The city of San José is the capital and the largest city in Costa Rica, founded in 1738 by the Cabildo de León, San José did not become capital until 1823. Today it is an expanding metropolitan area that covers 44.62 square kilometers (17.2 square miles) and a population of 365,799 people, which is approximately one third of the total population of Costa Rica. San José is the economic center of Costa Rica