Other large cities include Quesada, Aguas Zarcas, Naranjo, Zarcero, Orotina, Sarchí Norte, Upala, San Ramón, Grecia and Los Chiles.

[6] Because land holdings in Cartago, the colonial capital of the region, were already controlled by large encomiendas, many settlers began moving west beginning in the mid-1600s.

In 1657, Alajuela was mentioned for the first time in the writings of Juana de Vera y Sotomayor, a traveler who described an encomienda "on La Lajuela river.

[8] Esteban Lorenzo de Tristán, Bishop of Nicaragua, Nicoya, and Costa Rica, tried organizing Catholic communities west of Heredia.

[13] In 1979, Lake Arenal was created as the result of the construction of a hydroelectric dam by the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, Costa Rica's national electric company.

[21] Although several ecosystems exist in the province, the Llanuras del Norte (Northern Plains) and the Central Valley highlands are two distinct divisions.

The Llanuras del Norte stretch across several provinces, while the Central Valley highlands encompass the middle region of the country.

Nearly a third of the country's 1,400 types of orchids can be found in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, which straddles the border between Alajuela and Guanacaste.

The increase in manufacturing, which began in earnest in 2004, has created strains on the province's infrastructure, including water distribution, transportation density, and electric output.

[38] Starting in the 1960s, gardener Evangelisto Blanco began transforming the bushes and cypress trees in Francisco Alvarado Park in the center of town.

[43] One wing of that museum revives the history behind the Battle of Santa Rosa between Costa Rica and American filibusterer William Walker in 1856, while other sections feature relics and displays from around the country.

Alajuela takes a central place in Costa Rica's literary tradition, evidenced by the numerous authors raised in the country and their commitment to public libraries.

[46] The University of Costa Rica maintains children's literature outreach centers primarily in Alajuela, in Grecia, San Ramón, Naranjo, Palmares and Zarcero.

[48][49] Because of its rich literary tradition, San Ramón is often called "la Tierra de las poetas" ("land of poets").

[52] Born in 1878, Chavarría's romantic and naturalist poetry brought him into correspondence with many well-known Latin American authors, such as Rubén Darío, José Enrique Rodó and Joaquín García Monge.

Alajuela has a rich and diverse architectural history, reflected in various styles of churches, schools, houses, and public works projects.

[67] At the beginning of the 1900s, an attempt was made to build a church and monument near the top of Cerro Espíritu Santo (Holy Spirit Mountain) outside of San Miguel de Naranjo.

The Ermita de la Concepción en El Llano (The Hermitage of Plains Conception) is one of the only remaining adobe and cane churches left in the country.

[70] In 1888, the red cupola was added based on designs from Swiss architect Gustavo Casallini, giving the Central Cathedral its distinctive look.

They are directly off the central plaza, including the Antigua Carcel (Old Prison), Antigua Gobernación (Old Capital), Templo Metodista "El Mesías" ("Messiah" Methodist Temple), Antiguo Cuartel (Old Barracks), and the neo-classical Antiguo Instituto de Alajuela y Salón de Actos (Old Alajuelan Government Building).

According to many people, construction was organized by well-known "high society" women, including the widow of former head-of-state Manuel Fernández Chacón, Dolores Oreamuno.

"[72] Reconstructed, the bridge still stands on the old highway to Puntarenas, providing an avenue for farmers to transport coffee to the Pacific coast, as it did in the past.

[75] Also in the municipality are statues dedicated to Próspero Fernández Oreamuno, José Joaquín Mora Porras, León Fernández Bonilla, Miguel Obregón Lizano, Juan Manuel Meoño Herrera, Santiago Crespo Calvo (outside the Santiago Crespo Retirement Home), and Francisco de Paula Pereira Matamoros.

The General Cañas Highway connects the municipality of Alajuela to San José and was the subject of national ridicule when a sinkhole temporarily closed it in 2012, causing enormous traffic problems throughout the metropolitan region.

High above the Virilla River, a train carrying pilgrims to the Virgen de los Ángeles derailed, killing 248 passengers and injuring a further 93.

The Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarriles (INCOFER) (Costa Rican Railroad Institute) is working to reopen the terminals and rails that link Alajuela and the other cities in the Central Valley.

Cities and towns of significant size have Equipos Básicos de Atención Integral en Salud (EBAIS) (Basic Medical Attention Center) facilities.

[87] Like the rest of the country, nearly half of the water services are provided by the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA) (Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers).

[92] Water service did not arrive to the northern city of Upala until 1976, but it was recently bolstered in the cantons of the north of Los Chiles, La Urruca, and Coquitales.

The municipalities of Alajuela, Atenas, Grecia, Naranjo, Palmares, Poás, and San Ramón have collective trash removal services.