District · Atenas Canton # San José San José is a district of Costa Rica in Atenas Canton, Alajuela Province. It had an estimated 2,304 people in 2021 on 13 km² (about 171 per km²). 9 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 10 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools. - 2,304 people (2021) - 13.5 km² - 10 mapped services - 822 m typical elevation ## How many people live in San José? San José had an estimated 2,304 people in 2021 — 7.8% of Atenas Canton, 399th of 472 districts. There are 988 women for every 1,000 men (close to the Atenas Canton figure of 978). Spread over 13 km², that is about 171 people per km², 225th of 472 districts. 18.6% of people are children under 15 and 12.4% are 65 or older; the median age is about 35 years (it is 35 across Atenas Canton). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 45 children and older people. - 0–4 143 - 5–9 138 - 10–14 148 - 15–19 145 - 20–24 186 - 25–29 198 - 30–34 198 - 35–39 178 - 40–44 155 - 45–49 141 - 50–54 141 - 55–59 133 - 60–64 115 - 65–69 99 - 70–74 75 - 75+ 111 Source: Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, population 2021 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO). ## Where is San José? San José lies in Atenas Canton, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica. It borders 6 other districts: Candelaria, El Rosario, Mercedes, San Isidro, Santa Eulalia and Santiago. By area it is the 341st largest of 492 districts in Costa Rica. It covers 10.7% of Atenas Canton. The centre point is at 10.0155° N, 84.4105° W. Source: Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO). ## Things to see in and around San José ### Nearby, outside San José - El Toledo Coffee Tour · attraction, San Isidro 2.9 km - Monumento Nacional al Boyero · memorial, Atenas 5.6 km - Parador fotográfico de Palmares · attraction, Buenos Aires 5.7 km - Monumento Griego · monument, Puente de Piedra 5.9 km - Proyecto Abandonado Condominio Castillo Real · ruins, La Granja 6.2 km - Reserva Biologica Madre Verde · nature reserve, La Granja 6.3 km - Vírgen de Las Rosas · memorial, Atenas 6.4 km - Mirador · viewpoint, Escobal 7.0 km - Mirador Monumento al Espíritu Santo · attraction, Palmitos 7.7 km - Cerro Espíritu Santo · volcano, Palmitos 7.8 km - Ecomuseo Minas del Aguacate · museum, Desmonte 8.5 km - Minas del Aguacate · cave, Desmonte 8.5 km Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements. Named attractions, museums, viewpoints, historic sites and natural features mapped in OpenStreetMap. Places of worship are not listed. ## Know before you go: San José - Time zone UTC−6, no daylight saving · America/Costa_Rica - Currency Colon (CRC) - Country calling code +506 - Languages Spanish, English - Plug types Type A, B · 120 V - Driving side Right - Postcode format 5 digits (#####) ### Nearest airports - Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) · San José (Alajuela) 22 km - Tobías Bolaños International Airport (SYQ) · San Jose 30 km ### Nearest railway station Ojo de Agua (San Rafael), about 21 km from the centre. ### Daylight Days are longest in Jun (about 12.7 hours, sunrise around 05:16) and shortest in Dec (about 11.5 hours, sunrise around 05:46, sunset around 17:19). Source: GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0); Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-03; OurAirports (public domain). Airports with scheduled passenger flights; straight-line distances. Daylight is calculated for the 15th of each month in local standard time. Check entry and visa rules with official government sources before travelling. ## Villages and localities in San José Open gazetteers list 9 villages, towns and localities in San José. Settlements here lie between about 705 m and 907 m above sea level (median 822 m). - Alto Cima - Alto López - El Vainilla - Legua - Los Bajos - San José Norte - San José Sur - Torunes - Vainilla Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features; © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements. ## Landscape and landmarks of San José Named natural and historic features inside San José, from the GeoNames gazetteer. ### Water 3 rivers and streams. - Quebrada Güitite - Quebrada Salitral - Quebrada Tanque Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features. Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate. ## Weather in San José and the best time to visit Using the climate of Atenas Canton, the warmest month is Apr (average 25 °C) and the coolest is Dec (22 °C). About 1,793 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Oct (301 mm) and the driest Feb (22 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are December to April. - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec | Month | Average °C | Rain mm | | Jan | 23 | 38 | | Feb | 24 | 22 | | Mar | 25 | 29 | | Apr | 25 | 76 | | May | 24 | 220 | | Jun | 24 | 209 | | Jul | 23 | 184 | | Aug | 23 | 198 | | Sep | 23 | 256 | | Oct | 23 | 301 | | Nov | 22 | 188 | | Dec | 22 | 70 | Source: NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29. ## Nearest hospital, bank and fuel from San José | Need | Nearest mapped | Distance | | | Hospital | Centro Médico Vargas · Zaragoza | 3.7 km | Map | | Bank | BCR · Palmares | 5.0 km | Map | | ATM | ATH · Jesús | 4.8 km | Map | | Petrol pump | Servicentro Metrópoli · Palmares | 4.7 km | Map | | Hotel | Casa Vacacional Morazán Hills · San José | 1.7 km | Map | | Mall | Plaza Sabana · Jesús | 4.5 km | Map | | School | Escuela San José Norte · San José | 0.6 km | Map | | College | Colegio Bilingüe San Rafael · Jesús | 4.9 km | Map | | Police station | Subdelegación Policial San José Norte · San José | 0.6 km | Map | Source: Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Straight-line distance from the centre of the division, within 40 km. ## Hospitals, banks and other services in San José Places mapped inside San José in open map data, by type. - Hotels 1 - Schools 3 - Restaurants 4 - Police stations 2 Source: Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Coverage depends on what has been mapped; contact details are not shown. ## Other districts in Atenas Canton - Atenas - Concepción - Escobal - Jesús - Mercedes - San Isidro - Santa Eulalia ## Quick answers - Where is San José? In Atenas Canton, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica - What is the population of San José? 2,304 (2021 estimate) - What is the median age in San José? About 35 years (2021 estimate) - What is the population density of San José? About 171 people per km² - What borders San José? Candelaria, El Rosario, Mercedes, San Isidro, Santa Eulalia and Santiago - What is there to see in San José? El Toledo Coffee Tour, Monumento Nacional al Boyero, Parador fotográfico de Palmares, Monumento Griego - What time zone is San José in? UTC−6 - What currency is used in San José? Colon (CRC) - What language is spoken in San José? Spanish, English (main languages nationally) - How many villages are in San José? 9 named settlements (GeoNames, OpenStreetMap) - What is the elevation of San José? Settlements lie between 705 m and 907 m - What is the best time to visit San José? December to April - Where is the nearest hospital to San José? Centro Médico Vargas, about 3.7 km from the centre - Where is the nearest bank to San José? BCR, about 5.0 km from the centre - Where is the nearest ATM to San José? ATH, about 4.8 km from the centre - Where is the nearest petrol pump to San José? Servicentro Metrópoli, about 4.7 km from the centre - What is the P-code of San José? CR20506 (OCHA common operational dataset) At a glance - Type: District - Area: 13.5 km² - P-code: CR20506 - Canton: Atenas Canton --- Canonical: https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/atenas/san-jose/ · Updated 2026-11-03 · Data: national censuses and statistics offices (sources named in each section); © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); Overture Maps; GeoNames; NASA POWER.