Atenas

About Atenas:

The district covers 9.76 square kilometres at 698 metres above sea level, on the western edge of the Central Valley, and holds the town that gives the canton its name. The canton was created on 7 August 1868, the same year the parish opened a larger church on the site of its first one, built in 1846. National routes 3, 134, 135 and 707 all cross the district, with Ruta 3 serving as the main road to Alajuela. The Radial runs from town down to the Atenas exit of Ruta 27, the toll road between San José and the port of Caldera; a major landslide shut that exit in October 2011, and it has since reopened. From the terminal, Coopetransatenas runs buses to San José, some of them by Ruta 27, as well as to Alajuela, Palmares and the villages of the canton.

This is where the canton does its errands. The Parque Central, shaded by old palms, mango trees and malinches that draw flocks of parrots, faces the parish church of San Rafael Arcángel, the canton’s patron saint, and the municipal market keeps an inner garden with a statue of San Rafael put up in 2003. Banks, pharmacies, doctors, dentists, a community health centre, restaurants and bed-and-breakfasts are all within a few blocks. On Thursday afternoons and Friday mornings the farmers’ market fills the Centro Agrícola Cantonal on the Radial. Coffee still pays many of the bills: Coopeatenas, founded by local growers in 1969, has more than 1,300 member producers and over 200 staff, which makes it the canton’s biggest employer, and it runs a supermarket and service station alongside its coffee business.

A National Geographic article in 1960 called this the best climate in the world, and the phrase, el mejor clima del mundo, has followed Atenas ever since. What people mean is that temperature and humidity hardly change through the year, which is why a covered terrace or a pool turns up in so many of the houses on sale. The canton drops to 300 metres around Balsa and the Río Grande and climbs to 1,200 metres in San Isidro; the town sits in between, on rolling ground ringed by hills and coffee. Atenas also has a marked dry season. Before you fall for a view, make sure the water supply is as dependable as the weather.

The district’s population rose from 569 in 1864 to 7,182 in 2000, then almost levelled off: 7,546 at the 2011 census and 7,818 in 2022. Most people in town are Atenas families, and the streets around the park are where the canton’s commerce and public offices are concentrated. The canton’s long reputation with North American and European retirees shows up here too, mostly among those who would rather walk to the park and the feria than drive down from a hilltop. The gated communities Atenas is known for sit on the hills outside town, a few minutes away. For many buyers the real choice is between an older house within walking distance of everything and more land and a view that comes with a drive.

Houses in Atenas:

Houses for sale in the district fall into two broad groups. In the barrios around the centre, such as Los Ángeles, Boquerón, Escorpio and Olivo, you find family homes of two or three bedrooms on lots of a few hundred square metres, many of them priced in colones and bought by local families. On the slopes at the edge of town, newer houses with pools, guest units and views back over Atenas stand on plots of half a hectare or more and are priced in dollars. Between the two sit renovated homes a few minutes’ drive from the park, usually with two bedrooms and a garden. If you are looking for houses for sale in central Atenas that you can walk home to, expect a smaller lot and an older build.

Rentals in Atenas:

Tenants have more choice in town than in the outlying districts. Apartments of one or two bedrooms, some of them around 60 square metres, sit alongside whole houses on long leases and furnished houses with a pool, an electric gate and internet included, a kilometre or so from the park. Small cabins near the centre also come up for people who want to try the town before committing. If you are searching for apartments for rent in Atenas, start close to the centre, where the bus, the market and the clinic are all on foot. Many buyers rent here first while they decide between the town and the hills.

Land and Lots in Atenas:

Land in town comes in small pieces. Lots of roughly 300 to 700 square metres near the centre are offered for a house, a small business or both, some with public road frontage and one with a flat already built on it. Along the Radial toward Ruta 27, larger parcels are marketed for mixed or commercial use. Because so many plots in town are pitched as residential or commercial, get the municipality’s certificado de uso de suelo before you budget for a shop or rental units. That certificate, not the advert, tells you what will be allowed on the lot.

FAQ:

• A listing just says “Atenas”. Is the property in town?

  Not necessarily. Atenas is the name of the canton, of its first district and of the town, and agents use it for anything from a house by the park to a finca in Escobal. The district has postal code 20501 and takes in the town and barrios such as Los Ángeles, Boquerón, Escorpio, Olivo, Güízaro, Oasis and Atenea. The plano catastrado names the district, so read it before you book a viewing.

• Can I manage in central Atenas without a car?

  More easily here than anywhere else in the canton. Banks, the health centre, the market, the church and shops are all in town, the farmers’ market runs Thursday afternoon and Friday morning on the Radial, and the Coopetransatenas terminal has buses to San José, Alajuela and the outlying villages. A car still helps for the airport, the beach or a late return from San José.

• How do I get from town to Ruta 27?

  Take the Radial down to the Atenas exit, where the toll road leads toward Escazú and San José in one direction and Orotina and the Pacific coast in the other. The exit was closed for a time after the October 2011 landslide and has been open since. If you plan to commute, drive it at the hours you would actually use it before you sign.

• What should I check before buying a lot in town for a home or a business?

  Start with what the lot may be used for. Plenty of small plots here are advertised as residential or commercial, but only the Municipalidad de Atenas can confirm what it will permit, and the canton’s plan regulador, drafted with the Universidad Nacional for the districts inside the Greater Metropolitan Area, is still being worked out. Then look the property up at the Registro Nacional (Registro Inmobiliario) to confirm the owner, any liens and that the registered plano matches the frontage and size you see on the street. Ask too for a written water availability letter, which matters in a town with a long dry season.

• Do I need residency to buy a house in Atenas?

  No. Foreigners hold titled property in Costa Rica on the same footing as citizens, and the maritime-zone rules that limit ownership on the coast do not reach an inland town. The deed is signed before a Costa Rican notary, who files it for registration.