Desamparados (canton)
Canton in San José province, Costa Rica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Desamparados is the 3rd canton in the province of San José in Costa Rica. The canton covers an area of 118.89 km2 (45.90 sq mi),[1] and had a population of 223,226 in 2022,[2] making it the third most populated among the 81 cantons of Costa Rica. The canton's capital city is also called Desamparados.
Desamparados | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Seal | |
 Interactive map of Desamparados | |
  Desamparados Desamparados canton location in San José Province  Desamparados Desamparados canton location in Costa Rica | |
| Coordinates: 9.8114083°N 84.0289552°W | |
| Country |  Costa Rica |
| Province | San José |
| Creation | 4 November 1862 |
| City | Desamparados |
| Districts | |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Body | Municipalidad de Desamparados |
| • Mayor | María Antonieta Naranjo Brenes (PLN) |
| Area | |
• Total | 118.89 km2 (45.90 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,270 m (4,170 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 208,411 |
• Estimate (2022) | 223,226 |
| • Density | 1,753.0/km2 (4,540.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−06:00 |
| Canton code | 103 |
| Website | www |
The canton begins in the southern suburbs of the national capital city of San José, with the Tiribí River marking its northern boundary. It snakes its way south as a backward letter S, finally reaching its southern limit at the Tarrazú River. It contains the bigger of the last forest lungs in the Greater Metropolitan Area, the Loma Salitral, which conservation issues have generated social conflicts between community environmentalists and immobility developers, as it is seen as an identity mark of the desamparadeño people and a vital infiltration area to prevent the frequents and disastrous floods in the district of Gravilias.[3]
Urban areas claim 80.4% of the canton's population. Those under age 10 comprise 19.8% of its inhabitants, while 5.1% are over 65.
History
The canton was established by a legislative decree of November 4, 1862.[4]
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, María Antonieta Naranjo Brenes, was elected mayor of the canton with 26.38% of the votes, with Carlos Alberto Padilla Corella and Kenneth Alexander Cubillo Vargas as first and second vice mayors, respectively.[6]
Municipal Council
Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (called regidores) are elected every four years. Desamparados' Municipal Council has 11 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 regidor for Social Christian Unity Party, María Isabel Llamas Echeverría, with the regidor for Our Town Party, Luis José Flores Jiménez, as vice president.[8] The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024-2028 period is as follows:
 | |||||
| Political parties in the Municipal Council of Desamparados | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political party | Regidores | ||||
| № | Owner | Substitute | |||
 |
National Liberation Party (PLN) | 3 | Gabriel Gustavo Picado Oviedo | Vinicio Alberto Valverde Chacón | |
| Karla Vanessa Mora Rodríguez | Zaira Elena Romero Fallas | ||||
| Juan Chacón Castillo | Manuel Araya Badilla | ||||
 |
Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC) | 2 | Jonatan Mauricio Chavarría Sibaja | Randall Sibaja Miranda | |
| María Isabel Llamas Echeverría(P) | Carmen Martínez Jackson | ||||
 |
Social Democratic Progress Party (PSD) | 1 | Ricardo Antonio Arce Díaz | William Solera Alfaro | |
 |
Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) | 1 | Luis Guillermo Gómez Godínez | Javier Umaña Valenciano | |
 |
Our Town Party (PNP) | 1 | Luis José Flores Jiménez(VP) | Adrián Eduardo Monge Monge | |
 |
New Republic Party (PNR) | 1 | Cristian Arturo Chacón Ureña[b] | Walter Jesús Garro Araya | |
_2013.svg){kind=small} |
Broad Front (FA) | 1 | Eduardo Guillén Gardela[c] | Mario Esteban Raitt Núñez | |
 |
Costa Rican Communal Ecological Party (PAEC) | 1 | Jesús Rodríguez Gutiérrez | José Marcial Rodríguez Carvajal | |
Districts
Sports
The football soccer club Orión F.C. plays here.
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1864 | 7,067 | — |
| 1883 | 5,408 | −1.40% |
| 1892 | 6,471 | +2.01% |
| 1927 | 9,463 | +1.09% |
| 1950 | 15,614 | +2.20% |
| 1963 | 33,845 | +6.13% |
| 1973 | 74,272 | +8.18% |
| 1984 | 108,824 | +3.53% |
| 2000 | 193,478 | +3.66% |
| 2011 | 208,411 | +0.68% |
| 2022 | 223,226 | +0.63% |
| Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos[11] Centro Centroamericano de Población[12] | ||
Desamparados had a population of 223,226 in 2022,[2] the third highest in the country and up from 208,411 in the 2011 census.[13]
According to a publication by the United Nations Development Programme, Desamparados has a Human Development Index score of 0.743, ranking it 13th in its province.[14]
Transportation
Road transportation
The following road routes cover the canton:
