Costa Rica Real Estate Magazine

ARTICLE | REAL ESTATE

Grecia A hidden gem just 30 minutes north of the international airport!

By Hernan A. Carazo tourrificticotours@gmail.com )

T he rural city of Grecia, with a population of around 20,000, is located just 30 minutes from Alajuela and from major shopping options including Walmart, Price Club and very large malls as well as the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), could well be the best place to live in due to a year/round spring-like weather and the friendly local residents. The sunny climate, the fertile land and the abundance of clean water are perfect for growing organic coffee in the hills above Grecia and for the cultivation of sugar cane and pineapples. Home gardens can grow just about anything, and the local Farmers Market Fair on

Fridays and Saturdays is one of the best and largest in Costa Rica. The city also has its own CAJA Social Security Hospital, and many medical and dental practitioners are available locally at extremely reasonable prices. If window shopping is to your liking, then you will be delighted as there are easily two hundred small shops in the downtown area giving it that small town feeling of yesteryear. There is also a modern mall with shops, food court, and movie theaters plus many modern supermarkets as well as small neighborhood pulperias and sodas (small grocery stores and small diners) and a variety of gymnasiums. The

Central Park is one of the most popular in Costa Rica and is usually a great place to watch people and next door is the metallic church, brought over in its entirety at the end of the 19th century from Belgium. Grecia is the cleanest city in Costa Rica and in August 1989 was declared the cleanest city in Latin America at a meeting of the International Union of Municipalities in Ecuador. If you are looking for a great place to live in other than the beaches, then Grecia is a must see on your list of places to check out. Plus, the land and home prices are very reasonable both in and out of gated communities and it is a very safe place to live.

30 COSTA RICA REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE