As a result of the banana and coffee trade in Costa Rica, certain cities were left evidence of this movement of goods. San Jose, for example, is the capital city of Costa Rica but doesn’t give the appearance of a typical capital. Instead of extensive vertical development, San Jose served as the town of the working Tico, one who specialized in hands-on work. Pittsburgh has grown from a steel worker’s town to a bustling city, and San Jose is on a similar path. Both cities are proud of their heritage and are full of people and monuments that show this pride to the world.
Different from Pittsburgh, however, is San Jose’s lack of an organized mailing and address system. This has contributed to the neighborly culture of San Jose, as communicating with the locals has become the key to learning the ins and outs of this capital city. I believe this system works very well for San Jose because of the culture is has cultivated over the years. The Ticos are friendly, laid-back people mostly due to the community working as one to know its city as well as possible, and extending that knowledge to visitors. That is why although there are few addresses in San Jose, one of Costa Rica’s largest national revenue makers is tourism.