Paraíso (canton)
Canton in Cartago province, Costa Rica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paraíso is a canton in the Cartago province of Costa Rica.[1][2] The head city is in Paraíso district.
Paraíso | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
 Paraíso canton | |
  Paraíso Paraíso canton location in Costa Rica | |
| Coordinates: 9.7294954°N 83.7706033°W | |
| Country |  Costa Rica |
| Province | Cartago |
| Creation | 7 December 1848 |
| Head city | Paraíso |
| Districts | |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Body | Municipalidad de Paraíso |
| • Mayor | Michaell Álvarez Quirós (UP) |
| Area | |
• Total | 476.99 km2 (184.17 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,171 m (3,842 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 57,743 |
• Estimate (2022) | 65,941 |
| • Density | 121.06/km2 (313.54/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−06:00 |
| Canton code | 302 |
| Website | https://www.muniparaiso.go.cr/ |
History
Paraíso was created on 7 December 1848 by decree 167.[3]
Geography
Paraíso has an area of 476.99 km2 (184.17 sq mi) and a mean elevation of 1,171 m (3,842 ft).[4][1]
Paraíso is an elongated canton that stretches southeast from its head city to encompass a swatch of the Cordillera de Talamanca (Talamanca Mountain Range).
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 United We Can candidate, Michaell Álvarez Quirós, was elected mayor of the canton with 41.37% of the votes, with Merlyn Rojas Mora and Roger Ricardo Zúñiga Vega 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. Paraíso'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.[5] The current president of the Municipal Council is the Progressive Liberal Party member, Aldo Mata Coghi, with National Liberation Party member Silvia Elena Arce Araya as vice president.[8] The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024–2028 period is as follows:
 | |||||
| Political parties in the Municipal Council of Paraíso | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political party | Regidores | ||||
| № | Owner | Substitute | |||
 |
United We Can (UP) | 3 | Kattia Alfaro Saenz | María Gabriela Solano Marín | |
| Jaime Andrés Coto Espinoza | Julio Sánchez Soto | ||||
| Milany Sofía Obando Mora | Ana Catalina Barquero Quesada | ||||
 |
National Liberation Party (PLN) | 2 | Luis Diego Calderón Sánchez | Javier Mauricio Hernández Castillo | |
| Silvia Elena Arce Araya(VP) | Sussana Irene Mata Quesada | ||||
 |
Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC) | 1 | Agustín Enrique Siles Solano | Walter Solano Segura[b] | |
 |
Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) | 1 | Aldo Mata Coghi(P) | Felipe Alberto Loaiza Araya | |
Districts
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1864 | 4,238 | — |
| 1883 | 7,114 | +2.76% |
| 1892 | 7,819 | +1.06% |
| 1927 | 7,900 | +0.03% |
| 1950 | 11,426 | +1.62% |
| 1963 | 18,389 | +3.73% |
| 1973 | 22,281 | +1.94% |
| 1984 | 27,823 | +2.04% |
| 2000 | 52,393 | +4.03% |
| 2011 | 57,743 | +0.89% |
| 2022 | 65,941 | +1.21% |
| Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos[10] Centro Centroamericano de Población[11] | ||
Paraíso had an estimated 65,941 inhabitants in 2022, up from the 57,743 people at the time of the 2011 census.[12][13]
In 2022, Paraíso had a Human Development Index of 0.778, ranking it 4th highest in its province.[14]
Transportation
Road transportation
The canton is covered by the following road routes:
Rail transportation
The Interurbano Line operated by Incofer goes through this canton.