San José (Spanish:[saŋxoˈse]; meaning "Saint Joseph") is thecapital and largest city ofCosta Rica, and the capital ofSan José Province. It is in the center of the country, in the mid-west of theCentral Valley, within San Josécanton. San José is Costa Rica's seat of national government, focal point of political and economic activity, and major transportation hub. San José is simultaneously one of Costa Rica'scantons, with its municipal land area covering 44.62 square kilometers (17.23 square miles)[4] and having within it an estimated population of 352,381 people in 2022.[5] Together with several other cantons of the central valley, includingAlajuela,Heredia andCartago, it forms the country'sGreater Metropolitan Area, with an estimated population of over 2 million in 2017.[6] The city is named in honor ofJoseph of Nazareth.
San José is notable among Latin American cities for its high quality of life,[7] security, level of globalization, environmental performance, public service,[8] and recognized institutions. In 2012, San José was one of the safest and least violent cities in the region.[9] It is considered a "Beta-" global city byGaWC. San José joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in 2016 and is also recognized as a "Design City" by UNESCO.
The population of San José grew during the eighteenth-century colonization planning, which was different from the traditional foundation plans of Spanish cities inCentral America.
Founded in 1736 by order ofCabildo de León, its objective was to concentrate the scattered inhabitants of the Aserrí Valley.[10] De León thus ordered the construction of a chapel near the area known asLa Boca del Monte which was completed a year later. That year St. Joseph was chosen as parish patron, hence its name. The chapel, which was very modest, was erected with help from the church of Cartago.[11]
Unlike neighboring Cartago, San José was not founded by formal decree and thus lacked a city government. It was not until the enactment of the Constitution of Cádiz in 1812 that San José had its first city government. On 18 October 1813, the area was first defined as a city by presbyter Florencio del Castillo, on behalf of the Spanish government, a title which was then lost in 1814 whenFerdinand VII of Spain annulled the proceedings of the courts. The municipal government was restored in 1820 along with the title of city and in 1823 San José became the capital of Costa Rica.[10][12] This makes San José one of the youngest capital cities inLatin America by year of conception.
Population and economic growth were spurred by improvements in access to water and the installment of the Tobacco Factory in 1782. The accumulation of capital brought by tobacco plantations allowed the city to economically surpass neighboring provinces.[13]
The first modern urban neighborhood carries the name of its founder, the Frenchcoffee entrepreneurMonsieur Amon, and was created in the late 19th century, in line withBelle Époque contemporary architecture. Barrio Amon, as well as the National Theatre, remain symbols of the so-called Costa Rican coffee golden age.
Today San José is a modern city with bustling commerce and brisk expressions of art and architecture. Spurred by the country's improved tourism industry, it is a significant destination and stopover for foreign visitors.[14]
San José exerts a strong influence because of its proximity to other cities (Alajuela,Heredia andCartago) and the country's demographic assemblage in theCentral Valley.[15]
Source:Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos[18] Centro Centroamericano de Población[19]
For the 2022 population estimate,[5] San José had a population of 352,381 inhabitants, more than any other canton in the country and up from 288,054 people, according the2011 census.[20] The canton has a population density of7,897.4/km2
Most of the population is distributed in the peripheral districts around the downtown. The districts ofEl Carmen,Merced,Hospital, andCatedral are known ascasco central, similar to a downtown or financial center, and only 18% of the canton population inhabits these districts.
In 2022, the canton had 0.92 men per woman,[5] a small change from 0.90 men per woman in 2011. In 2000, the province had 100% of urban population. 17.33% of its inhabitants are under ten, and 7.67% are over 65.
According to Costa Rica'sMunicipal Code, mayors are elected every four years by the population of the canton.[21] As of the latestmunicipal elections in 2024, the Together San José candidate, Luis Diego Miranda Méndez, was elected mayor of the canton with 23.95% of the votes, with Yariela Franciny Quirós Álvarez and Fernando Antonio Vega Guillén as first and second vice mayors, respectively.[22]
Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (calledregidores) are elected every four years. San José's Municipal Council has 11 seats for regidores and their substitutes, who can participate in meetings but not vote unless the owning regidor (regidor propietario) is absent.[21] The current president of the Municipal Council is Together San José Party member, Mariana de los Ángeles Zúñiga Pérez, with the regidor for More San José Party, Juan Diego Gómez González, as vice president.[24] The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024-2028 period is as follows:
San José has atropical wet and dry climate (Köppen climate classificationAw).[26] Precipitation varies widely between the driest month (6.3 mm (0.25 in)) and the wettest month (355.1 mm (13.98 in)), while average temperatures vary little.[27] The hottest month is April with an average temperature of 23.7 °C (74.7 °F), while the coolest month is October with an average temperature of 21.8 °C (71.2 °F).
Costa Rica has developed high education levels. As of 2011 97.6% of the population over 10 was literate,[32] 96% of children aged 6–11 attend primary school and 71% of students of high-school age attend high-school.[33] The country as a whole has the highest education levels in Central America and one of the best in Latin America. This is especially true for San José, the nation's educational hub home to a large number of public and private universities.[34]
University of Santo Tomas, the first university of Costa Rica, was established in San José in 1843.[35] It maintained close ties with the Roman Catholic Church and was closed in 1888 by the progressive and anti-clerical government of President Bernardo Soto Alfaro as part of a campaign to modernize public education. The schools of law, agronomy, fine arts, and pharmacy continued to operate independently, but Costa Rica had no university proper until 1940, when those four schools were re-united to establish the modernUniversity of Costa Rica (UCR), during the reformist administration of President Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia. TheUniversity for Peace, an intergovernmental organization with university status, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1980, is located in San José.
The city's public education system is composed of pre-schools, elementary and high schools (from grades 7 to 11), which are located in all of the city's districts and are under the supervision of the Ministry of Public Education. Nevertheless, private institutions do exist within the city. These educational institutions range from pre-schools to universities. Most tend to be bilingual, teaching subjects in either French or English and Spanish, among other languages, apart from just teaching a certain language.
San José is one of Latin America's safest cities. As of 19 June 2012, both city and nation reduced their crime indices considerably.[timeframe?] Nationwide, crime was reduced from 12.5 to 9.5 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants.
In 2012, new police equipment was issued by the government, and the security budget was increased. PresidentLaura Chinchilla's government donated vehicles and other equipment to the police department on at least two occasions.[36]
San José has a number of theaters, many with European-inspired architecture. These buildings serve as the city's main tourist attractions, not only because of their architecture, but because of the cultural, musical, and artistic presentations and activities, which include traditional and modern Costa Rican and San Josefinan culture.[37]
The National Auditorium of The Children's Museum of Costa Rica (Museo de los Niños)
TheNational Theater of Costa Rica (considered the finest historic building in the capital and known for its exquisite interior which includes its lavish Italian furnishings[38]) and the Melico Salazar Theater present drama, dance performances and concerts throughout the year. Other smaller theaters can be found throughout the city and provide a wide array of entertainment.
El Teatro Variedades (1892) is San José's oldest theater.[39]
San José is also host to various museums. These museums allow visitors to view Costa Rican history, scientific discoveries, pre-Columbian era culture and art, as well as modern Costa Rican art. The city is also host to the nation's museum of gold and museum of jade.
San José is home to many parks and squares (plazas in Spanish) where one can find gazebos, open green areas, recreational areas, lakes, fountains, statues and sculptures by Costa Rican artists and many different bird, tree and plant species.
San José has several internal transportation networks that connect the city districts and metropolitan area, as well as national transportation networks that connect the city to other parts of Costa Rica.
San José is undergoing modernization in transportation. In February 2011, the former mayor,Johnny Araya, along with then Costa Rican President,Laura Chinchilla, announced the establishment of an urban tramway system that will, in its first phase, cover the central core of the city going from west to east.
On 27 September 2012, San José disclosed plans to install its first street signs, about 22,000 signs and plaques. It is estimated that the lack of proper street names for directions causes the loss of $720 million a year by the Inter-American Development Bank in 2008, due to undelivered, returned or re-sent mail.[40]
Private bus companies connect different areas of the city with each other and the suburbs. Services to other parts of the country are provided by other private companies which have stations or stops spread all over the city center. There are also bus services betweenJuan Santamaría International Airport and downtown San José.
TheInstituto Costarricense de Ferrocarriles, or the state-owned railway institute, is in charge of all of Costa Rica's railways. In 2004, this institution began work on the establishment of an inter-urban railway network. This network would connect Tibás, Heredia, San Antonio de Belén, Pavas, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, Sabanilla, and Curridabat, among other locations.
San José public taxi services complement the urban transportation network. Taxis are characterized by their red color and belong to registered cooperatives. There are other taxi services which do not belong to the registered system, there are also taxis from the airport that are usually orange.
The ride-sharing companyUber is active in Costa Rica and, despite repeated clashes with and strikes by taxi drivers protesting unfair competition, continues to operate in the country. In September 2025, alabor court in San José ruled that Uber must treat their drivers as employees rather than independent contractors.[42]
The city is serviced byJuan Santamaría International Airport (IATA:SJO,ICAO:MROC), located 23 km (14 mi) east of downtown in the city ofAlajuela, and is one of the busiest airports in Central America. In 2011, the airport was named the 3rd Best Airport in Latin America/Caribbean from the Airport Service Quality Awards by Airports Council International.[43] In 2023, Juan Santamaría International Airport received 5.6 million passengers, most of them from international flights.
The airport is undergoing a modernization plan, which is expected to be brief. The previous remodeling done to the airport cost around $7 million.
Another important airport in San José isTobías Bolaños International Airport (IATA:SYQ,ICAO:MRPV). It is located 8 km (5 mi) north-west of the city proper and 11 km (7 mi) south-east of Juan Santamaría International Airport.
Costa Rican cuisine, calledcomida típica ("traditional food"), is generally not spicy. Throughout San José, the most popular food is the national dish ofgallo pinto ("painted chicken"), which is black beans served with white rice.Gallo pinto is usually served for breakfast with tortillas andnatilla, a thin sour cream. Costa Rican restaurants serving traditional food at an affordable price are calledsodas and usually offer substantialcasados for lunch and dinner. Acasado (meaning "married" or "married man" in Spanish) consists of rice, beans, and meat, with cabbage-and-tomato salad, fried plantains, and tortillas.[44]San José Central Market, in downtown San José, has numerous food markets and sodas.
The city's major football club isDeportivo Saprissa, which has won a record 40 league titles. The team plays its home games at theEstadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá, which is located inTibas. Another top-level club,Universidad, plays at the Estadio Ecológico.
^Horario de Tren, www.horariodetren.com."Urban Train in Costa Rica". Horariodetren.com.Archived from the original on 8 July 2013. Retrieved8 July 2013.
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