Curridabat (canton)

Curridabat is the eighteenth canton in the San José province of Costa Rica. The head city the homonymous Curridabat. The canton forms a suburb of the national capital of San José, lying on the southeast edge of the city.

History

Curridabat was created on 21 August 1929 by decree 209.

Government

In 1930, the canton had a municipality with three regidores, a mayor (Ejecutivo Municipal) and a political chief (Jefe Político; both charges were held by same person). At this time, the canton's population was of 5,000 people. As the population grew, the municipality had to create a sanitation department to collect garbage, provide public road maintenance, and build infrastructure. The municipality Council was later expanded to five members by popular election in 1970.

Mayor

According to Costa Rica's Municipal Code, mayors are elected every four years by the population of the canton. As of the latest municipal elections in 2024, the 21st Century Curridabat (CSXXI) candidate, Errol Andrés Solano Bolaños, was elected mayor of the canton with 24.52% of the votes, with Paula Rebeca Camacho Solís and Melissa Berenzon Quirós as first and second vice mayors, respectively.

Municipal Council

Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (called regidores) are elected every four years. Curridabat'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. The current president of the Municipal Council is Pro-Curri People Party member Luis Ulderico Monge Díaz, with Social Christian Unity Party member Andrea Vargas Uribe as vice president. The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024–2028 period is as follows:

Geography

Curridabat has an area of 16.06 km² (6.20 sq mi).

Points of interest

Plaza del Sol (Sun's Plaza) a shopping center built between 1982 and 1983. At the time it was the most modern shopping center in the city. Today, it has many customers ranging from middle to high class.
Multiplaza del Este (Eastern Multiplaza), now Multiplaza Curridabat, is a mall built between August 2002 and October 2003 that belongs to the commercial chain of the same name and have other malls in Central America. It has a food court, cinemas and stores. It is located in the old establishment of Republic Tobacco Co. The mall was expanded twice in 2007 and between 2013 and 2014.
San José Indoor Club, it is a recreational sports club for the middle and high class in San José. It was opened during the mid-1970s.

Districts

The canton of Curridabat is subdivided into the following districts:

Curridabat
Granadilla
Sánchez
Tirrases

Demographics

Curridabat had an estimated 71,026 inhabitants in 2022, up from 65,206 at the time of the 2011 census.

In 2022, Curridabat had a Human Development Index of 0.835, the sixth highest nationwide.

Notable residents

Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier, former president, lives in Pinares; also son of former president Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia
Karen Olsen Beck, wife of former president José Figueres Ferrer; also mother of former president José Figueres Olsen
Alicia Bettoni, actress, voice actress, model, veterinary nurse and animal care specialist.