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San Jose Costa Rica: The Capital of Costa Rica

The People

The city of San Jose is quite populated with over 309,000 people living there full time. It has grown rapidly since the 1950s when the population had not even hit 90,000 people. Of course, these numbers only refer to the immediate downtown area, called the San Jose Canton. The outer metropolitan area of San Jose has hit over one million people living there.

History

Everything began in San Jose in about 1824. Before that year San Jose was only a tiny village that didn't matter to much to the rest of the world. In 1824 however, San Jose was chosen by the new head of state of Costa Rica to become the new headquarters for the country's government. The head of state was named Juan Mora Fernadez. Before this, Cartago was where everything occurred as far as government was concerned.

Architecture

Most of the cultural differences can be seen through the architecture in San Jose. When the city was chosen to be the new headquarters for government, it replaced a primarily Spanish colony. Therefore, when the people came there are started building, most of the architecture ended up looking very Spanish colonial in style. This is different from other province capitals.

University of Costa Rica

In 1843, San Jose opened its first university, which was called the University of Costa Rica. Today this university is a bustling place where students from all over come to get a great education in a beautiful city.

Climate

The climate of San Jose is much like the rest of Costa Rica. It tends to be a little milder at times however, because of the fact that its elevation is so high. The city has a rainy season that lasts for several months. Most of the time the rain will begin around the end of March or April and go through until November.

Activities

When tourists think of the nightlife of Costa Rica, they probably think of prostitution. Prostitution is very legal in Costa Rica, between adults. So, many of the tourists come to Costa Rica with that fact in mind.

If you are there with your family however, there are still things to do. You can visit El Pueblo, which is actually a huge area of restaurants, galleries, and more. It is a beautiful place that really comes alive at night and will stay open until morning.

If you are without your children for the evening, you can go to the Calle de la Amargura which is a wild street that is full of bars and dance clubs. You can find young people there having a great time and dancing the night away.

If you are interested in visiting Costa Rica, you probably want to try to hit San Jose, the capital at some point. It is truly a unique place that is both beautiful in culture and in scenery. You can have the time of your life partying the night away in Costa Rica. So call your travel agent now and start planning your next trip around the world!