Atenas, located in the Province of Alajuela is a small city between the city of Alajulea and Orotina, when you are on the way from the Central Valley to the Pacific Coast. Atenas is the city of legends. Two in fact. The first one has to do with the name of this town with a little more than 5,000 inhabitants. According to the history of the town in 1833 the region’s state official Jose Rafael Gallegos Alvarado, an admirer of the ancient Greek culture, picked the name Atenas for the new town. This tale can not be backed by any documentation, but is widely accepted. The second legend has to do with the climate in Atenas. Without any doubt Atenas has one of the finest climates in Costa Rica. Vox populi tells this climate to be the best of the world, a claim supposedly awarded by the National Geographic Society, but unfortunately no sources exist. But as long as the sun shines it doesn’t matter, not the least to Atenas’ inhabitants who widely advertise the clain. The region is know for its agricultural products; cattle, coffee, sugar cane and orchards. Every Friday there is a big market in Atenas, where farmers sell their product. In the shade of the palm trees of the Central Park you have a perfect spot to observe the quiet Costa Rican country life. The town of Atenas grew thanks to its location on an ancient ox cart trail that was used to transport coffee from the Central Valley to the port of Puntarenas. Surrounding the town of Atenas there are still many coffee plantations. In Coopeatens more than 1200 local families work together to produce some of the finest coffee in the world. And believe it, this absolutely not a legend. Atenas’ Center for Sustainable Development Studies has successfully helped these organic coffee growers to find their global market. Today coffee beans from Atenas find their way to companies as Starbucks. A development that was badly needed, since many coffee plantations disappear, because the land is used for the more profitable development of real estate projects. The Boyero (ox cart driver) Monument in Atenas is dedicated to their prominent role in the history of coffee exportation. Nowadays the old trail is a very nice alternative to drive from San Jose to Puntarenas avoiding the highway and take a more rustic route. Atenas offers a nice selection of little restaurants where you can enjoy the good and fairly priced local food and it’s a very nice spot to stop on your way to the Pacific Coast before you pass the mountains.