# Alvarado Canton, Cartago Province – Population & Districts

> Source: https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/cartago/alvarado/

Canton · Cartago Province 

# Alvarado Canton

Alvarado Canton is a canton of Costa Rica in Cartago Province. It had an estimated **15,524 people** in 2021 on 79 km² (about 196 per km²). It is divided into 3 districts. 36 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 51 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools.

- 15,524people (2021)
- 79.2km²
- 3districts
- 51mapped services

## How many people live in Alvarado Canton?

Alvarado Canton had an estimated **15,524 people** in 2021 — 2.9% of Cartago Province, 73rd of 83 cantons. There are 973 women for every 1,000 men (below the Cartago Province figure of 991). Spread over 79 km², that is about **196 people per km²**, 32nd of 83 cantons.

21.9% of people are children under 15 and 8.7% are 65 or older; the median age is about 32 years (it is 33 across Cartago Province). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 44 children and older people.

0–4 ****1,123**

5–9 ****1,144**

10–14 ****1,137**

15–19 ****1,085**

20–24 ****1,359**

25–29 ****1,436**

30–34 ****1,353**

35–39 ****1,148**

40–44 ****1,013**

45–49 ****916**

50–54 ****929**

55–59 ****872**

60–64 ****653**

65–69 ****476**

70–74 ****329**

75+ ****551**

Source: [Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, population 2021 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-cri).

## Where is Alvarado Canton?

Alvarado Canton lies in [Cartago Province](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/cartago/), [Costa Rica](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/). It borders 4 other cantons: [Jiménez Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/cartago/jimenez/), [Oreamuno Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/cartago/oreamuno/), [Paraíso Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/cartago/paraiso/) and [Turrialba Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/cartago/turrialba/). By area it is the 63rd largest of 84 cantons in Costa Rica. It covers 2.6% of [Cartago Province](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/cartago/). The centre of Alvarado Canton is about 31 km in a straight line from San José, the capital. It is about 16 km from Cartago, the main town of Cartago Province. The centre point is at 9.9439° N, 83.8007° W.

Source: [Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-cri).

## Know before you go: Alvarado Canton

- Time zoneUTC−6, no daylight saving · America/Costa_Rica
- CurrencyColon (CRC)
- Country calling code+506
- LanguagesSpanish, English
- Plug typesType A, B · 120 V
- Driving sideRight
- Postcode format5 digits (#####)

### Nearest airports

- Tobías Bolaños International Airport (SYQ) · San Jose37 km
- Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) · San José (Alajuela)45 km

### Nearest railway station

Estación Santiago (Santiago), about 8.0 km from the centre.

### Daylight

Days are longest in Jun (about 12.7 hours, sunrise around 05:14) and shortest in Dec (about 11.5 hours, sunrise around 05:43, sunset around 17:16).

Source: [GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0)](https://www.geonames.org/); [Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-03](https://www.wikidata.org/); [OurAirports (public domain)](https://ourairports.com/data/).

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.

## Districts of Alvarado Canton

District People per km² Area km² Localities Services 

[Cervantes](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/cartago/alvarado/cervantes/) 6,865 452 15 15 19 

[Pacayas](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/cartago/alvarado/pacayas/) 5,963 201 30 17 25 

[Capellades](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/cartago/alvarado/capellades/) 2,696 78 34 5 7 

Source: [Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-cri); [Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, population 2021 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-cri).

## Villages and localities in Alvarado Canton

Open gazetteers list **36 villages, towns and localities** in Alvarado Canton. The largest with a recorded population: Capellades (993). Settlements here lie between about 1,230 m and 3,056 m above sea level (median 1,750 m).

- Alto
- Bajo Abarca
- Bajo Malanga
- Birrís
- Buenavista
- Buenos Aires
- Capellades
- Cervantes
- Charcalillo
- Ciudad del Cielo
- Coliblanco
- Corazón de Jesús
- Descanso
- El Alto
- El Bajo
- Esperanza
- Guadalupe
- Irazú Sur
- La Loma
- La Pastora
- Llano Grande
- Los Ángeles
- Lourdes
- Mata de Guineo
- Monticel
- Oratorio
- Pacayas
- Pascón
- Patalillo
- Plantón
- San Isidro
- San Pablo
- San Pancracio
- San Rafael de Irazú
- Santa Teresa
- Trinidad

Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/); [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright).

## Landscape and landmarks of Alvarado Canton

Named natural and historic features inside Alvarado Canton, from the GeoNames gazetteer.

### Water

11 rivers and streams.

- Quebrada Caris
- Quebrada Central
- Quebrada González
- Quebrada Laguna Tapada
- Quebrada Lajas
- Quebrada Pacayas
- Quebrada Presidio
- Quebrada Roscaván
- Río Ortiga
- Río Peñas
- Río Playas

Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/).

Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate.

## Weather in Alvarado Canton and the best time to visit

In Alvarado Canton, the warmest month is May (average 21 °C) and the coolest is Jan (19 °C). About 2,266 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Oct (285 mm) and the driest Feb (70 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are **January to April**.

- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec

Month Average °C Rain mm 

Jan 19 119 

Feb 19 70 

Mar 20 76 

Apr 21 117 

May 21 243 

Jun 21 239 

Jul 20 253 

Aug 21 214 

Sep 21 231 

Oct 20 285 

Nov 20 258 

Dec 20 162 

Source: [NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29](https://power.larc.nasa.gov/).

## Hospitals, banks and other services in Alvarado Canton

Places mapped inside Alvarado Canton in open map data, by type — each number opens the full list with locations.

- Hospitals1
- Banks1
- Petrol pumps1
- Hotels2
- Shopping malls1
- Schools11
- Pharmacies5
- Restaurants25
- Police stations2
- Dental clinics2

Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/).

Coverage depends on what has been mapped; contact details are not shown.

## Quick answers

- Where is Alvarado Canton?In Cartago Province, Costa Rica
- What is the population of Alvarado Canton?15,524 (2021 estimate)
- What is the median age in Alvarado Canton?About 32 years (2021 estimate)
- What is the population density of Alvarado Canton?About 196 people per km²
- What borders Alvarado Canton?Jiménez Canton, Oreamuno Canton, Paraíso Canton and Turrialba Canton
- What time zone is Alvarado Canton in?UTC−6
- What currency is used in Alvarado Canton?Colon (CRC)
- What language is spoken in Alvarado Canton?Spanish, English (main languages nationally)
- How many villages are in Alvarado Canton?36 named settlements (GeoNames, OpenStreetMap)
- What is the elevation of Alvarado Canton?Settlements lie between 1,230 m and 3,056 m
- What is the best time to visit Alvarado Canton?January to April
- How many hospitals are in Alvarado Canton?1 mapped
- How many banks are in Alvarado Canton?1 mapped
- How many petrol pumps are in Alvarado Canton?1 mapped
- What is the P-code of Alvarado Canton?CR306 (OCHA common operational dataset)