Palmares de Alajuela
Encyclopedia
Palmares Canton
Palmares is the name of the seventh canton in the province of Alajuela in Costa Rica. The canton covers an area of 38.06 km², and has a population of 31,608. The capital city of the canton is also called Palmares....
in the province of Alajuela
Alajuela Province
Alajuela is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the north-central part of the country, bordering Nicaragua to the north, and clockwise the provinces Heredia, San José, Puntarenas and Guanacaste...
in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. It is also the name of the distrito (district) that includes the city. The district of Palmares covers an area of 1.09 km, and has a population of 4,416.
The city lies at an elevation of 1,017 meters above sea level (1) in the Central Valley
Costa Rican Central Valley
The Central Valley is a plateau and a geographic region of central Costa Rica. The land in the valley is a relative plain, despite being surrounded by several mountains and volcanos, the latter part of the Central Range. The region houses almost three quarters of Costa Ricans, and includes the...
(Valle Central), 6 kilometers southeast of the city of San Ramón, 38 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital city of Alajuela
Alajuela
Alajuela is the second largest city in Costa Rica after the capital, San José. It is also the capital of the namesake province. Because of its location in the Costa Rican Central Valley, Alajuela is nowadays englobed in the conurbation of Great Metropolitan Area...
, and 56 kilometers from the national capital city of San Jose
San José, Costa Rica
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...
.
During January the city hosts their 'Fiestas', a large fair organized by a local committee which have become along with Zapote in December, and Liberia in July, one of the largest fairs in the country. This fair lasts for two weeks, with two days of special note: the 'Tope' (a massive horseback riding parade through town) and the 'Carnaval' (carnival); it is said that during these days you can find over 500,000 people in Palmares. It ranks 2nd in most beer consumed in a yearly festival(after Oktoberfest)