San Carlos (canton)

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
Canton
Arenal Volcano as seen from Monteverde
Flag Seal
San Carlos canton
San Carlos San Carlos canton location in Alajuela Province Show map of Alajuela Province San Carlos San Carlos canton location in Costa Rica Show map of Costa Rica
Coordinates: 10.6203924°N 84.512°W / 10.6203924; -84.512
Country	Costa Rica
Province	Alajuela
Creation	26 September 1911
Head city	Quesada
Districts	Districts Quesada Florencia Buenavista Aguas Zarcas Venecia Pital La Fortuna La Tigra La Palmera Venado Cutris Monterrey Pocosol
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Body	Municipalidad de San Carlos
• Mayor	Juan Diego González Picado (PLN)
Area
• Total	3,352.33 km2 (1,294.34 sq mi)
Elevation	340 m (1,120 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	163,745
• Estimate  (2022)	198,742
• Density	49/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−06:00
Canton code	210
Website	www.munisc.go.cr

History

San Carlos was created on 26 September 1911 by decree 17.^[3]

Geography

San Carlos has an area of 3,352.33 km² (1,294.34 sq mi)^[4] and a mean elevation of 340 m (1,120 ft).^[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.

Government

Mayor

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]

Mayors of San Carlos since the 2002 elections^[7]

Period	Name	Party
2002–2006	Alfredo Córdoba Soro	PLN
2006–2010
2010–2016
2016–2020
2020–2024
2024–2028	Juan Diego González Picado

Municipal Council

Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (called 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 (regidor propietario) 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:

Current composition of the Municipal Council of San Carlos after the 2024 municipal elections^[9]

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

Districts

The canton of San Carlos is subdivided into the following districts:

1. Quesada
2. Florencia
3. Buenavista
4. Aguas Zarcas
5. Venecia
6. Pital
7. La Fortuna
8. La Tigra
9. La Palmera
10. Venado
11. Cutris
12. Monterrey
13. Pocosol

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	±% p.a.
1927	5,719	—
1950	16,180	+4.63%
1963	36,586	+6.48%
1973	54,952	+4.15%
1984	75,576	+2.94%
2000	127,140	+3.30%
2011	163,745	+2.33%
2022	198,742	+1.78%
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos[10] Centro Centroamericano de Población[11]

San Carlos had an estimated 198,742 inhabitants in 2022, second highest in its province and fourth highest in the country, behind San José, Alajuela, and Desamparados.^[12] This is an increase from 163,745 people for the 2011 census.^[13]

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.^[14]

Transportation

Road transportation

The canton is covered by the following road routes:

• National Route 4
• National Route 35
• National Route 140
• National Route 141
• National Route 142
• National Route 227
• National Route 250
• National Route 702
• National Route 734
• National Route 738
• National Route 739
• National Route 744
• National Route 745
• National Route 746
• National Route 747
• National Route 748
• National Route 749
• National Route 750
• National Route 751
• National Route 752
• National Route 753
• National Route 761
• National Route 936

Education

There is a branch of the Costa Rica Institute of Technology in Santa Clara, San Carlos.

Sports

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.