Most people in Costa Rica are very happy while those in the States are into the doom and gloom mode.

In a recent interview Debi Nova, Costa Rica’s famous composer and singer, stated, “The people are what make this country something special.” Debi studied music here and then migrated to the United States to pursue her career in music. She has performed all over the world but still thinks Costa Rican people are the country’s greatest asset. I agree and most of the American retirees here share my opinion. When I do my monthly retirement and relocation tours I always make it a point to talk about the country’s fantastic people.

Besides its excellent weather and natural beauty, Costa Rica’s unique people are probably the country’s most important resource and one of the main factors in considering Costa Rica as a place to live or retire. Costa Ricans proudly call themselves ticos. They affectionately and playfully use this nickname to set themselves apart from their neighbors. This practice is derived from their habit of adding the diminutive suffix -”ico” to words instead of “ito,” as is done in most Spanish-speaking countries. For example, instead of saying un ratito (a little while), ticos say un ratico.

A recent study found the Costa Ricans the most “happy people” in the world.

Costa Ricans are mostly white and of Spanish origin, with a mixture of German, Italian, English and other Europeans who have settled in Costa Rica over the years. There is also a small black population of about two percent, living mainly on the Atlantic coast. In recent times, the country’s stability and prosperity have made it a kind of melting pot for people from less stable Latin American countries, such as neighboring Nicaragua, Colombia, Cuba and Argentina.

National Geographic reported several years ago that, when asked why Costa Rica isn’t plagued by political instability and wars like its neighbors, a Costa Rican replied, in typical tico humor, or vacilón, “We are too busy making love and have no time for wars or revolutions.”

Costa Ricans are healthy people and have a life expectancy on par with most first-world countries — 76.3. In fact, they have the highest life expectancy in all of Latin America and just about the same as people in the United States. This is primarily due to the country’s excellent Social Security System that provides “cradle-to-grave” health care.

Generally speaking, the people of Costa Rica love to have fun, to live with “gusto” and know how to enjoy themselves. One has only to go to any local dance hall on a weekend night to see ticos out having a good time, or observe entire families picnicking together on any given Sunday.

So as you can see the people are another reason to live or retire here. I might add that if you really want to get close to the tico and develop friendships, it is essential that you lean some Spanish. The people make great friends!