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Alajuelita
Alajuelita
Canton
	Alajuelita Cross, was illuminated and visible from most of the Central Valley
	Flag Seal
	Alajuelita canton
	Alajuelita Alajuelita canton location in San José Province Alajuelita Alajuelita canton location in Costa Rica
	Coordinates: 9°53′20″N 84°06′55″W / 9.8890038°N 84.1151684°W
Country	Costa Rica
Province	San José
Creation	4 June 1909
Head city	Alajuelita
Districts	Districts Alajuelita; San Josecito; San Antonio; Concepción; San Felipe;
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Body	Municipalidad de Alajuelita
• Mayor	María del Rosario Siles Fernández (PNG)
Area
• Total	21.47 km2 (8.29 sq mi)
Elevation	1,194 m (3,917 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	77,603
• Estimate (2022)	81,012
• Density	3,600/km2 (9,400/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−06:00
Canton code	110
Website	munialajuelita.go.cr

Alajuelita is a canton in the San José province of Costa Rica.^[1]^[2]

History

Alajuelita was created on 4 June 1909 by decree 58.^[2] The first settlements in the area occurred by 1650. The name "Alajuelita" comes from a diminutive form of the name of Alajuela Province due to original settlers coming from that province.

Geography

Alajuelita has an area of 21.47 km² (8.29 sq mi)^[3] and a mean elevation of 1,194 m (3,917 ft).^[1]

The odd-shaped canton reaches southwest from the suburbs of the national capital city of San José. It is delineated by the Tiribí River on the northeast, Cañas River on the east, Poás River on the southeast, and the Cerros de Escazú at it far southwestern end. The Santuario Nacional Santo Cristo de Esquipulas is located in this canton^[4] along with the San Miguel Hill, whose metallic cross built at its peak is definitely one of the more beloved landmarks in Costa Rican Central Region.^[5]

Government

Mayor

According to Costa Rica's Municipal Code, mayors are elected every four years by the population of the canton.^[6] As of the latest municipal elections in 2024, the New Generation Party candidate, María del Rosario Siles Fernández^[a], was elected mayor of the canton with 47.78% of the votes, with Jonathan Miguel Arrieta Ulloa and Javiera Tatiana Centeno Barboza as first and second vice mayors, respectively.^[7]

Mayors of Alajuelita since the 2002 elections^[8]
Period	Name	Party
2002–2006	Víctor Hugo Echavarría Ureña^[b]	PUSC
2006–2010	Tómas Poblador Soto	PLN
2010–2016	Víctor Hugo Echavarría Ureña^[b]	PUSC
2016–2020	Modesto Alpizar Luna	PNG
2020–2024	Modesto Alpizar Luna
2024–2028	Michaell Álvarez Quirós

Municipal Council

Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (called regidores) are elected every four years. Alajuelita's Municipal Council has 7 seats for regidores and their substitutes, who can participate in meetings but not vote unless the owning regidor (regidor propietario) is absent.^[6] The current president of the Municipal Council is the Social Christian Unity Party member Henry David Salazar Quesada, with New Generation Party member Grettel Andrea Murillo Quirós as vice president.^[9] The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024–2028 period is as follows:

Current composition of the Municipal Council of Alajuelita after the 2024 municipal elections^[10]
Political parties in the Municipal Council of Alajuelita

Political party		Regidores
Political party		№	Owner	Substitute
	New Generation Party (PNG)	3	Laura Alicia Araúz Tenorio	Rosibel Calderón Chinchilla
			José Alix Reyes Gómex^[c]	Hector Alonso Hidalgo Sánchez
			Grettel Andrea Murillo Quirós^(VP)	Flor Zúñiga Rodríguez
	Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC)	2	Henry David Salazar Quesada^(P)	Luis Fernando Chinchilla Retana
	Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC)	2	Patricia Mayela Guido Chinchilla	Katherine Marcela Mora Bonilla
	National Liberation Party (PLN)	1	Leyda María Badilla Sánchez	Carolina Mora Sibaja
	Our Town Party (PNP)	1	José Alberto Páez Zúñiga	Esteban Emilio Chavarría Villalta

Districts

The canton of Alajuelita is subdivided into the following districts:

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	±% p.a.
1927	2,571	—
1950	3,920	+1.85%
1963	10,848	+8.14%
1973	23,013	+7.81%
1984	31,390	+2.86%
2000	70,297	+5.17%
2011	77,603	+0.90%
2022	81,012	+0.39%
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos^[11] Centro Centroamericano de Población^[12]