Mercedes

About Mercedes:

Mercedes is the second district of Heredia canton, wrapped around the north and west sides of the provincial capital at an altitude of about 1,100 metres. Its head town is Mercedes Norte, and the rest of the district is a run of barrios: Mercedes Sur, Cubujuquí, Santa Inés, San Jorge, Monte Bello, Burío, Carbonal, Labrador and España. Three national roads cross it. Ruta 3 links it with Heredia’s centre, Ruta 111 runs past Mall Oxígeno just over the line in San Francisco, and Ruta 126 leaves town through Mercedes Norte on its way to Barva, Varablanca, the Poás area and Sarapiquí. San José is about ten kilometres south of Heredia city, but the entrances to Heredia are among the slowest stretches of road in the metropolitan area at rush hour.

The name Cubujuquí goes back further than Heredia itself. It was the colonial settlement’s name before the Audiencia de Guatemala granted it the title of villa in 1763 and added the surname of its president, Alonso Fernández de Heredia. Today Cubujuquí is a barrio of Mercedes, with its own church, plaza and primary school. For most of its history the district was small: under 1,600 inhabitants in 1950, then 6,536 in 1973 and 19,717 in 2000. The 2022 figure is 29,612, more than 7,000 people for every square kilometre.

Daily life leans on Heredia city, which is about a kilometre from Mercedes Norte, and on schools that pull families to the district. The Claretian missionaries settled in Mercedes Norte in the 1950s and opened the Colegio Claretiano there in 1968. The Colegio Técnico Profesional de Mercedes Norte, the Colegio Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, the Colegio Santa Inés, the Escuela Cubujuquí and the Centro Educativo Montebello are also inside the district. Work is a mix of commuting and local business: textile and food firms, showrooms and workshops along Ruta 126, and the Britt Coffee Tour, open to visitors every day of the week.

The housing grew in layers. Older family houses sit on the original streets around the plazas of Mercedes Norte, Mercedes Sur and Santa Inés, while residenciales such as Santa Inés, Villa Colonial, La Cordillera, María Fernanda and Villas del Boulevard filled the farmland in between. The newest layer is the gated condominium, from compact townhouse rows to developments such as Real Castilla, Latitud 222 and Koru. Buyers are mostly Costa Rican families who want to stay inside the Heredia area but outside its centre, along with small investors who let apartments to tenants who work or study nearby.

Houses in Mercedes:

Most houses in Mercedes come from a residencial. In Mercedes Sur that can mean a two-bedroom home of about 95 square metres on a lot just over a hundred, a few minutes from the shops on the San Francisco side. Older properties on larger plots still turn up, such as a house of 242 square metres on a lot of more than 500, with a real yard and room for several cars. Inside gated condominiums, houses for sale in Mercedes, Heredia are usually two-storey units on narrow frontages, sold with a monthly maintenance fee. Before you compare prices, check which side of the district you are in. Mercedes Sur leans toward the city and Mall Oxígeno; Mercedes Norte toward the Barva road and the schools.

Apartments in Mercedes:

Apartments here are a mix of purpose-built condominium units and the townhouse-style flats owners have built behind or on top of family homes. Condominiums such as Latitud 222 offer compact units with a small patio and a fixed monthly fee. When you look at apartments for sale in Mercedes, ask for the condominium regulations and the latest statement of fees early on. A unit on a quiet internal road is a very different place to live from one facing a through route at peak hours.

Rentals in Mercedes:

The rental market moves quickly and runs mostly on two- and three-bedroom apartments, from basic units with Wi-Fi included and no parking to larger flats with two and a half bathrooms, a patio and a parking space. Many are townhouse-type units in Mercedes Sur, within walking distance of Mall Oxígeno. Tenants are people who work in Heredia and the business parks around it, and families who want to be near a particular school. Bus 424 runs between Heredia and Mercedes Sur, so a rental near its route is easier to let.

Land and Lots in Mercedes:

Land in Mercedes is infill, and what you find depends on the corner of the district. Small residential lots of under 200 square metres appear in Mercedes Norte with a cadastral plan and a water availability letter, ready for one house. Inside the Campeche condominium, north-east of the Colegio Claretiano, lots of more than 700 square metres have been offered with land use for apartments or commercial buildings. Larger parcels of several thousand square metres on hilly ground near Ruta 126 are pitched at commercial projects. Ask about road frontage and the slope before you price a site, as both decide what can go on it.

New Developments in Mercedes:

New building in Mercedes now comes almost entirely as gated condominiums. Koru, in Mercedes Norte, sells its houses from a model home on site, and lots zoned for apartments are on offer elsewhere in the district. If you buy off-plan, check that the condominium is registered, ask which phase your unit belongs to, and find out who will run the common areas once the developer leaves.

FAQ:

• Is Mercedes the same as Mercedes Norte?

  Not quite. Mercedes Norte is the head town of the district, but the district, postal code 40102, also takes in Mercedes Sur, Cubujuquí, Santa Inés, San Jorge, Monte Bello and several other barrios. Costa Rica has other districts called Mercedes, in Montes de Oca and in Guácimo, so make sure the paperwork says Heredia canton.

• Does the train stop in Mercedes?

  No. The San José–Heredia–Alajuela line crosses the district at La Palma, but the nearest stops are Estación Heredia and San Francisco. Most residents travel by car or by bus, including route 424 between Heredia and Mercedes Sur.

• What should I check on the title of a property in Mercedes?

  Start with the address. Along Ruta 126, properties inside Mercedes Norte often go by “Barva” because that is where the road leads; the private house everyone calls the Castillo de Barva actually stands on the Mercedes side. Make sure the district on the cadastral plan and on the Registro Nacional record match the property you are visiting. In a condominium, check the individual unit and ask the administration to confirm the fees are paid up. Then ask the Municipalidad de Heredia for a land-use certificate.

• Can I buy a lot to build apartments?

  Some lots are sold for exactly that, mainly the larger ones inside condominiums or with commercial frontage. Get the land-use certificate before you agree a price. It tells you whether apartments are allowed and how much of the lot you can build on.

• Which schools are in the district?

  Mercedes has the Colegio Claretiano, the Colegio Técnico Profesional de Mercedes Norte, the Colegio Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe and the Colegio Santa Inés, along with the Escuela Cubujuquí and the Centro Educativo Montebello. For many families the school is what decides the barrio.