San José, Costa Rica

San José, Costa Rica
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:4-_Vue_San_Jose.jpg
Author: Wikipedro
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San José is the capital and biggest city in Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley of the country, it serves as the political, transportation and economic hub of the country. San José covers 44.62 sq km (17.2 sq mi) and has a population of 366,000 people (2011 estimate), within a metropolitan area of 1.7 million people.

San José experiences a tropical rainforest climate. However its altitude of 1,170 m (3,839 ft) provides for a slightly cooler climate than the lowlands. Coldest months are December and January, when the average low temperature drops to 15°C (59°F). Hottest months are April and May, when the average high rises to 30°C (86°F). San José receives the most rain in September, at 305 mm (12 in).

Street in San Jose, Costa Rica
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:San_Jose,_C._R..JPG
Author: Milei.vencel
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The city of San José was founded by Cabildo de León in 1738, making it one of the youngest capital cities in Latin America by year of establishment. It doesn't became a national capital until 1823. Since then it has grown and developed rapidly, becoming the main gateway for travelers into the country.

Visiting San José

The Juan Santamaría International Airpoort, located 20 km (12 mi) from downtown San José, is the main gateway to Costa Rica. The airport receives regular flights from Bogotá, Caracas, Dallas/Fort Worth, David, Frankfurt, Guayaquil, Havana, Houston, Lima, Los Angeles, Managua, Medellín, Mexico City, Miami, New York-JFK, Panama City, Quito, San Pedro Sula, San Salvador, Santo Domingo, Tegucigalpa and Toronto, among others.

Arriving at the airport, you have the option of taking the local bus or the taxi. If taking the bus, be sure you have small change, as the drive might not accept big notes. The taxi to downtown San José costs US$25, and taxi drivers usually accept payment in US dollars.

Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica, San José
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Costa_Rica-Teatro_Nacional.JPG
Author: Andres Alvarez
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Places of Interest in San José

Edificio Correos
The General Post Office building, an excellent example of early 20th century architecture, today houses the Philatelic Museum on the second floor.
Lankester Botanical Garden
Established as a private garden by British orchid enthusiast Charles H Lankester, it is now preserved and open to the public.
Pre-Columbian Gold Museum (Museo del Oro Precolombino)
The place to admire a treasure trove of gold artifacts from the Pre-Columbian era, going back to AD 500.
Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica
Historic theater in the heart of San José. It was opened in 1897 with a performance of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust.
Teatro Variedades
The oldest movie theater in San José and the first place where movies were screened in Costa Rica.

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

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