city, central Costa Rica, in the Valle Central, 3,729 feet (1,137 metres) above sea level, just northwest of San José, the national capital, via the Inter-American Highway. Probably founded in the 1570s, the city was originally called Cubujuquí and then Villavieja. The first of its many churches was established in 1706, and the name Heredia was adopted in honour of the president of the high tribunal in 1763. Throughout most of the colonial period the little village was second only to Cartago in importance in Costa Rica; the majority of the citizens were small tobacco farmers. After the country's independence in 1821, farmers turned to coffee and made the province of Heredia into the richest coffee (coffee production)-producing area of Costa Rica. Coffee remains vital to the local economy. Known colloquially as the “City of Flowers,” it has one of the few colonial churches remaining in Costa Rica. Two former residences of Alfredo González Flores, president from 1914 to 1917, have been converted into museums; one is a traditional historical museum, and the other, the Museum of Popular Culture, explores cultural life at the turn of the 19th century. Heredia is the site of the National University (1973). Many of the city's residents commute to work in San José. Pop. (2000 est.) 20,191.