The political, social, and economic centre of Costa Rica, San José grew rapidly in the 20th century, both in population and in area. Most neighbourhoods surrounding the city's centre were developed in a grid pattern. After 1950 the number of industrial establishments flourished. A transportation hub, San José is an important point on the Inter-American Highway and is at the junction of express highways to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Air traffic at the international airport, west of the city, increased following the end of the Contra war in neighbouring Nicaragua in 1990 and continues to do so because of the country's popularity among tourists.

The city is the site of the University of Costa Rica (1940), the oldest and most diverse of San José's four public universities. Costa Rica's stability and democratic reputation attract sizable numbers of foreign students to these universities and to the numerous private universities scattered throughout San José. Some of the city's historic buildings include a 19th-century cathedral and the National Theatre, modeled after the Paris Opéra. Downtown San José has a unique collection of plazas commemorating the country's progressive and democratic traditions—notably the Democracy, Culture, and Social Guarantees plazas. There is a small park named for U.S. Pres. John F. Kennedy, memorializing his visit to the country in 1963. Several collections of pre-Columbian goldwork and binational cultural centres are among the attractions in the city. The National Museum, famed for its archaeological and historical exhibits, is housed in a former army garrison. Pop. (2005 est.) 340,894.

city, southern Uruguay. It lies northwest of Montevideo along the San José River. It originated in 1783, when Eusebio Vidal, acting under orders of the viceroy, Don Juan José de Vertíz, organized the San José district, naming it for the river that ran through the territory. The city developed within the district, which was created as a haven for Spanish colonists from the ill-fated Patagonian settlements. It served briefly as the provisional capital of Uruguay during the 1825 uprising against Brazil.

An agricultural and industrial centre, San José specializes in meat and dairy products, leather goods, clothing, furniture, and automobile parts. A farm machinery school is located in San José. The city's Basilica Cathedral, built in 1857–74 in the Baroque style, has an imposing clock tower. Pop. (2004) 36,339.