Jacó

The coast around Jacó was home to the Huetar people before the Spanish conquest, living in scattered villages; at the start of the conquest their principal chief was Garabito, whose name the canton now carries. The Spanish explorer Gil González Dávila passed through the region in 1522 on the first Spanish journey across the territory.

Jacó itself is a recent place, founded in the mid-20th century. A school opened in 1927 and a Catholic church was built in 1946; in 1965 Jacó became a district of its own, separated from Puntarenas, and in 1969 its parish, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, was established. The village was given the title of villa in 1972, piped water arrived in 1976, and in 1978 Route 34, the coast road, opened, linking it to the rest of the central Pacific.

In 1980 the new canton of Garabito was created, with Jacó raised to the status of a city as its head town; electric street lighting followed in 1981, and the first municipal council met in 1982. Tourism grew quickly from there. Between the censuses of 2000 and 2011 the district's population almost doubled, one of the fastest increases in recent Costa Rican history, as hotels, condominiums, restaurants and shops spread along the beach and into neighbouring Herradura and Quebrada Ganado. In 2016 Jacó became a sister city of Aurora, Colorado.

Surfing is the core of Jacó's identity. The beach offers some of the country's best-known surf spots, from beginner-friendly beach breaks in front of town to the heavier waves of Playa Hermosa, and the strip is lined with surf schools, rental shops and surf camps.

Jacó is also a town of nightlife and weekend escapes. Its bars, clubs and live-music venues draw Costa Ricans from the Central Valley as well as foreign visitors, and on holidays and long weekends the population swells noticeably. Murals painted on walls across the town, from small pieces to large works, give the streets much of their character and can be seen on art tours.

The community is a mix of Costa Ricans who came for work in tourism and construction, long-term foreign residents and short-stay visitors, giving the town a cosmopolitan feel unusual for a place of its size. Catholic traditions continue around the parish church, and football on bar screens is as much a part of evening life as the surf.

Jacó district had about 11,700 people at the 2011 census, almost double the figure recorded in 2000. It is the head town of Garabito canton, which has drawn heavy foreign investment, above all in beach hotels, and ranks among the ten Costa Rican cantons with the highest human development index; the canton as a whole had an estimated 26,672 people in 2022.

The economy rests almost entirely on services, and tourism brings in most of the income. Jacó and its neighbours Quebrada Ganado and Herradura have seen strong migration in recent years, driven by tourism projects and a spread of restaurants, shops, bars, condominiums and hotels. Many residents work in hospitality, surf instruction, transport, construction and property management, and the marina and resort area at Herradura add jobs in sport fishing.

Life follows the beach and the seasons. Mornings start early, with surfers in the water before the heat builds; afternoons in the wet season bring rain, and evenings move to the strip. Red taxis and local buses link the town with Herradura, and many people travel regularly to San José, a little under two hours away by Route 34.

Jacó eats like a working beach town. Sodas, small family-run diners, serve the casado — rice, beans, salad, fried plantain and a piece of chicken, fish or beef — and gallo pinto, rice and black beans fried together, for breakfast. Cheap local restaurants serving Costa Rican plates are popular with locals and visitors.

Seafood comes from the Pacific. Ceviche of raw fish and seafood cured in lime, and fried fish with patacones, flattened and twice-fried green plantain, are standard coastal dishes. In the bars, bocas — small plates of food served with drinks — are part of the evening, often with a cold local beer.

Tourism and foreign residents have broadened the choice along the strip, which has sushi, Indian and American-style breakfast places alongside the sodas, as well as coffee shops selling Costa Rican beans. Fresh fruit, blended into batidos with milk or frescos with water, is sold everywhere and is the usual drink with a meal.