AMENITIES
San Jose is one of the most diverse regions of Costa Rica boasting high literacy and education levels. University of Santo Tomas, Costa Rica’s first university was established in 1843. San Jose is the hub of political and economic activity as the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. The MasterCard Global Destinations Cities Index listed San Jose as the sixth-most important destination. In addition, San Jose ranked 15th among the world’s fastest-growing destination cities based upon visitor cross-border spending.
RECREATION
Central Park, Morazan Park, Spanish Park, National Park, Democracy Plaza and Jade Museum are among the city’s most popular attractions. San Gerardo de Dota offers incredible bird watching, while La Sabana Metropolitan Park is the country’s most significant urban greenspace. Los Quetzales National Park is an important habitat for native plants and animals. The park contains three types of rainforests and 14 different ecosystems.
CLIMATE
The local climate is tropical wet and dry with precipitation varying greatly between the driest and wettest month. However average high temperatures vary little with the warmest month averaging 75 degrees and the coldest month averaging 71 degrees.
HISTORY
San Jose was founded in 1738 and formed its first city government in 1812. The town lost its status as a city to Ferdinand VII of Spain in 1814 before restoring its municipal government in 1820. San Jose was official named the capital of Costa Rica in 1823, making it one of the youngest capital cities in Latin America. The first modern urban neighborhood in San Jose was created in the late 19th century and named for French coffee entrepreneur Monsieur Amon.