Aserrí is the sixth canton in the San José province of Costa Rica. The head city of the canton is the homonymous Aserrí.

Name

Aserrí takes its name from a Huetar tribe, also called the Accerri.

Geography

Aserrí has an area of 168.26 km2 and a mean elevation of 1373 m. The mountainous canton is delineated on the north by the Poás River. It encompasses a narrow strip of land that traverses the Coastal Mountain Range before reaching the lowlands of Puntarenas Province, bordering the canton of Parrita.

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 National Liberation Party candidate, Patricia Mayela Porras Segura, was elected mayor of the canton with 23.75% of the votes, with Carlos Alberto Azofeifa Aguilar and Jesús Benito Morales Calderón 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. Aserrí'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, Sonia Aguilar Zamora, with National Liberation Party member, Alex Antonio Calero Lopez, as vice president. The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024–2028 period is as follows:

Districts

The canton of Aserrí is subdivided into seven districts:

History

The canton was established by a decree of 27 November 1882.

Demographics

Aserrí had an estimated 59,588 residents in 2022, up from 57,892 at the time of the 2011 census. In 2022, Aserrí had a Human Development Index of 0.737.

Transportation

Road transportation

The canton is covered by the following road routes: • CR RNS 209.svg National Route 209 • CR RNS 217.svg National Route 217 • CR RNS 222.svg National Route 222 • CR RNT 304.svg National Route 304 • CR RNT 312.svg National Route 312 • CR RNT 313.svg National Route 313 • CR RNT 336.svg National Route 336