Zarcero

District in Zarcero canton, Alajuela province, Costa Rica

District in Alajuela, Costa Rica

10°11′21″N 84°22′30″W / 10.1890471°N 84.37505°W / 10.1890471; -84.37505Country

Costa RicaProvinceAlajuelaCantonZarceroArea

• Total11.72 km² (4.53 sq mi)Elevation

1,736 m (5,696 ft)Population

(2011)

• Total4,004 • Density340/km² (880/sq mi)Time zoneUTC−06:00Postal code

21101

Zarcero is a district of the Zarcero canton, in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica.^[1]^[2]

History

Interior of Iglesia de San Rafael, Zarcero, Costa Rica.

Zarcero was granted the title of "ciudad" (city) by a law on 24 July 1918.

Geography

Zarcero has an area of 11.72 km²^[3] and an elevation of 1,736 metres.^[1]

It is located in the Cordillera Central (Central Mountain Range) of Costa Rica, 50 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital city of Alajuela and 27 kilometers southeast of Ciudad Quesada.

Zarcero, known for its brisk mountain climate, lies in a dairy and agricultural area also noted for the local enterprises that practice organic farming. Distinctive jams, cheese and other dairy products are among the items produced.

Locations

Barrios (neighborhoods): Cantarranas, Santa Teresita

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1883	328	—
1927	791	—
1950	1,159	46.5%
1963	1,499	29.3%
1973	2,148	43.3%
1984	2,517	17.2%
2000	3,790	50.6%
2011	4,004	5.6%
Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos^[4] Centro Centroamericano de Población^[5]

For the 2011 census, Zarcero had a population of 4,004 inhabitants. ^[6]

Transportation

Road transportation

The district is covered by the following road routes:

National Route 141
National Route 741

Places of interest

Parque Francisco Alvarado: The park sits in front of the church at the town center. It is noted for its topiary garden produced and maintained by Evangelista Blanco since the 1960s. Shrubs in the park have been trimmed into the shapes of various animals, including some that are quite abstract and bizarre.

Iglesia de San Rafael: Zarcero's pink and blue church was constructed in 1895. The interior features very nice paintings of the stations of the cross. Materials for the construction of the church are not what they seem. Columns are painted to look like marble, and the exterior is metal siding, not brick as it appears.

External links

Municipality of Zarcero
Zarcero as it looked in 1988
Photos of Zarcero

References

^ ^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.
^ 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.
^ "Área en kilómetros cuadrados, según provincia, cantón y distrito administrativo". Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 September 2020.
^ "Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos" (in Spanish).
^ "Sistema de Consulta de a Bases de Datos Estadísticas". Centro Centroamericano de Población (in Spanish).
^ "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.