Alajuela City and Canton

Some Facts

Districts

History

The village of Alajuela was established between the rivers Alajuela (Maravilla) and Ciruelas, as the population center (then called La Lajuela). It is considered the best location in the Barva valley. There is a popular story that claims that the river Itiquís was also called the river of the grandmother (abuela) and that would have given the name of today’s Alajuela.

Alajuela participated in several different historical events. In 1823 it battled under the command of Gregorio José Ramírez to defeat the Republic against the Imperialist that occupied the cartel of Cartago; San José joined forces with Alajuela and both troops marched to the battle of Ochomogo the 5th of April 1823. That was the first time that Costa Ricans battled against Costa Ricans. As a consequence of this battle, this was won by the joined forces, San José became the capital city of Costa Rica. Alajuela contributed with its National Hero Juan Santamaría, who burned the house of Rivas in 1856 during that campaign.

General Description

Alajuela is famous for its healthy and good climate. Just like in the rest of the Central Valley, but since it is a little further to the west, it is protected from some of the Atlantic rains and a bit warmer than San José. This climate may have influenced the characters of their people, which is very friendly and lively. The central part to the canton is plain and almost totally cultivated. The volcanic soils are excellent for agriculture. Rivers like the Titiquís and the Brasil bring irrigation water to the area. In the area called Sarapiquí, you'll find the river with the same name, which is one of the principal rivers there. Alajuela is a province with beautiful countryside and perfect weather.

Places of Interest

Interesting sites of Alajuela are its Cathedral, a swimming place called Ojo de Agua ( eye of water), the airport Juan Santamaría, many nurseries in La Garita and also there the Bird Zoo with lots of exotic national birds, the zoo of La Garita where you'll find many examples of the national fauna, the river Grande, with its bridge that dates back to colonial times. If you go further north, the climate gets cooler. There you will find places like the laguna of Fraijanes, which is conditioned for tourists and lots of other places, including farms that export flowers and the volcano Poás that offers breathtaking views and beautiful waterfalls like El angel and La Paz Waterfall with the nearby biggest butterfly farm of the world.

Climate

The average temperatures of the Costa Rican Province of Alajuela is between 22 and 24 Degrees Celsius. In the summertime it might get a little warmer at times. At the higher levels the temperature is around 20 Degrees Celsius. The levels above sea are: Alajuela: 952m, San José: 882m, Carrizal: 1470m, San Antonio: 870m, La Guácima: 803m, Sabanilla: 1270m, San Rafael: 845m, Río Segundo: 930m, Desamparados: 1010m, Turrúcares: 638m, Tambor: 950m, La Garita, 693m, Sarapiquí (San Miguel): 510m.

Interesting Links

The Cantones of Alajuela