On the 7th August 1868 with the passing of Law #20, Puriscal was officially founded in the province of San José, Costa Rica.

According to the Municipalidad de Puriscal website, the population of Puriscal as August 2010 was 14,834 men and 14,573 woman for a total population of 29,407 and a grand total of 239 expats.

The Puriscal geographical area measures 553.2KM2 and the weather in is beautifully warm and comfortable all year round. Puriscal includes the following districts below and you can also see the elevation in meters above sea level. The lower the elevation, the ‘toastier’ the area will be…

1. Ciudad Santiago 1,105
2. Mercedes Sur 1,125
3. Barbacoas 1,160
4. Grifo Alto 1,021
5. San Rafael Arriba 825
6. Candelarita 980
7. Desamparaditos 765
8. San Antonio 1,090
9. Cristo Rey 430

Puriscal, like the rest of the country’s cantons, has been framed by events which have shaped the county and its population.

The Puriscal region was inhabited by indigenous people who used the area as a passage way through which they exchanged products with other villages in the area. This trade route was even more solidified with the arrival of the Spanish in the region.

By the early nineteenth century, Puriscal was the granary of Costa Rica and produced most of the products consumed in the Central Valley. But, due to inappropriate farming techniques, intensive land use and the overuse of natural resources, production fell and many of the the people began to migrate further south to the Atlantic region and also to the Nicoya Peninsula.

The people of Puriscal are predominantly Catholic, they are known for their good hospitality and honesty and, are recognized as being extremely hard workers.

Although there are very few expats in the area at this time, more are on the way thanks to the home building skills of Canadian Brian McLane and his team.

Canadian Brian McLane and his wife Mariel investigated many different countries before eventually deciding to build their retirement home in Costa Rica. They had been searching for a tranquil, rural area in “a safe and affordable country with a great climate” and after travelling throughout Costa Rica they eventually bought a plot of land known as Altos de Antigua in Puriscal.

You can see the video about what happened then at: Canadian Developer Takes The Worry Out Of Planning, Designing and Building Your Home in Puriscal, Costa Rica Even If You Can’t Be Here.

After seeing the success of Brian’s flagship project at Altos de Antigua – which has 12 completed homes and four new homes under construction and only a few lots remaining – a local gentleman farmer with a large, working coffee farm and Brian McLane joined together to create a new residential community called Altos Los Cafetales. Altos means “heights” and “cafetales” mean coffee plantations.

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Written by Scott Oliver, author of 1. Costa Rica Real Estate Scams & How To Avoid Them, 2. How To Buy Costa Rica Real Estate Without Losing Your Camisa, 3. Costa Rica’s Guide To Making Money Offshore and 4. ¿Cómo Comprar Bienes Raices en Costa Rica, Sin Perder Su Camisa?

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.