Guácimo
Encyclopedia
Guácimo is the capital of Guácimo Canton
, Limón Province
, Costa Rica
.
This rural town on the east coast of Costa Rica is home to many fruit plantations, such as banana plantations and pineapple plantations. The area is not frequently visited by tourists, but visitors who seek to obtain a true understanding of the way of life of rural Costa Rica may come here. Residents of Guacimo are known to favor a simple life, often urging others to remain "tranquilo" or tranquil.
Guácimo is also home to EARTH University
(Escuela de Agricultura de la Región Tropical Húmeda), which offers an undergraduate program in agricultural sciences and the rational use of natural resources.
The town entered existence with the construction of the railway built by West Indian employees of Minor Cooper Keith
in the 1880s. Keith built the so-called "Old Line" from Siquirres west through Guacimo to Carrillo before it was decided that the track line, instead of continuing from Carrillo directly to San Jose, should be built from Siquirres through Turrialba and Cartago along the Reventazon River. The railroad bridge in Guacimo, built by the Baltimore Bridge Company in 1905, is the oldest still standing in the Atlantic Zone of Costa Rica. Across the bridge, Guacimo's sister city of Africa was a bigger town than Guacimo until "colonists" began moving in from other parts of Costa Rica. For much of its history Guacimo was mainly made up of English-speaking West Indians. The town elementary school, Manuel María Gutiérrez, was originally an English school when established in 1914.
Longstanding English surnames in Guacimo include the Abrams, Anderson, Arboine, Bailey, Barnes, Berry, Blackwood, Budd, Burke, Burger, Byfield, Chambers, Channer, Clarke, Cook, Cowan, Crawford, Creed, Cyrus, Daily, Daniels, Davis, Douglas, Edwards, Fennell, Forbes, Gabriels, Gale, Gibson, Graham, Grant, Harris, Hemmings, Henry, Howard, Jones, Knowles, Leacock, Lee, Lovemore, McCarthy, McDonald, McFarlane, McGregor, Meyers, Myrie, Parchment, Peart, Philips, Porter, Poyser, Samuels, Slack, Stewart, Strackman, Taylor, Thomas, Valentine, Walcott, Watson, White, Williams, and Young families.
The canton of Guácimo is subdivided into 5 distritos (districts):
Guácimo Canton
Guácimo is the name of the sixth canton in the province of Limón in Costa Rica. The canton covers an area of 576.48 km², and has a population of 37,549. Its capital city is also called Guácimo....
, Limón Province
Limón Province
Limón is one of seven provinces in Costa Rica. The majority of its territory is situated in the country's Caribbean lowlands, though the southwestern portion houses part of an extensive mountain range known as the Cordillera de Talamanca...
, 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....
.
This rural town on the east coast of Costa Rica is home to many fruit plantations, such as banana plantations and pineapple plantations. The area is not frequently visited by tourists, but visitors who seek to obtain a true understanding of the way of life of rural Costa Rica may come here. Residents of Guacimo are known to favor a simple life, often urging others to remain "tranquilo" or tranquil.
Guácimo is also home to EARTH University
EARTH University
EARTH University, located in Guácimo, Limón & EARTH University – La Flor, located in Guanacaste, Costa Rica is a private, international, non-profit university which offers an undergraduate program leading to a licenciatura degree in agricultural sciences and the rational use of natural...
(Escuela de Agricultura de la Región Tropical Húmeda), which offers an undergraduate program in agricultural sciences and the rational use of natural resources.
The town entered existence with the construction of the railway built by West Indian employees of Minor Cooper Keith
Minor Cooper Keith
Minor Cooper Keith was a U.S. railroad, fruit, and shipping magnate whose business activities had a profound impact in Central America and in Colombia.- Early life :...
in the 1880s. Keith built the so-called "Old Line" from Siquirres west through Guacimo to Carrillo before it was decided that the track line, instead of continuing from Carrillo directly to San Jose, should be built from Siquirres through Turrialba and Cartago along the Reventazon River. The railroad bridge in Guacimo, built by the Baltimore Bridge Company in 1905, is the oldest still standing in the Atlantic Zone of Costa Rica. Across the bridge, Guacimo's sister city of Africa was a bigger town than Guacimo until "colonists" began moving in from other parts of Costa Rica. For much of its history Guacimo was mainly made up of English-speaking West Indians. The town elementary school, Manuel María Gutiérrez, was originally an English school when established in 1914.
Longstanding English surnames in Guacimo include the Abrams, Anderson, Arboine, Bailey, Barnes, Berry, Blackwood, Budd, Burke, Burger, Byfield, Chambers, Channer, Clarke, Cook, Cowan, Crawford, Creed, Cyrus, Daily, Daniels, Davis, Douglas, Edwards, Fennell, Forbes, Gabriels, Gale, Gibson, Graham, Grant, Harris, Hemmings, Henry, Howard, Jones, Knowles, Leacock, Lee, Lovemore, McCarthy, McDonald, McFarlane, McGregor, Meyers, Myrie, Parchment, Peart, Philips, Porter, Poyser, Samuels, Slack, Stewart, Strackman, Taylor, Thomas, Valentine, Walcott, Watson, White, Williams, and Young families.
The canton of Guácimo is subdivided into 5 distritos (districts):
- Guácimo
- Mercedes
- Pocora
- Río Jiménez
- Ducari