{{Short description|District in Atenas canton, Alajuela, Costa Rica}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Atenas | settlement_type = District | pushpin_map = Costa Rica | pushpin_map_alt = Atenas district location in Costa Rica | pushpin_map_caption = Atenas district location in Costa Rica | coordinates = {{coord|9.97857|-84.3685463|display=inline,title}} | mapframe = yes | map_alt = Atenas district | map_caption = Atenas district | image_skyline = Iglesia Atenas.jpg | image_alt = Catholic church in central Atenas | image_caption = Catholic church in central Atenas | established_title = Creation | established_date = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{CRI}} | subdivision_type1 = Province | subdivision_name1 = Alajuela | subdivision_type2 = Canton | subdivision_name2 = Atenas | area_total_km2 = 9.76 | elevation_m = 698 | population_total = 7546 | population_as_of = 2011 | population_density_km2 = auto |blank_name_sec1 = Climate |blank_info_sec1 = Aw | timezone1 = UTC−06:00 | postal_code_type = Postal code | postal_code = 20501 }} '''Atenas''' ({{IPA|es|aˈtenas}}) is a district of the Atenas canton, in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica.<ref name="divadm">{{cite web |language=es |title=Declara oficial para efectos administrativos, la aprobación de la División Territorial Administrativa de la República N°41548-MGP |url=http://www.pgrweb.go.cr/scij/Busqueda/Normativa/Normas/nrm_texto_completo.aspx?param1=NRTC&nValor1=1&nValor2=88416&nValor3=115607¶m2=1&strTipM=TC&lResultado=1&strSim=simp |website=Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica |access-date=26 September 2020 |date=19 March 2019}}</ref><ref name="dta2017">{{cite book |language=es |title=División Territorial Administrativa de la República de Costa Rica|date=8 March 2017|publisher=Editorial Digital de la Imprenta Nacional|isbn=978-9977-58-477-5|url=https://www.imprentanacional.go.cr/editorialdigital/libros/historiaygeografia/division_17.pdf}}</ref> Its urban area is referred as Atenas city.
==Toponymy== Its name means Athens ''(Αθήνα)'', the capital of Greece.
== Geography == Atenas has an area of {{formatnum:9.76}} km<sup>2</sup><ref name="inecarea">{{cite web |language=es |title=Área en kilómetros cuadrados, según provincia, cantón y distrito administrativo |url=https://www.inec.cr/anuario-estadistico/anuario-estadistico-geografia |website=Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos |access-date=26 September 2020 |archive-date=24 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024225203/https://www.inec.cr/anuario-estadistico/anuario-estadistico-geografia |url-status=dead }}</ref> and an elevation of {{formatnum:698}} metres.<ref name="divadm" /> It is located on the western edge of the Central Valley (Valle Central), 25 kilometers southwest of the provincial capital city of Alajuela, 20 kilometers from Juan Santamaria International Airport, and 35 kilometers from the national capital city of San Jose.
The altitude in Atenas varies from 300 meters above sea level in the Balsa and Rio Grande areas ascending to up to 1,200 meters above sea level in the San Isidro area. This wide range creates well-defined climatic subregions within the greater Atenas area.
The town is surrounded by mountains and coffee plantations and comprises a prosperous agricultural area which hosts a weekly farmer's market on Thursday afternoons and Friday mornings. The town center features a church and a park lined with palm trees along with a community health center, pharmacies, doctors, dentists, tennis court, fitness center, swimming pools, parks, banks, shops, bed-and-breakfasts, and restaurants in the village.
Atenas is a popular place for North American and European retirees.<ref name="ReferenceA">"Living in Atenas Costa Rica", ''International Living'', Jason Holland, Sept 2012</ref>
There are four major real estate developments with existing homes and building lots: Roca Verde, Vista Atenas, Lomas Al Paraiso and Hacienda Atenas. There are other real estate developments in various stages of completion.
In mid-October 2011, a major landslide occurred on the Atenas exit of Autopista del Sol. The exit has since re-opened improving travel time to San José, Escazú and Pacific beaches.
== Climate == alt=Atenas Costa Rica 2014|left|thumb|Pasture lands with Nicoya Peninsula in the background as seen from Estanquillos A 1960 National Geographic article proclaimed that Atenas was once considered to have the "''el mejor clima del mundo''" ("best climate in the world");<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aguilar Fong |first=Justo |date=2023 |title=Atenas: Historia y Gobernanza |url=https://cicap.ucr.ac.cr/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2022-AGUILAR-Atenas-Historia-y-Gobernanza-1.pdf |access-date=2025-08-26 |website=Universidad de Costa Rica Centro de Investigación y Capacitación en Administración Pública}}</ref> the reason for this attribution is that climatic factors like temperature and humidity are stable all year round, with temperatures ranging from 19 Celsius at night to 34 Celsius during the day with a yearly average of 26 Celsius.
== Demographics == {{CR Census population |1864=569 |1883=853 |1892=811 |1927=1648 |1950=2204 |1963=2962 |1973=3592 |1984=4451 |2000=7182 |2011=7546 }} For the 2011 census, Atenas had a population of {{formatnum:7546}} inhabitants.<ref name="censo2011">{{cite web |language=es |title=Censo. 2011. Población total por zona y sexo, según provincia, cantón y distrito |url=https://www.inec.cr/censos/censos-2011 |website=Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos |access-date=26 September 2020}}</ref>
== Transportation == === Road transportation === The district is covered by the following road routes: *25px National Route 3 *25px National Route 134 *25px National Route 135 *25px National Route 707
== References == {{Portal|Costa Rica}} {{reflist}} {{Districts of Alajuela Province}}
Category:Districts of Alajuela Province Category:Populated places in Alajuela Province