San Francisco

About San Francisco:

San Francisco covers 4.6 square kilometres on the western side of San Isidro canton. San Rafael lies to the north and west, San Pablo also borders it on the west, Santo Domingo is to the south, and to the east is the district of San Isidro, the canton’s commercial and administrative centre. Ruta 112, the road that leaves Heredia, crosses San Pablo and ends in San Isidro, is the district’s spine, and the Heredia–San Isidro buses run along it. Traffic at the junction by the clinic grew enough for the national road council to install a flashing signal there. The postal code is 40604.

On paper the district is barely a generation old. Law 7894, published in late July 1999, made it the canton’s fourth district, with the Villa de San Francisco as its head town and Calle Aguacate, Quebradas, Rinconada, Tierra Blanca and Viento Fresco as its other villages. Quebradas and Tierra Blanca straddle the boundary, so only part of each falls inside San Francisco. Ask for directions and you will also hear Astillero, Vallevistar and La Mutual. The canton around it, the sixth of Heredia province, covers just under 27 square kilometres climbing toward the Cordillera Volcánica Central, and its economy was built on coffee, vegetables and dairy farming.

Services are the district’s strong suit. The Área de Salud San Isidro, a US$14.5 million building of 4,855 square metres, opened on 12 October 2020 and houses three of the area’s five EBAIS clinics, San Francisco’s own among them. Golden Valley School, on Calle Rinconada, teaches from preschool through secondary in Spanish and English, with German as a third language, and pairs Montessori methods with the IB Middle Years Programme. The public Escuela San Francisco serves the children of La Saca, and the national childcare network runs a centre in the district. Under the canton’s zoning plan the commercial core is limited to the land facing the national road, and the streets behind it are residential, with a little neighbourhood trade.

The 2011 census counted 4,438 residents, and projections put the district near 4,800 by 2022. That is around a thousand people per square kilometre, a fraction of the density in San Pablo next door, and it shows in the size of the lots. Buyers are mostly families who want a garden and room to extend without moving far from Heredia. On some properties an independent apartment stands beside the main house, for relatives or for rent.

Houses in San Francisco:

Most of what sells here is a detached family house on its own lot. One example is a single-storey home with three bedrooms, one bathroom and covered parking for two cars: 119 square metres built on a lot of 579, with a wide back garden planted with trees. Higher up the range, a condominium of only eight houses includes a single-storey home of 390 square metres on a lot of 1,357, with its own independent apartment and views over the city and the mountains. Across from Golden Valley School on Calle La Rinconada, a three-bedroom house has been offered with porcelain floors and granite kitchen counters. When you search for houses for sale in San Francisco de San Isidro, check the canton on every ad, because homes in the other San Francisco, in Heredia’s central canton, go by the same name.

Rentals in San Francisco:

Renting in San Francisco happens on a domestic scale: apartments and small houses. One apartment on Calle Astillero, in Viento Fresco, was offered to a couple without children or a single tenant. A house in Tierra Blanca was let to two people at most, with water, electricity, cable and internet included in the rent. When utilities are bundled in, get the list in writing so you can compare it fairly with a unit that bills them separately.

Land and Lots in San Francisco:

Bigger parcels still come up, mostly around Viento Fresco, where a property of 7.5 hectares has been on offer. Lots inside the small condominiums can be generous too: in the eight-house condominium, one measures 1,357 square metres. What you may build depends on exactly where the parcel sits, since the canton’s zoning plan keeps commercial use to the frontage along Ruta 112 and treats most of the land behind it as residential. Before you shortlist lots for sale in San Isidro de Heredia, get a certificado de uso de suelo from the Municipalidad de San Isidro for that specific parcel.

FAQ:

• Is this the same place as San Francisco de Heredia?

  No. San Francisco de Heredia is a separate and far more built-up district of Heredia’s central canton. This page covers San Francisco de San Isidro, postal code 40604, the fourth district of San Isidro canton, which locals call La Saca. Ads mix the two up constantly, so confirm the canton on the cadastral plan before you go to a viewing.

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

  Start with the date. The district has existed only since July 1999, so deeds and survey plans drawn up before then place the land in another district of the canton; make sure the plano catastrado and the Registro Nacional (Registro Inmobiliario) record describe the same parcel in San Francisco de San Isidro. Then ask the Municipalidad de San Isidro for a certificado de uso de suelo, because a lot facing Ruta 112 and one a block behind it fall under different rules. In a small condominium, confirm the house is registered as its own finca filial and that the fees are paid up.

• How does San Francisco connect to Heredia and San Isidro?

  Along Ruta 112. Heading west, the road crosses San Pablo and enters Heredia; heading east, it reaches the centre of San Isidro. The Heredia–San Isidro buses follow the same road. Drive it at the hour you would really commute before you commit to a house.

• What schools and health care are nearby?

  The Área de Salud San Isidro on Calle Rinconada provides primary care, including the San Francisco EBAIS, along with general and specialist consultations, a pharmacy and dentistry. Children can attend the public Escuela San Francisco in La Saca or Golden Valley School, a trilingual international school on the same street as the clinic. Banks, larger shops and the town hall are in San Isidro centre, just east of the district.

• Can I still find a house with a garden here?

  Yes, and that is the main reason people choose San Francisco over the denser districts nearby. Single-storey houses on lots of several hundred square metres are part of the normal stock, and some condominium lots pass a thousand. If you want even more room, ask about parcels around Viento Fresco.