Aserrí (canton)

Aserrí
Aserrí
Canton
	Panoramic view of Aserrí
	Flag Seal
	Aserrí canton
	Aserrí Aserrí canton location in San José Province Aserrí Aserrí canton location in Costa Rica
	Coordinates: 9°44′54″N 84°08′33″W / 9.7483631°N 84.1423846°W
Country	Costa Rica
Province	San José
Creation	27 November 1882
Head city	Aserrí
Districts	Districts Aserrí; Tarbaca; Vuelta de Jorco; San Gabriel; Legua; Monterrey; Salitrillos;
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Body	Municipalidad de Aserrí
• Mayor	Patricia Mayela Porras Segura (PLN)
Area
• Total	168.26 km2 (64.97 sq mi)
Elevation	1,373 m (4,505 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	57,892
• Estimate (2022)	59,588
• Density	340/km2 (890/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−06:00
Canton code	106
Website	aserri.go.cr

Aserrí is the sixth canton in the San José province of Costa Rica.^[1]^[2] The head city of the canton is the homonymous Aserrí.

Name

Aserrí takes its name from a Huetar tribe, also called the Accerri.^[3]^[4]

Geography

Aserrí has an area of 168.26 km² (64.97 sq mi)^[5] and a mean elevation of 1,373 m (4,505 ft).^[1]

The mountainous canton is delineated on the north by the Poás River. It encompasses a narrow strip of land that traverses the Coastal Mountain Range before reaching the lowlands of Puntarenas Province, bordering the canton of Parrita.

Government

Mayor

According to Costa Rica's Municipal Code, mayors are elected every four years by the population of the canton.^[6] As of the latest municipal elections in 2024, the National Liberation Party candidate, Patricia Mayela Porras Segura, was elected mayor of the canton with 23.75% of the votes, with Carlos Alberto Azofeifa Aguilar and Jesús Benito Morales Calderón as first and second vice mayors, respectively.^[7]

Mayors of Aserrí since the 2002 elections^[8]
Period	Name	Party
2002–2006	Mario Morales Guzmán	PLN
2006–2010	Mario Morales Guzmán	PLN
2010–2016	Víctor Manuel Morales Mora	PAC
2016–2020	José Oldemar García Segura	PLN
2020–2024	José Oldemar García Segura
2024–2028	Patricia Mayela Porras Segura

Municipal Council

Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (called regidores) are elected every four years. Aserrí's Municipal Council has 7 seats for regidores and their substitutes, who can participate in meetings but not vote unless the owning regidor (regidor propietario) is absent.^[6] The current president of the Municipal Council is the Social Christian Unity Party member, Sonia Aguilar Zamora, with National Liberation Party member, Alex Antonio Calero Lopez, as vice president.^[9] The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024–2028 period is as follows:

Current composition of the Municipal Council of Aserrí after the 2024 municipal elections^[10]
Political parties in the Municipal Council of Aserrí

Political party		Regidores
Political party		№	Owner	Substitute
	National Liberation Party (PLN)	2	Jessica Vanessa Fallas Hidalgo	Wendy Solano Mora
	National Liberation Party (PLN)	2	Alex Antonio Calero Lopez^(VP)^[a]	Franklin Segura Mora
	National Democratic Agenda (ADN)	2	Freddy Alberto Sandí Zúñiga	Jorge Chacón Sánchez
	National Democratic Agenda (ADN)	2	Manuela Rita Sánchez Monge	Kryssia Marlene Villarreal Quirós
	Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC)	2	Sonia Aguilar Zamora^(P)	Hillary Valeria Monge Montero
	Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC)	2	Francis López Esquivel	Alexander Barboza Barboza
	New Generation Party (PNG)	1	Mildred Marcela Zúñiga Corrales	Silvia Marcela Granados Hidalgo

Districts

The canton of Aserrí is subdivided into seven districts:^[11]

History

The canton was established by a decree of 27 November 1882.^[12]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	±% p.a.
1883	4,785	—
1892	6,030	+2.60%
1927	6,592	+0.25%
1950	9,122	+1.42%
1963	13,609	+3.13%
1973	20,091	+3.97%
1984	30,588	+3.90%
2000	49,319	+3.03%
2011	57,892	+1.47%
2022	59,588	+0.26%
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos^[13] Centro Centroamericano de Población^[14]