 - Declaratoria de elección de alcaldías y vicealcaldías de las municipalidades de los cantones de la provincia de Cartago, para el período comprendido entre el primero de mayo de dos mil veinticuatro y el treinta de abril de dos mil veintiocho" (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones. "Resoluciones declaratorias de elección". Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ "Concejo Municipal 2024 - 2028". Alajuelita Gobierno Local (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (12 March 2024). "N.° 2220-E11-2024 - Declaratoria de elección de regidurías de las municipalidades de los cantones de la provincia de Cartago, para el período comprendido entre el primero de mayo de dos mil veinticuatro y el treinta de abril de dos mil veintiocho" (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ "Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos" (in Spanish).
- ^ Centro Centroamericano de Población de la Universidad de Costa Rica. "Sistema de Consulta a Bases de Datos Estadísticas" (in Spanish).
- ^ Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (July 2023). Estimación de Población y Vivienda 2022 : Resultados Generales [2022 Population and Housing Estimate : General Results] (PDF) (in Spanish). ISBN 9789930525753. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ "Censo. 2011. Población total por zona y sexo, según provincia, cantón y distrito". Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ Sistema Nacional de Información y Registro Único de Beneficiarios del Estado; Escuela de Estadística de la Universidad de Costa Rica; Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (9 June 2023). "Atlas de Desarrollo Humano Cantonal en Costa Rica, 2022". Retrieved 22 August 2024.