| Paraíso | |
| Native Name Lang: | es |
| Settlement Type: | Canton |
| Pushpin Map: | Costa Rica |
| Pushpin Map Alt: | Paraíso canton location in Costa Rica |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Paraíso canton location in Costa Rica |
| Coordinates: | 9.7295°N -83.7706°W |
| Map Alt: | Paraíso canton |
| Established Title: | Creation |
| Established Date: | 7 December 1848 |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Cartago |
| Seat Type: | Head city |
| Seat: | Paraíso |
| Government Type: | Municipality |
| Governing Body: | Spanish; Castilian: Municipalidad de Paraíso |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Michaell Álvarez Quirós (UP) |
| Parts Type: | Districts |
| Parts Style: | list |
| Parts: | Districts |
| P1: | Paraíso |
| P2: | Santiago |
| P3: | Orosi |
| P4: | Cachí |
| P5: | Llanos de Santa Lucía |
| Area Total Km2: | 476.99 |
| Elevation M: | 1171 |
| Population Total: | 57743 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Est: | 65941 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2022 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Blank Name: | Canton code |
| Blank Info: | 302 |
| Website: | https://www.muniparaiso.go.cr/ |
Paraíso is a canton in the Cartago province of Costa Rica.[1] [2] The head city is in Paraíso district.
Paraíso was created on 7 December 1848 by decree 167.[3]
Paraíso has an area of and a mean elevation of .[4] [1]
Paraíso is an elongated canton that stretches southeast from its head city to encompass a swatch of the Cordillera de Talamanca (Talamanca Mountain Range).
According to Costa Rica's Municipal Code, mayors are elected every four years by the population of the canton.[5] As of the latest municipal elections in 2024, the United We Can candidate, Michaell Álvarez Quirós, was elected mayor of the canton with 41.37% of the votes, with Merlyn Rojas Mora and Roger Ricardo Zúñiga Vega as first and second vice mayors, respectively.[6]
| 2002–2006 | Marvin Solano Zúñiga | PAPA | |
| 2006–2010 | PML | ||
| 2010–2016 | Jorge Rodríguez Araya | PUSC | |
| 2016–2020 | Marvin Solano Zúñiga | PASE | |
| 2020–2024 | Carlos Manuel Ramírez Sánchez | PLN | |
| 2024–2028 | Michaell Álvarez Quirós | UP |
Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (called Spanish; Castilian: regidores) are elected every four years. Paraíso's Municipal Council has 7 seats for regidores and their substitutes, who can participate in meetings but not vote unless the owning regidor is absent.[5] The current president of the Municipal Council is the Progressive Liberal Party member, Aldo Mata Coghi, with National Liberation Party member Silvia Elena Arce Araya as vice president.[8] The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024–2028 period is as follows:
| Political parties in the Municipal Council of Paraíso | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political party | Regidores | |||||
| № | Owner | Substitute | ||||
| United We Can (UP) | 3 | Kattia Alfaro Saenz | María Gabriela Solano Marín | |||
| Jaime Andrés Coto Espinoza | Julio Sánchez Soto | |||||
| Milany Sofía Obando Mora | Ana Catalina Barquero Quesada | |||||
| National Liberation Party (PLN) | 2 | Luis Diego Calderón Sánchez | Javier Mauricio Hernández Castillo | |||
| Silvia Elena Arce Araya(VP) | Sussana Irene Mata Quesada | |||||
| Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC) | 1 | Agustín Enrique Siles Solano | Walter Solano Segura | |||
| Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) | 1 | Aldo Mata Coghi(P) | Felipe Alberto Loaiza Araya | |||
The canton of Paraíso is subdivided into the following districts:
Paraíso had an estimated inhabitants in 2022, up from the people at the time of the 2011 census.[10] [11]
In 2022, Paraíso had a Human Development Index of 0.778, ranking it 4th highest in its province.[12]
The canton is covered by the following road routes:
The Interurbano Line operated by Incofer goes through this canton.