Puerto Limón, commonly known as
Limón (Spanish for "lemon"), is the capital city and main hub of
Limón province, as well as of the
cantón (county) of Limón in
Costa Rica. It is the second-largest city in
Costa Rica after the capital,
San José, with a population of over 55,000 (including surrounding towns), and is home of a multicultural community. Part of the community traces its roots to Italian, Jamaican and Chinese laborers who worked on a late nineteenth-century railroad project that connected San José to Puerto Limón. Until 1948, the Costa Rican government did not recognize Afro-Caribbean people as citizens and restricted their movement outside Limón province. As a result of this "travel ban", this Afro-Caribbean population became firmly established in the region, which influenced the decision to not move even after it was legally permitted. The Afro-Caribbean community speaks Spanish and
Limonese Creole, a
creole of English.