Desamparados is the 3rd canton in the province of San José in Costa Rica. The canton covers an area of 118.89 km2, and had a population of 223,226 in 2022, making it the third most populated among the 81 cantons of Costa Rica. The canton's capital city is also called Desamparados. The canton begins in the southern suburbs of the national capital city of San José, with the Tiribí River marking its northern boundary. It snakes its way south as a backward letter S, finally reaching its southern limit at the Tarrazú River. It contains the bigger of the last forest lungs in the Greater Metropolitan Area, the Loma Salitral, which conservation issues have generated social conflicts between community environmentalists and immobility developers, as it is seen as an identity mark of the desamparadeño people and a vital infiltration area to prevent the frequents and disastrous floods in the district of Gravilias. Urban areas claim 80.4% of the canton's population. Those under age 10 comprise 19.8% of its inhabitants, while 5.1% are over 65.

History

The canton was established by a legislative decree of November 4, 1862.

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, María Antonieta Naranjo Brenes, was elected mayor of the canton with 26.38% of the votes, with Carlos Alberto Padilla Corella and Kenneth Alexander Cubillo Vargas 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. Desamparados' 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. The current president of the Municipal Council is the regidor for Social Christian Unity Party, María Isabel Llamas Echeverría, with the regidor for Our Town Party, Luis José Flores Jiménez, as vice president. The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024-2028 period is as follows:

Districts

The canton of Desamparados is subdivided into 13 districts:

Sports

The football soccer club Orión F.C. plays here.

Demographics

Desamparados had a population of 223,226 in 2022, the third highest in the country and up from 208,411 in the 2011 census. According to a publication by the United Nations Development Programme, Desamparados has a Human Development Index score of 0.743, ranking it 13th in its province.

Transportation

Road transportation

The following road routes cover the canton: • CR RNS 105.svg National Route 105 • CR RNS 175.svg National Route 175 • CR RNS 206.svg National Route 206 • CR RNS 207.svg National Route 207 • CR RNS 209.svg National Route 209 • CR RNS 210.svg National Route 210 • CR RNS 212.svg National Route 212 • CR RNS 213.svg National Route 213 • CR RNS 214.svg National Route 214 • CR RNS 217.svg National Route 217 • CR RNS 222.svg National Route 222 • CR RNS 226.svg National Route 226 • CR RNT 304.svg National Route 304 • CR RNT 406.svg National Route 406 • CR RNT 409.svg National Route 409

Notable people