The park is a huge watershed, providing water for over a half million people in the capital; San Juancito is located on the northern side of the La Tigra, and has had paved access since 2003.

President Marco Aurelio Soto advertised the mineral wealth of San Juancito, with the intention of attracting foreign investment.

The timber harvests were utilised for housing construction and mine tunnel support and the water rights permitted the development of the country's first hydroelectric power.

The first light bulb in Honduras flickered on in San Juancito as a result of the hydroelectric plant built by the mining company, also a national first.

Pepsi built the first bottling plant in all of Central America there, and a fully operating American Consulate was erected by the mining company's headquarters at over 1600 metres (5300 feet) above sea-level.

In the early 20th century, San Juancito had a population of 44,000, roughly equalling that of Tegucigalpa at the time, and was a major trading centre in Central America.

In 1954, due to the exhaustion of mineral reserves, which coincided with a national labor movement, and new mine development at El Mochito, Las Vegas, Sta.

It is located on a small mesa well above the river, so not surprisingly it was chosen as the main redevelopment site when NGO efforts were working to provide housing to those displaced by the hurricane.

The town center is located 2.5 kilometers (1.6 mi) from the entrance to the nuclear zone of the national park, which is actually in the hamlet of Nuevo Rosario.

Aside from the wild fruits and vegetables that grow in the region, there is also an abundance of eucalyptus, sweet gum, oaks, Caribbean pines, Ocote, and avocado.

The common infiltration of clouds into the forest also means that the region abounds with ferns, bromeliads, and literally hundreds of other epiphytic species'.

San Juancito's location at 1239 meters (4027 feet) above sea-level ensures a temperate, if not slightly cool climate year round.

Aside from coffee, San Juancito has a relatively diverse array of subsistence-based agricultural activities, with small plots of berries, potatoes, bananas, cabbage, celery, bitter oranges, avocado, pineapple, guava, corn, and other local fruits and vegetables all existing in the immediate vicinity of the community.

Outside of agriculture many townspeople work in Tegucigalpa, as urban migration has put a strain on job opportunities in small communities like San Juancito.

The workshop produces extremely high quality[clarification needed] paper, metal, and glass based functional artwork that is sold at a gallery in Tegucigalpa.

[6] A small number[clarification needed] of residents work part or full-time with AMITIGRA, the organization in charge of the administration and maintenance of La Tigra National Park.

Also providing independent trade-based education to the community are two initiatives set up by the San Juancito Foundation, the brainchild of Honduran artist Regina Aguilar.

The San Juancito Foundation also operates a school "La Escuela Magica," which is a free of charge art education center for children in the community.