Sarchí (canton)

Sarchí is a canton in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica.^[2][3] The head city is in Sarchí Norte district.

Sarchí
Canton
World's Largest Oxcart, Sarchí
Flag Seal
Sarchí canton
Sarchí Sarchí canton location in Alajuela Province Show map of Alajuela Province Sarchí Sarchí canton location in Costa Rica Show map of Costa Rica
Coordinates: 10.1626074°N 84.2926371°W / 10.1626074; -84.2926371
Country	Costa Rica
Province	Alajuela
Creation	26 October 1949[1]
Head city	Sarchí Norte
Districts	Districts Sarchí Norte Sarchí Sur Toro Amarillo San Pedro Rodríguez
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Body	Municipalidad de Sarchí
Area
• Total	120.25 km2 (46.43 sq mi)
Elevation	970 m (3,180 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	18,085
• Density	150/km2 (390/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−06:00
Canton code	212
Website	www.munisarchi.go.cr

Toponymy

The Sarchí word means Open Field in the Huetar language of the Huetar people that once inhabited the area.

On 7 August 2019, by Law 9658, the canton changed its previous name from Valverde Vega to Sarchí.^[4]

History

Sarchí was created on 26 October 1949 by decree 766.^[1] It was originally named Valverde Vega in honor of Dr. Carlos Luis Valverde Vega, a medic and founder of the Unión Médica Nacional (National Medical Union) after more than forty years of struggle. The members of the board that worked to create it were Samuel Alfaro Alpízar, Efraím Zamora Castro, Daube Alfaro Castro, Pedro Alfaro Zamora, Hebly Inkseter Soto, Otoniel Alfaro Alfaro, Elécer Pérez Conejo, who are known today as its founders. The canton was inaugurated on 1 January 1950.

Geography

Sarchi is the cradle of the craft of Costa Rica and has many factories and shops that an important visit for tourists

In Toro Amarillo is the spectacular Toro's Waterfall with an exotic hotel designed by famed Arq. Ibo Bonilla

Sarchí has an area of 120.25 km^2[5] and a mean elevation of 1,116 metres.^[2]

The elongated canton lies between the Molino and Toro rivers on the northwest and the Sarchí River on the southeast. It reaches northward into a beautiful high valley of the Cordillera Central (Central Mountain Range) between the Poás and Platanar volcanoes.

Districts

The canton of Sarchí is subdivided into the following districts:

1. Sarchí Norte
2. Sarchí Sur
3. Toro Amarillo
4. San Pedro
5. Rodríguez

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	±% p.a.
1950	4,313	—
1963	6,546	+3.26%
1973	8,707	+2.89%
1984	10,716	+1.91%
2000	16,239	+2.63%
2011	18,085	+0.98%
2022	21,562	+1.61%
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos[6] Centro Centroamericano de Población[7]

For the 2011 census, Sarchí had a population of 18,085 inhabitants.^[8]

Transportation

Road transportation

The canton is covered by the following road routes:

• National Route 118
• National Route 708
• National Route 710
• National Route 741

References

1. Hernández, Hermógenes (1985). Costa Rica: evolución territorial y principales censos de población 1502 - 1984 (in Spanish) (1 ed.). San José: Editorial Universidad Estatal a Distancia. pp. 164–173. ISBN 9977-64-243-5. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
2. "Declara oficial para efectos administrativos, la aprobación de la División Territorial Administrativa de la República N°41548-MGP". Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica (in Spanish). 19 March 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
3. División Territorial Administrativa de la República de Costa Rica (PDF) (in Spanish). Editorial Digital de la Imprenta Nacional. 8 March 2017. ISBN 978-9977-58-477-5.
4. "¡Al fin somos Sarchí!". Retrieved 2 May 2020.
5. "Área en kilómetros cuadrados, según provincia, cantón y distrito administrativo". Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 September 2020.
6. "Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos" (in Spanish).
7. Centro Centroamericano de Población de la Universidad de Costa Rica. "Sistema de Consulta a Bases de Datos Estadísticas" (in Spanish).
8. "Censo. 2011. Población total por zona y sexo, según provincia, cantón y distrito". Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 September 2020.