| San Carlos | |
| Native Name Lang: | es |
| Settlement Type: | Canton |
| Pushpin Map: | Costa Rica Alajuela#Costa Rica |
| Pushpin Map Alt: | San Carlos canton location in Alajuela Province##San Carlos canton location in Costa Rica |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | San Carlos canton location in Alajuela Province##San Carlos canton location in Costa Rica |
| Coordinates: | 10.6204°N -84.512°W |
| Map Alt: | San Carlos canton |
| Image Alt: | Arenal Volcano as seen from Monteverde |
| Established Title: | Creation |
| Established Date: | 26 September 1911 |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Alajuela |
| Seat Type: | Head city |
| Seat: | Quesada |
| Government Type: | Municipality |
| Governing Body: | Spanish; Castilian: Municipalidad de San Carlos |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Juan Diego González Picado (PLN) |
| Parts Type: | Districts |
| Parts Style: | list |
| Parts: | Districts |
| P1: | Quesada |
| P2: | Florencia |
| P3: | Buenavista |
| P4: | Aguas Zarcas |
| P5: | Venecia |
| P6: | Pital |
| P7: | La Fortuna |
| P8: | La Tigra |
| P9: | La Palmera |
| P10: | Venado |
| P11: | Cutris |
| P12: | Monterrey |
| P13: | Pocosol |
| Area Total Km2: | 3352.33 |
| Elevation M: | 340 |
| Population Total: | 163745 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Est: | 198742 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2022 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Blank Name: | Canton code |
| Blank Info: | 210 |
San Carlos is a canton in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica.[1] [2] The capital city of the canton is Ciudad Quesada.
San Carlos was created on 26 September 1911 by decree 17.[3]
San Carlos has an area of [4] and a mean elevation of .[1]
The canton encompasses a major portion of the San Carlos Plain, a wide expanse on the Caribbean side of the Cordillera Central (Central Mountain Range). San Carlos reaches north to the border of Nicaragua, east to the province of Heredia, west to the province of Guanacaste, and south into the heights of the Cordillera.
San Carlos is noted as the home of Arenal Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The canton's principal economic activities include the production of oranges, yuca, pineapple, sugar cane, beef and dairy products. More than 50% of the national dairy production in Costa Rica comes from San Carlos.
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 National Liberation Party candidate, Juan Diego González Picado, was elected mayor of the canton with 33.09% of the votes, with Pilar Porras Zúñiga and Diana Murillo Murillo as first and second vice mayors, respectively.[6]
| 2002–2006 | Alfredo Córdoba Soro | PLN |
| 2006–2010 | ||
| 2010–2016 | ||
| 2016–2020 | ||
| 2020–2024 | ||
| 2024–2028 | Juan Diego González Picado |
Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (called Spanish; Castilian: regidores) are elected every four years. San Carlos' Municipal Council has 9 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 Social Christian Unity Party member, Raquel Tatiana Marín Cerdas.[8] The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024–2028 period is as follows:
| Political parties in the Municipal Council of San Carlos | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political party | Regidores | |||||
| № | Owner | Substitute | ||||
| National Liberation Party (PLN) | 3 | Freddy Mauricio Rodríguez Quesada | Álvaro Ignacio Esquivel Castro | |||
| Ashley Tatiana Brenes Alvarado | Marianela Murillo Vargas | |||||
| Sergio Chaves Acevedo | Eduardo Salas Rodríguez | |||||
| Costa Rica Rules Here (ACRM) | 2 | Luisa María Chacón Caamaño | Flor de María Blanco Solís | |||
| Melvin López Sancho | Marco Aurelio Sirias Víctor | |||||
| Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) | 2 | Julia Patricia Romero Barrientos | Amalia Salas Porras | |||
| Esteban Rodríguez Murillo | Juan Pablo Rodríguez Acuña | |||||
| Progreser (PGS) | 1 | Jorge Luis Zapata Arroyo | Jorge Antonio Rodríguez Miranda | |||
| Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC) | 1 | Raquel Tatiana Marín Cerdas(P) | Mariam Torres Morera | |||
The canton of San Carlos is subdivided into the following districts:
San Carlos had an estimated inhabitants in 2022, second highest in its province and fourth highest in the country, behind San José, Alajuela, and Desamparados.[10] This is an increase from people for the 2011 census.[11]
According to a publication by the United Nations Development Programme, San Carlos had a Human Development Index of 0.765 in 2022, putting it 6th highest in its province and 28th overall.[12]
The canton is covered by the following road routes:
There is a branch of the Costa Rica Institute of Technology in Santa Clara, San Carlos.
In federated soccer, San Carlos is represented by Asociación Deportiva San Carlos. This association also gives its name to numerous minor league teams that have notably excelled at the national level.