Tarrazú is the fifth canton in the province of San José in

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

. The head city of the canton is San Marcos. It is part of

Los Santos Zone Los Santos Zone () is a mountainous region in the San José Province of Costa Rica, in the center-south of the country. It is also known in Spanish as or just . It corresponds to a wide sector of a series of intermontane valleys composed by the ...

, together with

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and

León Cortés Castro León Cortés Castro (December 8, 1882 – March 3, 1946) was a Costa Rican politician. He served as President of Costa Rica from 1936 to 1940. During his term he introduced new bank reforms, supported banana plantations in the South Pacific re ...

History

The canton was established by a legislative decree of 7 August 1868. It was part of the

Desamparados Desamparados is a district of the Desamparados canton, in the San José province of Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to th ...

canton by that time.

Government

Mayor

According to Costa Rica's Municipal Code, mayors are elected every four years by the population of the canton. As of the latest municipal elections in 2024, the

Social Christian Unity Party The Social Christian Unity Party () is a centre-right political party in Costa Rica. PUSC considers itself a Christian-democratic party and, as such, is a member of the Christian Democrat Organization of America (ODCA). It was founded in 1983 by ...

candidate, Fernando Portuguez Parra, was elected mayor of the canton with 50.15% of the votes, with Marjorie Castro Barrantes and Alejandro Javier Bonilla Herrera as first and second vice mayors, respectively.

Municipal Council

Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (called ) are elected every four years. Tarrazú's Municipal Council has 5 seats for regidores and their substitutes, who can participate in meetings but not vote unless the owning regidor () is absent. The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024–2028 period is as follows:

Geography

Tarrazú has an area of and a mean elevation of . The Pirrís River (also known as Parrita River) establishes much of the northern boundary of the three-pronged canton, which reaches south across the Coastal Mountain Range to its border with the canton of Quepos in

Puntarenas Province Puntarenas () is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the western part of the country, covering most of Costa Rica's Pacific Ocean coast, and it is the largest province in Costa Rica. Clockwise from the northwest, it borders on the province ...

. Tarrazú is located about south of the capital, San José, in a pristine valley surrounded by mountains that are part of the Talamanca Sierra in southern Costa Rica. Downtown San Marcos is above sea level but is surrounded by peaks as high as above sea level.

Districts

The canton of Tarrazú is subdivided into three

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

: # San Marcos # San Lorenzo # San Carlos

Demographics

Tarrazú had an estimated population of in 2022, an increase from its inhabitants at the time of the 2011 census. In 2022, Tarrazú had a

Human Development Index The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistical composite index of life expectancy, Education Index, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income i ...

of 0.668.

Transportation

Road transportation

The canton is covered by the following road routes:

Economy

Highland coffee is the main source of income of local people. However, tourism and avocado production are of increased importance. During the months of December, January and February, population increases three-fold due to harvest time. San Marcos, the biggest town in the region, has become the center of economic activity. More recently, the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity has invested millions of dollars in the Pirrís Hydro Dam, scheduled to start generating energy by March 2011. The Hydro Dam is now the highest structure of its kind in Central America and will be key to the economic development of the region, not only in the highlands but the coastal regions of Quepos and Parrita. The region is deeply dependent on remittances from emigres who live in the United States, namely

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. Few households in the region do not have a family member who lives and works in the United States. This outmigration has led to an influx of thousands of Panamanian laborers to help realize the annual coffee harvest. Tarrazú, particularly the San Lorenzo area, is felt to produce the most desirable coffee in Costa Rica. ''Finca Palmilera'' coffee is grown here. In November 2012, it was the most expensive coffee sold in

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational List of coffeehouse chains, chain of coffeehouses and Starbucks Reserve, roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gor ...

coffee shops in the United States.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarrazu Canton Cantons of San José Province