# Timeline of San José, Costa Rica

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of San José, Costa Rica.

## Prior to 20th century

* 1738 - San José founded.
* 1760 - Town hall in use (approximate date).
* 1776 - Church built.
* 1802 - Metropolitan Cathedral of San José built.
* 1808 - Population: 8,316.
* 1812 - "Town council elected."
* 1813 - San Jose attains city status.
* 1814 - Casa de Enseñanza de Santo Tomás [es] (school) opens.
* 1823 - San José becomes capital of Costa Rica.
* 1824 - Population: 15,472.
* 1835 - War of the League (Costa Rica) [es].
* 1836 - Population: 17,965.
* 1841 - 2 September: Earthquake.
* 1845
** Puntarenas-San Jose road built.
** Hospital San Juan de Dios (San José) [es] established.
* 1848 - Carmen District created.
* 1850 - Roman Catholic diocese of San José de Costa Rica established.
* 1855 - Presidential Palace, Costa Rica [es] built.
* 1864 - Population: 8,863.
* 1869 - Telegraph begins operating.
* 1878 - Metropolitan Cathedral of San José and Estacion del Pacifico (rail station) built.
* 1880 - Public market built (approximate date).
* 1883 - Population: 13,484.
* 1884 - Street lighting installed.
* 1886 - Telephone begins operating.
* 1887 - Parque Morazán [es] (park) established.
* 1889
** Streetcar begins operating.
** Laguna Swamp drained.
* 1890 - Estacion del Atlantico (rail station) begins operating.
* 1892 - Population: 19,326.
* 1895 - Monumento Nacional de Costa Rica [es] unveiled.
* 1897 - National Theatre of Costa Rica opens.

## 20th century

* 1904 - Population: 24,500.
* 1907 - Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de La Merced (San José) [es] (church) built (approximate date).
* 1908 - Population: 26, 500 (approximate).
* 1910 - Corte de Justicia Centroamericana [es] relocated to San Jose (approximate date).
* 1911 - Sociedad Gimnástica Española de San José (sport club) formed.
* 1916 - Botanical garden [es] opens.
* 1918 - Population: 38,016 city; 51,658 metro.
* 1920 - Parque España (San José) [es] established.
* 1921 - Zoo [es] opens.
* 1924
** 4 March: Earthquake.
** National Stadium opens.
* 1927 - Population: 50,580.
* 1930 - Gran Hotel (Costa Rica) built.
* 1948 - March–April: Costa Rican Civil War.
* 1950 - Population: 86,909 city; 139,915 urban agglomeration.
* 1958 - Cuesta de Moras [es] (national congress building) constructed.
* 1963 - March: Irazú Volcano erupts near city.
* 1973 - Population: 215,441 city; 395,401 urban agglomeration.
* 1977 - La Sabana Metropolitan Park established.
* 1978 - Costa Rican Museum of Art opens.
* 1980 - United Nations' University for Peace established near San Jose.
* 1985 - Pre-Columbian Gold Museum opens.
* 1987 - Sister city relationship established with Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
* 1990 - City twinned with Almaty, Kazakhstan; Miami, USA; and San Jose, California, USA.
* 1993 - April: Supreme Court of Justice hostage crisis.
* 1994
** Museum of Contemporary Art and Design established.
** Population: 315,909 city; 1,186,417 urban agglomeration (estimate).
* 1998 - Johnny Araya Monge becomes mayor.

## 21st century

* 2000 - City twinned with Mexico City, Mexico.
* 2008 - City twinned with Puebla, Mexico.
* 2011
** National Stadium rebuilt.
** Population: 288,054.
* 2012 - 5 September: 2012 Costa Rica earthquake occurs.
* 2013 - Sandra García Pérez [es] becomes mayor.