San Jose (founded in 1737) is often seen as Costa Rica’s practical capital—less stylized than the coasts, yet central to how the country thinks and functions. Set in the Central Valley, it meets you with brisk weekday momentum: compact blocks, older facades beside newer towers, and neighborhoods that feel lived-in rather than staged, with green hills close enough to keep the city from feeling sealed off.

Its modern identity is shaped by government, universities, and services, with a growing tech presence reinforcing that sense of purpose. Culture often registers through institutions and collections—especially museums known for pre-Columbian gold and jade—and through the steady flow of students and commuters that gives the center its daily pulse. [Pura vida] reads here less as a slogan than a social habit, and the food follows suit: strong coffee culture and everyday staples like gallo pinto, increasingly joined by a more international dining scene.