Ciudad Quesada
Encyclopedia
Ciudad Quesada is a city in the district of Quesada in the cantón of San Carlos
in the province of Alajuela
in Costa Rica
. It is the capital city of the cantón. Although Ciudad Quesada is the official name (formerly La Unión), it is commonly called San Carlos (as the cantón) just to generalize the whole area.
The city lies at an elevation of 656 meters above sea level (1) at the foot of the Cordillera Central (Central Mountain Range) on the southern edge of the San Carlos Plain (Llanura de San Carlos), an expansive lowland that forms a major part of the Caribbean slope in northern Costa Rica. It is 78 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital city of Alajuela
and 97 kilometers from the national capital city of San Jose
.
The district of Quesada has an area of 145,31 km² (1), and has a population of 39.139 habitants (2), most of whom live in Ciudad Quesada. The district has 22 neighbourhoods and 18 villages, in addition to Ciudad Quesada.
The city, the largest by far in the northern part of the country, is the major commercial center for ranching and agricultural enterprises in the surrounding area. It is known for its workshops producing leather goods, particularly saddles. The city harbours some important manufacturing plants related to the agribusiness sector. The Costa Rican largest cooperative of dairy farmers operates facilities in Ciudad Quesada to produce cheese and powder milk. It also has a R&D center operating in the same facilitiesDos Pinos.
There are several hot springs in the area, some of which have developed into resorts, attracting Costa Ricans and foreign tourists. Hospital Monte Sinaí is located at the north end of the city.
The small town of "Villa Quesada" was granted the title of "ciudad" (city) by a law of July 8, 1953.
San Carlos Canton
San Carlos is the name of the 10th canton in the province of Alajuela in Costa Rica. The canton covers an area of , making it the largest canton in the country. It has a population of 137,499 , ranking it fifth...
in the province of Alajuela
Alajuela Province
Alajuela is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the north-central part of the country, bordering Nicaragua to the north, and clockwise the provinces Heredia, San José, Puntarenas and Guanacaste...
in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. It is the capital city of the cantón. Although Ciudad Quesada is the official name (formerly La Unión), it is commonly called San Carlos (as the cantón) just to generalize the whole area.
The city lies at an elevation of 656 meters above sea level (1) at the foot of the Cordillera Central (Central Mountain Range) on the southern edge of the San Carlos Plain (Llanura de San Carlos), an expansive lowland that forms a major part of the Caribbean slope in northern Costa Rica. It is 78 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital city of Alajuela
Alajuela
Alajuela is the second largest city in Costa Rica after the capital, San José. It is also the capital of the namesake province. Because of its location in the Costa Rican Central Valley, Alajuela is nowadays englobed in the conurbation of Great Metropolitan Area...
and 97 kilometers from the national capital city of San Jose
San José, Costa Rica
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...
.
The district of Quesada has an area of 145,31 km² (1), and has a population of 39.139 habitants (2), most of whom live in Ciudad Quesada. The district has 22 neighbourhoods and 18 villages, in addition to Ciudad Quesada.
The city, the largest by far in the northern part of the country, is the major commercial center for ranching and agricultural enterprises in the surrounding area. It is known for its workshops producing leather goods, particularly saddles. The city harbours some important manufacturing plants related to the agribusiness sector. The Costa Rican largest cooperative of dairy farmers operates facilities in Ciudad Quesada to produce cheese and powder milk. It also has a R&D center operating in the same facilitiesDos Pinos.
There are several hot springs in the area, some of which have developed into resorts, attracting Costa Ricans and foreign tourists. Hospital Monte Sinaí is located at the north end of the city.
History
In the beginning it was called La Unión, then people changed its name to Villa Quesada.The small town of "Villa Quesada" was granted the title of "ciudad" (city) by a law of July 8, 1953.