San Isidro

About San Isidro:

San Isidro covers the southern end of Coronado at 1,385 metres. Patalillo lies to the west, Dulce Nombre de Jesús to the north-west, San Rafael to the north-east, and the canton of Goicoechea runs along the southern edge. Two national roads carry almost all the traffic. Route 102 arrives from Tibás through Moravia and Patalillo, passes the El Trapiche service station at the entrance to town and ends at the corner of the central park, while Route 216 heads down past the Cruce Ipís–Coronado into Ipís. The San José–San Isidro de Coronado buses come in along the 102, so if you will live without a car, a house a few blocks from that road makes the daily trip much easier.

Everything the canton needs day to day is gathered here. The Municipalidad de Vázquez de Coronado is in town, and the CCSS Centro Integrado de Salud runs a 24-hour emergency service that also takes patients from Goicoechea and Moravia. Schools are close at hand: the Escuela José Ana Marín, whose first building went up in 1886, the Escuela de San Francisco, the Liceo de Coronado, opened in 1970, the Colegio Enrique Malavassi Vargas, the Colegio Teresiano San Enrique de Ossó and the Amadita Primary School. Some national and international bodies are based here too. IICA, the inter-American institute for agriculture, has its headquarters 600 metres north-east of the Cruce Ipís–Coronado, the National Olympic Committee works from the district, and Uruguay de Coronado play their home games at the Estadio Municipal El Labrador.

For most of its history the town grew slowly, and then it filled up fast. There were 1,270 people here in 1864 and still fewer than 2,600 in 1950; the count reached 6,313 in 1973 and 15,570 in 2000 as new residential streets spread around the old centre, and growth has eased since. The centre kept its landmark through all of it. The present parish church of San Isidro Labrador rose on the site of the old one after 18 May 1930, when President Cleto González Víquez attended the laying of its first stone, built to plans by Teodorico Quirós on foundations sunk four metres deep and fitted with bells cast in France. The villa was raised to the rank of city by law in 1968.

Space is what sets San Isidro apart from its neighbours. At some 3,560 residents per square kilometre it carries about a third of Patalillo’s density, which shows in larger lots, front gardens and long stretches of single-family houses. The district is made up of barrios such as San Francisco, Los Alpes, Las Mercedes, Monte Azul, Corazón de Jesús, Villa Solidarista and Colonia Irazú, with gated residenciales and small condominiums added between them over the years. Most buyers are Costa Rican families who want the school, the clinic and the shops within reach and a house with some outdoor space. Renters are more often single people and couples after something small near the centre.

Houses in San Isidro:

Houses make up the bulk of the market. The common type is a two-storey family home with three to five bedrooms on a lot of 160 to 570 square metres, with a front garden, a back patio and covered parking for two or three cars. Inside residenciales and condominiums a monthly fee pays for 24-hour security and shared green areas, and colonial-style houses from around 2010 stand next to homes finished in the last few years. Larger properties appear as well: houses on 800 square metres or more that already divide into a main home and independent units, and the occasional estate of several thousand square metres with its own pool. When you view houses for sale in San Isidro, ask what the upper floor is built from, because some have a concrete ground floor and a lightweight second storey, and that should be reflected in the price.

Rentals in San Isidro:

The rental stock is small and practical. Near Coronado centro you will find studios of 40 square metres meant for one person, often with water and electricity included and no parking, and small two-bedroom houses with a cochera where the rent can cover water, power, cable and rubbish collection. Before you line up rentals in Coronado side by side, ask which services are included and whether there is room for a car, since both change from one landlord to the next.

Land and Lots in San Isidro:

Most land for sale in the district comes as lots inside small gated condominiums, from under 200 square metres up to about 900, sold with the internal road and services already in place. Now and then a larger parcel or an old finca comes up, as does a property on a main road with a wide frontage that could take a shop or office if the land-use certificate allows it. A lot for sale in San Isidro de Coronado costs more per square metre than land higher up in San Rafael or Cascajal. What you pay for is walking distance to the town centre and a plot that is ready to build on.

FAQ:

• Is San Isidro the same place as Coronado centro?

  Yes. San Isidro is the first district and head town of Vázquez de Coronado, and in everyday speech it is simply Coronado or Coronado centro; its postal code is 11101. Do not mix it up with San Isidro de Heredia or with San Isidro de El General in Pérez Zeledón, which are different towns.

• How do I get from San Isidro to San José?

  Most drivers take Route 102 west through Patalillo and Moravia toward Tibás, or Route 216 south via the Cruce Ipís–Coronado into Ipís, in Goicoechea. Without a car, the San José–San Isidro de Coronado bus line runs along the 102 and stops at El Trapiche on the way into town.

• What should I check before buying a lot in one of San Isidro’s condominiums?

  A condominium lot is a filial, a unit inside a larger registered property, so ask for the certificación literal of that filial from the Registro Nacional (Registro Inmobiliario) together with its plano catastrado. Read the condominium’s reglamento before you sign, since it sets what you may build and what the monthly fee covers. Make sure the internal road, water and electricity have actually reached your lot rather than being promised, and get a land-use certificate from the Municipalidad de Vázquez de Coronado.

• What can I reach on foot from the centre?

  The municipality, the parish church, the Centro Integrado de Salud with its 24-hour emergency service, the Estadio Municipal El Labrador and several schools, including the Escuela José Ana Marín and the Liceo de Coronado. Shops and services cluster around the central park and along Route 102.

• How does San Isidro compare with Patalillo and San Rafael?

  Patalillo, to the west, is smaller and far more crowded, with more rental units and houses that carry extra apartments. San Rafael, to the north-east, sits higher, at 1,510 metres, and stays semi-rural, with more land and fewer services. San Isidro falls between the two: the canton’s services on your doorstep, with lots that are roomier than Patalillo’s.