Alajuelita is a canton in the San José province of Costa Rica.

History

Alajuelita was created on 4 June 1909 by decree 58. The first settlements in the area occurred by 1650. The name "Alajuelita" comes from a diminutive form of the name of Alajuela Province due to original settlers coming from that province.

Geography

Alajuelita has an area of 21.47 km2 and a mean elevation of 1194 m. The odd-shaped canton reaches southwest from the suburbs of the national capital city of San José. It is delineated by the Tiribí River on the northeast, Cañas River on the east, Poás River on the southeast, and the Cerros de Escazú at it far southwestern end. The Santuario Nacional Santo Cristo de Esquipulas is located in this canton along with the San Miguel Hill, whose metallic cross built at its peak is definitely one of the more beloved landmarks in Costa Rican Central Region.

Government

Mayor

According to Costa Rica's Municipal Code, mayors are elected every four years by the population of the canton. As of the latest municipal elections in 2024, the New Generation Party candidate, María del Rosario Siles Fernández, was elected mayor of the canton with 47.78% of the votes, with Jonathan Miguel Arrieta Ulloa and Javiera Tatiana Centeno Barboza as first and second vice mayors, respectively.

Municipal Council

Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (called regidores) are elected every four years. Alajuelita's Municipal Council has 7 seats for regidores and their substitutes, who can participate in meetings but not vote unless the owning regidor (regidor propietario) is absent. The current president of the Municipal Council is the Social Christian Unity Party member Henry David Salazar Quesada, with New Generation Party member Grettel Andrea Murillo Quirós as vice president. The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024–2028 period is as follows:

Districts

The canton of Alajuelita is subdivided into the following districts:

Demographics

Alajuelita had an estimated population of 81,012 people in 2022, up from 77,603 at the time of the 2011 census. In 2022, Alajuelita had a Human Development Index of 0.712.

Education

Transportation

Road transportation

The canton is covered by the following road routes: • CR RNS 105.svg National Route 105 • CR RNS 110.svg National Route 110 • CR RNS 177.svg National Route 177 • CR RNS 217.svg National Route 217