Ciudad Quesada

Ciudad Quesada
Ciudad Quesada Location in Costa Rica
Coordinates: 10°20′N 84°26′W / 10.333°N 84.433°W / 10.333; -84.433
Country	Costa Rica
Province	Alajuela Province
Canton	San Carlos Canton
Area
- Total	145.31 km2 (56.1 sq mi)
Population
- Total	39,139

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.

History

In the beginning it was called La Unión, then people changed its name to Villa Quesada.^{[citation needed]} The small town of "Villa Quesada" was granted the title of "ciudad" (city) by a law of July 8, 1953.

Nearby Places of Interest

Zoológico La Marina: A private nonprofit zoo operated by the Alfaro family on five hectares of their cattle ranch. There are more than 450 species of animals and birds on display, most of which were confiscated by the government from illegal private ownership. The facility also maintains a successful breeding program of tapirs, an increasingly endangered species. (11 kilometers northeast of Ciudad Quesada on the road to Aguas Zarcas)

References

(1) Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN), 2001.

(2) Estimates of Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC), May 2003.

Coordinates: 10°20′N 84°26′W / 10.333°N 84.433°W / 10.333; -84.433