Moravia (canton)


Moravia is the 14th canton in the province of San José in Costa Rica. The canton covers an area of 28.62 km², and had a total population of 56,919 people at the 2011 Census. The capital city of the canton is San Vicente.

Geography

The elongated canton begins in the northern suburbs of the national capital city of San José and continues northeast toward the Cordillera Central. The Virilla, Pará, and Blanco rivers on the north and west, and the Quebrada Azul and Macho rivers on the southeast, partially delineate the boundaries of the canton.
Other rivers in Moravia include Quebrada Barreal, Quebrada Lajas, Quebrada San Francisco, Quebrada Tornillal, Quebrada Yerbabuena, Río Acequia, Río Agrá, Río Hondura, Río Ipís, Río Pará Grande, Río Paracito, and Río Zurquí. Mountain peaks in the area include Zurquí, Vargas, and Trina.
Moravia combines densely populated suburbs in the south with rural mountain landscapes in the San Jerónimo district to the north. The cantons surrounding Moravia are Coronado to the east and north, San Isidro, Santo Domingo, and Tibás to the west, and Goicoechea to the south.

Districts

Moravia is subdivided into three distritos administrativos and 44 barrios :
DistrictsBarrios
San Vicente
La Trinidad
  • Altos de Trinidad
  • Cipreses
  • Colonia
  • Moral
  • Níspero
  • Rosal
  • Ruano
  • Sitios
  • Tanques
  • Virilla
    • San Jerónimo
  • Alto Palma
  • Platanares
  • Tornillal
  • Torre

    • History

    The canton was established by law the 31 of July 1914 and will celebrate its centenary in 2014. It is named in honour of President Juan Rafael Mora Porras. Since there was already a canton called Mora, this one was named Moravia.
    Law No. 55 established Villa San Vicente on 1 August 1914. The first session of the Council of Moravia was held on 19 January 1915, and the first electric street lighting was installed in the same year. Law No. 3248 gave the town of San Vicente city status on 6 December 1963.

    Education

    The first school was founded in 1848, called "school for the education of the children of the residents of San Vicente", and was located on the north side of the current San Vicente city park, called Parque de Moravia. A charity school was created in 1862, with two sections, one for boys and one for women.
    In 1891, an adobe and brick building was created for the school and this was renamed Escuela Graduada de Varones de San Vicente in 1893. Two years later, the name Graduada de Mujeres de San Vicente was added and these names were maintained until 1932, when the school was renamed again as , its current name. The school Porfirio Brenes Castro now occupies a city block to the south of Parque de Moravia.
    The private school, Saint Francis College, was founded on 23 February 1950, and another school, "Colegio Nuestra Señora de Sión", "Saint Anthony School", "Saint Joseph",Liceo de Moravia, began teaching in March 1966., and Liceo Laboratorio Emma Gamboa.
    Costa Rica's Japanese international school, Escuela Japonesa de San José, is located in Moravia.