A photograph of the district of Nosara through the lenses of historical and statistical research from the 2024 Nosara Census

September, 2025

The Census in Nosara: Project Overview and Timeline

Nosara is a district of the canton of Nicoya, in the province of Guanacaste. It covers 135 square kilometers and extends from just before Ferco (Quebrada Cacao) and the entrance to Zaragoza, to the community of Río Montaña (upstream) and northern Río Montaña (downstream).

Maps adapted from territorial maps of the National Geographic Institute.

This district stood out for having the second-highest annual population growth, as estimated by INEC in 2022. Based on field observations, our research team noticed something was happening: more traffic, more accidents, more deaths—but comparatively less access to quality public services in health, education, and housing. What changes were underway, and what was the reality of Nosara?

This question led us to design the 2024 Nosara Census research project. In this community, theories, stories, or hypotheses about what was happening were not hard to find; however, we understood there are many biases and that each opinion omits data, realities, and perceptions from other segments of the population. We also found that institutions lacked a solid source of updated, complete, representative information tailored to local realities. Therefore, we decided to work at a technical level with support from Costa Rica’s governing statistical authority, the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC), to produce serious, rigorous work that met national and international standards for a representative, robust census, with participation from the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS).

This statistical exercise took nearly three years. Its most visible stage occurred in November and December 2024, during a six-week field operation. Teams of enumerators, supervisors, and coordinators from across the country visited neighborhoods in the district of Nosara to enumerate and collect information on dwellings, households, and individuals. It was not easy work: flooding, long distances, poorly maintained roads, language, weather, logistics, meals, and physical fatigue were only part of the challenges as we visited households door-to-door in San Pedro, Santa Teresita, Santa Teresa, Arenales, Nosara Centro, Hollywood, San Carlos, Santa Marta, Bijagua, San Ramón, Los Ángeles (Rivera Norte), Playa Pelada, Playa Guiones, Esperanza Sur, Garza, Delicias, San Juan, Ligia–Los Ángeles de Garza, Las Flores, and Río Montaña (upper area).

We completed this stage with 95.1% coverage of the population, an indicator determined by INEC and key to meeting the standards sought. This became the foundation for the information-processing stage—a less visible but sustained, multidisciplinary effort to ensure the collected data would be reliable, representative, and comparable.

In parallel, during the first nine months of 2025 we researched Nosara’s historical, statistical, census, genealogical, and cartographic background. We understood that the best way to study the present is to analyze the past so as not to repeat mistakes, to identify dynamics and patterns of change, and—most importantly—to shed more light on the identity of an origin not fully reflected in publicly available information about Nosara and its history.

A Look at Nosara’s Past: Origins and History

It is important to remember that Nosara’s human history begins with the first nomadic groups who visited the area thousands of years ago. Documentary history records settled human presence for approximately the last ≈2,000 years, within the Tempisque period. Cultural richness grew with the arrival of the Chorotega-Mangue peoples from the north, part of the Greater Nicoya cultural region, and territorially attached to the Kingdom of Nicoya. According to estimates by Thiel, this kingdom concentrated ≈44% of the population of present-day Costa Rica at the time of the Spanish arrival.

The “criollo” phase was characterized by the arrival of the first families from Santa Cruz and Nicoya who settled near the Nosara River to farm corn, rice, and beans. These populations gave rise to the present towns that comprise Boca de Nosara, Garza, Delicias, and Esperanza. The families of Alberto Ruiz Acevedo, Cruz López Fajardo, Valentín López Chaves, José Arrieta, and Anastasio Avilés were the first five to settle between roughly 1890 and 1912. These families began to intermix, leading to the first births; the earliest record dates to 1916, with the birth of Plutarco Castrillo Valencia. When Plutarco was a teenager, one hectare of land in Nosara cost just 1 colón and 10 céntimos.

In 1935, Filemón Baltodano Baltodano (from Corralillo de Nicoya) arrived in Nosara. By 1954 he already owned 1,100 hectares, which he later sold to develop the American Project—a transaction that marked Nosara’s destiny. At that time, real estate developer Allan David Hutchinson, an attorney from Washington, was exploring territories for what government authorities then considered “the most important tourism project” in Costa Rican history.

In the 1970s, Nosara had 420 dwellings and 2,679 inhabitants; average schooling was second grade (basic reading and writing skills). The community was a neighborhood or “hamlet” that formed part of Nicoya’s central district until January 26, 1988, when Nosara was declared an independent district. Curiously, it was first named District Baltodano, in honor of the landowner Filemón Baltodano; however, the name was later changed to Nosara, after the river that empties along this coast. We identify the name “Nosara” as a toponym with Indigenous roots shared with the Nicarao, derived from the name “Nochari,” following the pattern of other territories and caciques that shared roots between the Nicarao and the Chorotega-Mangue. Based on its etymology, we interpret its meaning as “alliance” or “a place for everyone,” similar to its original usage to the north under the same connotation.

By 2000, Nosara was already a district with its own census data: 917 dwellings and 2,875 inhabitants (following out-migration to the Central Valley between 1970 and 2000). In 2011, at the next National Census, Nosara saw a notable increase with 2,179 dwellings and 4,912 inhabitants, after the destination’s publicity “boom” and subsequent migration. Thus we arrive at 2024, after more than 100 years of history, without forgetting an earlier phase that has not yet been researched in the depth it deserves—archaeologically and anthropologically—but which this study highlights as one of the most important challenges for fully understanding the territory’s earliest human origins prior to 1900.

A Look at the Present through the Lens of the 2024 Nosara Census

On July 18, 2025, we presented to the community the most important advances we already had to understand the district’s reality. It was a gesture of gratitude toward a community that participated, donated, and organized to make possible the first district-level census in the country (and one of the first worldwide), notable for being a statistical project born from the community itself.

During the event, we presented the following preliminary data that portray the characteristics of Nosara and its population, as a baseline for assessing future challenges and sustainable plans:

• Estimated resident (usual) population: 8,716 people.

• Occupied homes (usual residence): 3,228.

• Persons per occupied home: 2.7.

• Residential tourism or short-term residents: 26,650 during December 2024.

• Short-term residents in construction work: average of 5 people; 188 homes under construction were identified during the canvass.

This draws on cartographic information compiled by INEC before the Nosara Census (Pre-Census), encompassing 5,981 housi q qng points in the district (occupied, unoccupied, under construction, for rent, for sale, tourism use, temporary workers, demolished, non-existent, and other uses). After the Census, the cartographic base reached 6,270 points for the district of Nosara (Post-Census).

Migration, Natality, and Mortality

According to INEC Vital Statistics, between 2000 and 2024 there were 2,721 births to mothers resident in Nosara and 475 deaths of residents. With a population of 2,875 in 2000 and 8,716 in 2024, we estimate net migration of 3,595 people from outside the district (other provinces and other countries). This reveals the large share of migrants in the current total. In 2000, according to the National Census, 77.91% of residents were born in the canton of Nicoya. From this it follows that the local population (those born before 2000 in the area and population excluded from the net migration calculation) accounts for a shrinking share of the total.

Regarding natality, with 126 births to resident mothers in 2024, we observe values similar to 2010 (110 births). What varies is the mother’s country of origin: Nicaraguan mothers are sustaining natality amid a decline among Costa Rican mothers. In 2024, 25.4% of births were to Nicaraguan resident mothers, compared with 61.1% to Costa Rican mothers. This implies expected cultural changes from migrant settlement, as well as structural challenges in meeting social needs (health coverage, educational level, rootedness, among others).

Regarding mortality, the indicator quintupled between 2010 and 2024 (from 10 to 57 deaths). The leading causes in 2023–2024 include firearms, traffic accidents, cerebrovascular complications, cancer (especially among men), and heart disease; 47% of deaths occurred without medical assistance, an alarm for the local health system, an incentive for preventive-health programs, and a call to action for emergency services (Red Cross). Male deaths exceed female deaths across all age groups, with particular concern for men over 70, distancing Nosara from continued inclusion as a Blue Zone. The sharp rise in mortality caused an abrupt drop in life expectancy; statistically it is not possible to determine life expectancy at birth without distinguishing causes of death and sex to focus on natural causes.

Men’s deaths by age in Nosara between 2000 and 2024

Image - Source: Vital Statistics INEC

Citizen Participation, Abstentionism, and the Electoral Roll

Nosara’s population has grown at about ≈5% annually, a rate also reflected in the rise of the electoral roll, which has maintained that growth according to the TSE between 2002 and 2024. Despite this, fewer people voted in 2024 than in 2020 and 2016, reaching 74% abstention and 26% participation—among the lowest in the country and province, and the lowest in Nosara’s data. In other words, the population is growing, but electoral participation is falling.

Moreover, with an electoral roll of 4,525 people (2024) versus a usual resident population of 8,716, the TSE faces challenges in registering migrants who have moved to Nosara—bearing in mind that the total includes foreigners and minors—and local enrollment in the EBAIS medical center is cited as a main reason for not registering to vote. This further worsens relative electoral participation vis-à-vis total population (≈14%) and the representativeness of winning parties (≈5% among usual residents and ≈1% when including temporary resident tourism population).

Education in Nosara: A Critical Situation

According to the Tenth State of Education Report, at the national level it was found that 15-year-olds (ninth grade) have a reading-comprehension level comparable to that expected of a third-grader (a six-year lag).

In Nosara, the Census reveals average schooling of 8 years (≈eighth grade). In 1974 it was 2 years, in 2000 5, and in 2024 8. That is, schooling has advanced ≈3 years every 25 years; thus, we might estimate ≈25 more years (to 2050) to reach 11 years (eleventh grade/high-school diploma). Disaggregated by locality, the already low average schooling—comparable to priority urban-marginal neighborhoods of San José—masks another reality: heterogeneous migration inflates the indicator. In Pelada and Guiones, the mode ranges from high-school diploma to bachelor’s degree, explained by recent in-migration of highly educated residents (bachelor’s, master’s, doctorates). In localities with more workers and long-time Costa Rican residents—Santa Marta, Santa Teresita, San Ramón, Nosara, Delicias—the most frequent value is sixth grade (6 years).

This constitutes an emergency: the relative improvement in educational level—when isolating localities receiving highly educated migrants—is just one year (from 5 in 2000 to 6 in 2024 in those sectors). It is a call to action for the educational community: families, school boards, the Ministry of Public Education (MEP), local businesses, and public institutions (schools and high school). A competencies assessment could worsen the relative indicator (reading comprehension and mathematics). A further study should examine how these indicators are affected by in-migration of lower-educated populations drawn by tourism and construction (their job requirements and wages), while more highly educated youth out-migrate to other areas for better income and professional fields. Average educational levels in non-touristic localities limit local residents’ ability to benefit from tourism and real-estate development; higher income tiers that require higher education are captured by people from other regions or countries. The education-and-opportunity gap is widening faster than efforts to close it—an alarming sign of stagnant or negative relative social progress by locality.

Water in Nosara: A Mortgage on the District’s Hydric Future

The district’s ASADAS (Delicias–Garza, Esperanza Sur, Playas de Nosara, Santa Marta, Santa Teresita, and Bocas de Nosara) recorded 3,322 active water service connections in 2024. Using the cartographic base of 5,981 housing points, there is a deficit of 2,659 services, which may reflect cases where multiple dwellings share a meter, dwellings within condominiums on a macro-meter, and some demolished or no-longer-existing dwellings.

Updating the dwellings vs. services indicator is a challenge for ASADAS because it requires updating technical studies and, year over year, reporting figures that exceed projected hydric capacity. It is essential to use a base adjusted to the district’s actual growth. According to INEC, there were 917 dwellings in 2000; compared with 5,981 points in 2024, the estimated increase is 5,064 (points), implying compound annual growth of 8.13%. The error has been relying on a population growth indicator projected 25 years ago (≈2.5%) and assuming it reflects the present reality.

Today, the population is growing at ≈5% annually, but dwellings have grown faster than the usual resident population due to the increase in unoccupied housing for vacation or work rentals and units available for rent or sale in a highly fluid real-estate market which, taken together, demands public services (water, electricity, infrastructure, health, emergencies, security). This stems from growth of a seasonal population that makes non-usual—but nonetheless residential—use of these dwellings.

Continuing to use 2.5% growth in service projections mortgages Nosara’s hydric future and will make it more common for ASADAS to enter non-feasibility zones. If the 8.13% annual trend in dwellings (INEC) continues, by 2035 the district could have ≈14,140 dwellings; if ASADAS adjusts 2024 service numbers to current housing points plus the annual rate, the result is an average 14.7% annual adjustment to meet that forecast of ≈14,140 services in 2035. This is a 10-year projection that should be extended to 20 years, consistent with the service commitment period in the water-availability letter.

Given the size of the adjustment, it is advisable to implement a progressive adjustment plan combined with greater investment to guarantee water capacity, correlating with key factors: aquifer recharge capacity, salinization of wells near the coastline, aquifer contamination, and climate change (potential precipitation decline, higher temperatures, and reduced recharge), while anticipating increased extraction in critical areas due to intensive human activity.

Housing and Construction

Between 2014 and 2024, construction in Nosara reached ≈1,000,000 m² processed by the CFIA, representing ≈50% of the total for the canton of Nicoya. The assessed/reported value of construction in the district was ≈USD 300 million (2019–2024), averaging USD 428/m². Of construction in the last decade (2014–2024), only 2 out of every 1,000 projects were public infrastructure—evidence of slow public investment (roads, aqueducts, schools, high schools, public clinics, and public-service stations) relative to private construction activity.

In housing, we observe localities with concentrated density (inhabitants per dwelling).

Inhabitants per Dwelling and Share of Occupied Dwellings – 2024 Nosara Census

Sector	Persons per Occupied Dwelling	Share of Occupied Dwellings
Arenales	2,8	23,6%
Esperanza	2,7	10,9%
Santa Teresita	3,0	9,4%
San Pedro	2,7	8,0%
Santa Marta	2,7	6,9%
Pelada	2,3	6,5%
Rivera Norte/Los Ángeles	3,0	6,2%
Nosara (downtown)	2,7	4,7%
Delicias	2,7	4,6%
Guiones	2,4	4,1%
Garza	2,5	3,7%
Hollywood	3,2	2,6%
San Carlos	2,9	2,2%
Sección L / Calle Baltodano	2,7	1,9%
San Ramón	2,8	1,9%
Pilas Blancas/Río Montaña	2,7	0,5%
Huacas	2,6	0,3%
San Juan	2,5	0,3%
Ignored	2,6	1,7%
		100,0%

Source: 2024 Nosara Census

The district average was 2.7 inhabitants per dwelling. In Hollywood, density per dwelling is ≈33% higher than in Guiones. All figures refer to occupied dwellings with usual residents (more than six months). In the field we observed stark contrasts: for example, two-bedroom homes in San Pedro with 20 residents (overcrowding), while in Guiones we found eight-bedroom homes vacant or with two people—two opposite realities showing unequal access to and use of housing only six kilometers (≈10 minutes by car) apart.

Another measurement base is the count of housing points from the cartographic process (a census component covering all types of housing regardless of use or construction status; includes demolished, annexed, other uses, and updates to no-longer-existing dwellings).

Post-Census Distribution of Housing Points by Locality (Nosara)

Sector	Housing Points	Share of Total
Santa Teresa	22	0,4%
Santa Teresita	495	7,9%
Nosara (downtown)	188	3,0%
Hollywood	93	1,5%
San Carlos	152	2,4%
San Pedro	334	5,3%
Cementerio-San Pedro	224	3,6%
Arenales	1149	18,3%
Pelada	750	12,0%
Guiones	599	9,6%
Guiones Sur	65	1,0%
Garza	221	3,5%
Delicias	354	5,6%
Portal de Garza	71	1,1%
San Juan	35	0,6%
Esperanza Sur	675	10,8%
Santa Marta	369	5,9%
San Ramón	139	2,2%
Bijagua	15	0,2%
Los Ángeles, Rivera Norte	269	4,3%
Las Flores	17	0,3%
Río Montaña	34	0,5%
Total	6270	100%

Source: 2024 Nosara Census Cartography, Post-Census

Arenales concentrates the largest share of points (18.3%). These localities can be grouped by sectors for territorial analysis.

We also analyzed point density per km², a fundamental input for territorial planning and social study by locality:

Density of Housing Points per km² of Built-Up Area by Locality (Nosara)

Sector	Area (km²)	Point Density (per km²)
Santa Teresa	0,41	53,75
Santa Teresita	2,16	229,17
Nosara (downtown)	0,47	399,62
Hollywood	0,02	5 183,66
San Carlos	0,21	714,07
San Pedro	0,37	903,29
Cementerio-San Pedro	0,13	1 689,62
Arenales	1,12	1 025,89
Pelada	4,09	183,37
Guiones	3,43	174,64
Guiones Sur	0,59	110,12
Garza	2,72	81,25
Delicias	5,60	63,21
Portal de Garza	8,00	8,88
San Juan	2,15	16,28
Esperanza Sur	3,77	179,05
Santa Marta	1,37	269,34
San Ramón	0,18	757,34
Bijagua	1,33	11,28
Los Ángeles, Rivera Norte	1,43	188,11
Las Flores	4,50	3,78
Río Montaña	3,26	10,43

Source: 2024 Nosara Census Cartography

Hollywood, Cementerio–San Pedro, and Arenales show densities >1,000 points/km²—unusual for a rural area and characteristic of urban development. Higher densities without planning imply more complex and costly re-ordering processes, touching sensitive nerves in communities with changing social composition. Nosara is a place of contrasts: we also found very low-density areas—for example, Las Flores (3.78 points/km²). Achieving a balanced territorial and social development is increasingly necessary and complex, without ignoring the population’s structural composition.

Security Measured per 10.000 Inhabitants

Most security indicators are measured per 100,000 inhabitants; for a comparison more appropriate to Nosara’s population size, we use per 10.000 inhabitants. The following tables are our own elaboration using data from the OIJ (Nosara 2024).

Comparative Table – Nosara District

Cases and Rates per 10.000 Inhabitants – 2024

Offense		Region			Rate
	Nosara	Guanacaste	Costa Rica	Nosara	Guanacaste	Costa Rica
Assault	4	669	11 393	4,6	16,2	22,6
Homicide	11	75	872	12,6	1,8	1,7
Theft	24	1 493	15 006	27,5	36,2	29,7
Robbery	10	1 137	8 825	11,5	27,5	17,5
Vehicle theft	28	306	5 087	32,1	7,4	10,1
Vehicle break-in	5	210	3 632	5,7	5,1	7,2

Source: Author’s elaboration based on OIJ Police Statistics 

Comparative Table – Nosara District

Sub-offenses where Nosara’s Rate Exceeds Guanacaste and Costa Rica – 2024

Rates per 10.000 inhabitants

	Sub-offense		Region			Rate
Offense	Sub-offense	Nosara	Guanacaste	Costa Rica	Nosara	Guanacaste	Costa Rica
Homicide	Score-settling/vengeance	11	62	616	12,62	1,50	1,22
Theft	Slim-jim/pry bar	1	2	42	1,15	0,05	0,08
Theft	Other or undetermined	2	81	322	2,29	1,96	0,64
Robbery	Broken window	2	56	575	2,29	1,36	1,14
Vehicle theft	From driveway/garage (“cocherazo”)	3	28	720	3,44	0,68	1,43
Vehicle theft	Negligence	8	87	2794	9,18	2,11	5,54
Vehicle theft	Other or undetermined	1	11	62	1,15	0,27	0,12
Vehicle theft	By trust	15	143	359	17,21	3,46	0,71

Source: Author’s elaboration based on OIJ Police Statistics

Security Incident Clock – Nosara 2024

How many days between reports, from most to least frequent?

Incident	Cases	Avg. Days Between Incidents
Ongoing domestic violence	268	1
Fight	160	2
Public-order offense	123	3
Suspicious activity	84	4
Firearms	64	6
Child protection	60	6
Against property (report)	59	6
Fumigation	58	6
Alarm activation	50	7
MSP – incident inquiry (Ministry of Public Security)	49	7
Environmental	45	8
Complaints	43	8
PANI – child welfare complaint (National Child Welfare Agency)	33	11
Vehicle theft	22	17
Incidents involving foreign tourists or similar	22	17
Traffic problems	21	17
Reckless driving	17	21
MSP – administrative actions	16	23
Brush/grass fire	14	26
Illegal street racing	13	28
Missing/abducted minor	9	41
Home invasion/illegal property entry	7	52

Source: Author’s elaboration based on 9-1-1 emergency service statistics 

These indicators reflect complex social interactions that diverge from Guanacaste’s “rural normality” in the collective imagination. Although there are signs of reductions in some police indicators compared with previous years, rates per 10,000 inhabitants remain high for a rural setting, prioritizing inter-institutional attention and analysis. All data warn that social peace is receding not only due to criminal activity but also due to incidents that act as a thermometer of violence.

What If We Look to Nosara’s Future?

Through the lens of the Nosara Census, we can project the future by following trends from the past 24 years. An 8% annual growth rate in dwellings is one of the main challenges. The weight of migration, population heterogeneity, levels of rootedness, and educational gaps—as well as the complexity of social composition—require institutions, organizations, donors, and leaders to ask: Which sectors are represented and which sectors are benefited or affected by policies and interventions? Social investments in this context must be careful, planned, measured, contrasted, and validated, with continuous monitoring and follow-up. Poorly planned, untested, and unmonitored interventions can widen gaps that are already growing faster than existing mitigations.

What level of education, water access, health, mortality, migration, housing, security, and growth does the community want, need, and can sustain over time? That shared, data-driven, participatory vision, with fairly assigned representation, is the next task for a district that already has data to decide and act. In a community with critical issues at the base of the social-needs pyramid, it is urgent to implement structural interventions whose impact is deeper and faster than the pace of degradation and problem acceleration. Only then will a positive balance be achieved by 2030, 2035, 2040, 2050, avoiding the perpetuation of well-intentioned but insufficient efforts compared with the pace of construction investment, dwelling growth, and cross-cutting indicators such as cost of living, relative poverty, and out-migration of people of local descent. If the social base is ignored, Nosara risks serious social breakdown with equal consequences for the economy, environment, and politics.

In the photograph of Nosara in 2024—where 8,716 usual residents and 26,650 residential tourists stood before the statistical “camera” of this research—the challenges of a future come into focus, in which Nosara must build a prosperous, sustainable community that leaves future generations with better living conditions, fulfilling the vision begun by the territory’s first inhabitants and reinforced by its founding families over a century ago.

Note:

This article is a condensed input that summarizes preliminarily processed data as a preparatory step toward the final analysis of the Nosara Census. It is not a final or complete report; it covers key statistics and variables compiled from institutional secondary sources and preliminary Census data. The team is progressing on data publication; we appreciate support in outreach, communication, coverage, and connecting with partners and resources to transform these data into improved quality of life and territorial stewardship. This is from the community, for the community, and its use will remain public for the entire population, institutions, and future generations.

Thank you, Nosara. With dedication,

Emmanuel Gutiérrez, Coordinator & Researcher - Censo Nosara 2024

info@censonosara.com | +506 6142 7330

Figure – Team that presented the 2024 Nosara Census on July 18, 2025, at the Community Hall. Team: Nosara Health Committee, ConoSer, ADC, and consultants. Event: “100 years, 100 people, Nosara: Portrait of a Living Community,” where we sealed the Nosara Time Capsule 2025–2075.

How to Cite this Article

Gutiérrez, Emmanuel. (2025, July 18). A photograph of the district of Nosara through the lenses of historical and statistical research from the 2024 Nosara Census. Nosara Census

Entering Phase II: From Data to Action

We’re moving into Phase II of the Nosara Census—the stage where our findings become technical deliverables for institutions and are translated into resource-allocation processes for the district. The goal is to increase investment and accelerate impact in line with the most urgent issues highlighted by the data.

As a community, we have already done the hardest part: conducting a district census with ~95% coverage. Now we need to turn information into rapid, visible improvements. To do this, we’re seeking support and donations, as well as allies to help disseminate these results and connect us with key resources and decision makers.

If you’d like to collaborate—or know someone who can—please contact us.

References to Secondary Sources

• Vital Statistics: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos. (2025). Estadísticas Vitales. Anual 2000–2024. Definitivo. INEC.

• National Census 2000: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos. (2000). Cifras de población y vivienda (Censos Nacionales de Población y de Vivienda 1974, 2000 y 2011). INEC.

• Police Statistics: Organismo de Investigación Judicial. (2024). Estadísticas policiales [Database and dashboards]. Poder Judicial de Costa Rica.

• Electoral Roll & Results: Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones. (2002–2024). Estadísticas electorales y civiles / Padrón electoral [Interactive queries and reports]. TSE.

• Construction (m² processed): Colegio Federado de Ingenieros y de Arquitectos de Costa Rica. (2025). Estadísticas APC y Perspectivas de la construcción. CFIA.

• Official Cartography / Territorial Division: Instituto Geográfico Nacional. (2025). División Territorial Administrativa y Cartografía 1:50,000 [SNIT layers and viewer]. IGN.

• Education (reading and lags): Programa Estado de la Nación. (2025). Décimo Informe Estado de la Educación. CONARE–PEN.

• 9-1-1 (administrative records, institutional definitions): Reporte de Incidentes Nosara 2024. (2025). Sistema 9-1-1.

Limitations and Considerations

• Preliminary nature of the report. This is an executive summary with data under processing; figures may be adjusted after final validation and reconciliation with administrative records, without relevant relative changes.

• Coverage and non-response. Although coverage was 95.1%, there may be non-response or under-coverage bias in mountainous hard-to-reach areas, language barriers, and dwellings closed due to vacancy, refusals, or partial responses.

• Universe definition. Housing indicators include cartographic points (all structures/classifications) and occupied dwellings (households with usual residents); they are not interchangeable and must be analyzed separately.

• Temporal comparability. Some series (e.g., security, construction) change methodology or disaggregation by year; comparisons require methodological notes and control of population bases.

• Security rates. Reported per 10,000 inhabitants to fit district size; comparison with national per-100,000 rates is not recommended to avoid misinterpretation.

• External administrative records. OIJ, 9-1-1, CFIA, and TSE statistics serve their own operational purposes; there may be lags, reclassifications, and re-labeling of events.

• Dynamic cartography. Pre- and post-operation cartographic bases (5,981 vs. 6,270 points) reflect field updates; they do not equal “new” dwellings 1:1.

• Education studies. Findings on reading lags draw on the 2025 Tenth State of Education Report; any verbatim citation should reference that specific edition.

Key Definitions (Operational Glossary)

• Housing point (cartography): Georeferenced record of a physical unit or address with residential use, regardless of status or occupancy (occupied, unoccupied, under construction, demolished, “other uses,” annexed or split, etc.).

• Occupied dwelling: A dwelling where at least one person usually resides (see next definition) at the time of the census operation.

• Usual/regular resident: A person who lives, has lived, or plans to live in the district six months or more (continuous or with intent to stay ≥6 months) at the census reference time.

• Short-term or transient resident (< 6 months): A person staying temporarily for tourism, seasonal work (e.g., construction), or other reasons, without meeting the 6-month threshold; consumes local services but is not part of the usual resident population.

• Household: A group of people sharing an occupied dwelling and main meals; may be a single person. More than one household may occupy a dwelling.

• Water service connection (ASADA): An active service unit (individual meter or macro-meter) administered by an ASADA (Community Association for Water and Sanitation Systems).

• Point density per km²: Ratio of housing points to the built-up surface area of a locality (where applicable); useful for urban planning; not equivalent to population density.

• Rate per 10,000 inhabitants: Cases divided by usual-resident population; aligned with violence-observatory conventions.

• Net migration (estimated): Difference between total observed growth and natural increase (births − deaths) over the period:

  Net migration ≈ (Populationₜ − Population₀) − (Births − Deaths).

• Average schooling / educational mode: Average years of completed study; the mode is the most frequent educational category in a locality’s distribution.

• Electoral roll (TSE): Number of people eligible to vote with an assigned electoral domicile; excludes minors and non-citizens.