Grecia | |
|---|---|
 The metal church in Grecia | |
 Grecia district | |
  Grecia Grecia district location in Costa Rica | |
| Coordinates: 10°04′10″N 84°18′49″W / 10.0693118°N 84.3135805°W | |
| Country |  Costa Rica |
| Province | Alajuela |
| Canton | Grecia |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.51 km2 (2.90 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 999 m (3,278 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 14,859 |
| • Density | 2,000/km2 (5,100/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−06:00 |
| Postal code | 20301 |
| Climate | Am |
Grecia is a district of the Grecia canton, in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica.[1][2]
Grecia has an area of 7.51 km2 (2.90 sq mi)[3] and an elevation of 999 m (3,278 ft).[1] It is in the foothills of the Cordillera Central on the eastern edge of the Central Valley. The city, which was once named "the cleanest city in Latin America,"[4] is 20 km (12 mi) northwest of the provincial capital city of Alajuela, 27 km (17 mi) from Juan Santamaría International Airport, and 45 km (28 mi) from the national capital city of San José.
Grecia was petitioned to be founded as a town as early as October 1828.[5] Settlers, who looked for plowable land to work on, lived in numerous houses already constructed in the town. [5] These residents looked for permission to officially establish the town. [5] The request was not approved until ten years later.[5]
Grecia is part of the tourist route of the western region of the Central Valley of Costa Rica, given the existence in the canton of waterfalls, protected areas, and the Catholic church of Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, which is part of Costa Rica's historical-architectural heritage.
Grecia is noted for its unique church, Iglesia de la Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, made entirely of pre-fabricated steel plates painted red. There are several urban legends about this church. One recounts how the church was donated by some foreign country, and sent to Greece as a gift, but was wrongly shipped to Grecia, Costa Rica. Another legend states that the final destination of the church was the city of Punta Arenas in Chile but was disembarked, by mistake, in the port of Puntarenas, Costa Rica, and later sent to the city of Grecia, where it was assembled.
However, records clearly show that the instruction, shipment, and construction of the church were a coordinated effort of Grecia's population, the Catholic Church, the Costa Rican government, and Alejo E. Jiménez Bonnefil (1858–1922), a Costa Rican coffee producer and exporter who was in charge of commanding and importing the church from the manufacturer Ateliers de la Société de Couvillet in Belgium, in the late 19th century.
A toucan named Grecia is the first toucan to receive a prosthetic beak. Its name is due to where the bird was found injured prior to its admission to the Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center (formerly Rescate Animal Zoo Ave), south of the city.[6]
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1864 | 795 | — | |
| 1883 | 1,339 | 68.4% | |
| 1892 | 1,379 | 3.0% | |
| 1927 | 2,737 | 98.5% | |
| 1950 | 4,123 | 50.6% | |
| 1963 | 7,065 | 71.4% | |
| 1973 | 9,984 | 41.3% | |
| 1984 | 11,374 | 13.9% | |
| 2000 | 14,277 | 25.5% | |
| 2011 | 14,859 | 4.1% | |
|
Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos[7] |
|||
In June 2023, the population of Grecia was predicted to be 16,158—an 8% increase over 2011.
In the district, population is predicted to vary by age, with 21.4% at age 19 and under, 6.5% from 20 to 24, 35.7% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64 and 11.1% who were 65 or more.[9]
In 2020, Francisco Murillo Quesada became the mayor of the Grecia canton, making him the mayor of the district of Grecia as well.[10] He succeeded Minor Molina in March 2020.[11]
The district is covered by the following road routes:
