Ciudad Colón
Ciudad Colón is a small town situated west of Santa Ana, Costa Rica. Ciudad Colón is the head city of Mora Canton, San José Province. It is famous for its warm climate, proximity to nature and its surrounding mountains, folkloric traditions, horse riding, and multiculturalism.
Ciudad Colón | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Ciudad Colón, aerial view | |
| Country | Costa Rica |
| Province | San José |
| Canton | Mora |
Overview
Located some 6 km out into the hills is the United Nations University for Peace. Over 200 students from all over the world pursue their master's degrees in a wide variety of academic disciplines, such as international peace studies, conflict resolution and settlement of disputes, human rights and natural resources management. The vast majority of students reside in Ciudad Colón, which provides the town with distinctive feel.
Demographically, Ciudad Colón can be considered as cosmopolitan as Santa Ana or Escazu, but in terms of amenities and services available, it is considered a typical small Costa Rican town. The cost of living is lower than in Santa Ana or Escazu. There are two major supermarkets that meet the needs and requirements of expatriates and dozens of other small stores, banks and pharmacies. There are no upscale bars or restaurants but there are many local venues catering to food and entertainment. Ciudad Colón is particularly suitable for outdoor activities such as horse riding, mountainboarding, biking, running and hiking.
Mountains allow visitors and residents to enjoy downhill and hiking trails, bringing them an adventurous experience. The municipality organizes often social and cultural activities that impart a lot of cultural value to the community. A lot of families visit Ciudad Colón.
Despite its small size, people from over 60 nationalities live in Ciudad Colon at any given time, making it one of the most multi-cultural towns in the whole world. Most of this expatriate population comprises students and faculty members from the University for Peace. Ciudad Colon is at the foothills of the mountain where the University for Peace sits nicely perched.
Ciudad Colón used to be called Villa Colon, but it was called Pacaca many years before that. Close to the town is Quitirrisí, an indigenous reserve in the Central Valley very well known for the residents' handcraft abilities.