Dulce Nombre de Jesús

About Dulce Nombre de Jesús:

Dulce Nombre de Jesús is one of the three districts Vázquez de Coronado started with in 1910, and it used to be much bigger. Patalillo was carved out of it in 1968, and Cascajal took a large share of its eastern hills in 1988. What is left covers about 68 square kilometres on the western side of the canton, bordering Moravia and the Heredia cantons to the west and north-west, Patalillo and San Isidro to the south, San Rafael to the south-east and Cascajal to the east. The head town stands at 1,345 metres, with the barrios of Calera, Carmen, Josué, Manzanos, Murtal, Sitrae and Valle Feliz, and the villages of Platanares and parts of Alto Palma and Rodeo further out.

Three national roads cross the district. Route 309, under seven kilometres long, runs between Dulce Nombre and San Jerónimo de Moravia, and Route 307 ties it to San Rafael and Cascajal on the Coronado side. Route 32 passes through the forested north on its way to the Caribbean. Autotransportes Moravia runs buses from the capital through Moravia to Dulce Nombre, with a branch out to La Gallera, and a separate line connects the district with the centre of San Isidro de Coronado.

Past the last streets, this is milk country, and dairy farming still shapes the open land. The Ministry of Public Security keeps the Arsenal Nacional, its weapons and armament depot, inside the district, and a bus stop on the San Isidro line carries its name. Children go to the Escuela de Dulce Nombre and to the Liceo Hernán Zamora Elizondo, which stands 200 metres north of the bus terminal. For banks, the town hall and bigger shops, people go next door to San Isidro, the canton seat, or down to Lincoln Plaza in Moravia.

North of the farms the ground climbs into Braulio Carrillo National Park, where the Río Patria has cut a canyon through the forest. The park is public land, so the last private parcels sit along its edge, many of them half pasture and half tropical humid forest. Up there the air stays cool and wet for much of the year, and a house needs proper drainage, ventilation and finishes that stand up to damp. The district had 9,744 residents at the 2011 census and has since passed 11,000, while buyers from elsewhere tend to come for one of two things: a house close to Coronado and Moravia, or acreage near the park.

Houses in Dulce Nombre de Jesús:

Single-family homes on their own lots make up most of the stock, and the range is wide. At the modest end you find three-bedroom houses of about 80 square metres and older homes with a second apartment on the same lot. Further up are single-storey houses of 350 square metres on 400-square-metre plots, homes on the Platanares side sold for their mountain views, and country properties of 2,500 square metres with a 200-square-metre house. If you are comparing houses for sale in Dulce Nombre de Jesús that come with an annex, ask whether the extra unit was built with a permit and has its own meters, because that is what lets you rent it out cleanly.

Condominiums in Dulce Nombre de Jesús:

Small gated condominiums are the newer part of the market. Condominio Nawi, on Calle Los Manzanos, is a typical example: three-bedroom houses of 130 to 137 square metres on lots of under 200 square metres, behind a double gate, with 24-hour security, a pet park and a monthly fee. New houses in larger private condominiums can sit on lots of 900 square metres. Ask for the condominium rules and the record of fees before you sign, since a small project shares its running costs among only a few owners.

Rentals in Dulce Nombre de Jesús:

Long-term rentals here are let by local owners rather than by large buildings. The usual offer is a two-bedroom house with a garage and a yard, alongside larger family houses of up to five bedrooms and furnished two-bedroom apartments with water, electricity and cable included. Many of the apartments are annexes built beside or above the owner’s own house. Rentals in Dulce Nombre de Coronado suit tenants who want room and quiet but still need a bus to Moravia or San José.

Land and Lots in Dulce Nombre de Jesús:

Land comes in two very different sizes. Close to the built-up barrios, flat lots of a few hundred square metres are sold for building, and some carry a land-use designation that allows apartments and limited commercial activity, which opens the door to small projects. Toward Platanares and the park, the offer is measured in hectares: forested parcels of more than three hectares, fincas of around nine hectares with pasture and woodland, and agricultural parcels sold for farming or recreation. With land for sale in Dulce Nombre de Jesús, look at the usable area rather than the total, because forest cannot be cleared and the margins of streams and rivers are protected.

FAQ:

• Is this the same Dulce Nombre as the one in Cartago?

  No. Dulce Nombre de Jesús is in Vázquez de Coronado, in San José province. Cartago province has two other districts called Dulce Nombre, one in Cartago canton and one in La Unión near Tres Ríos, so check the canton on any listing before you book a viewing.

• Can I get to Dulce Nombre de Jesús by bus?

  Yes. Autotransportes Moravia runs a route from San José through Moravia to Dulce Nombre, and another line links the district with San Isidro de Coronado. The service suits the southern barrios; toward Platanares and the park you will need a car.

• Can I build on a forested parcel next to Braulio Carrillo?

  The first question is where the park ends. Get the plano catastrado from the Registro Nacional (Registro Inmobiliario) and have a surveyor check it against the park boundary before anything else. After that, the limits are the forest itself, which may not be cleared, and the protected margins of every stream on the land. A uso de suelo certificate from the Municipalidad de Vázquez de Coronado then tells you whether a house is allowed at all.

• A seller says the finca can be split. What does that take?

  Each new lot needs a survey plan approved by the municipality, which checks frontage on a public road and the minimum lot size for that zone. You will also want written water availability for every lot. Until those are in hand, treat a subdivision as an idea rather than part of the price.

• Is Dulce Nombre de Jesús practical for commuting to San José?

  From the southern barrios, yes: the buses run through Moravia into the capital, and San Isidro de Coronado is next door. The further north you live, the more you depend on a car and the longer the trip becomes.