Sister cities of San Ramón, Matagalpa

San Ramón is a municipality in the Matagalpa department of Nicaragua.

San Ramon lies 12 kilometers northeast of the departmental capital of Matagalpa (city and department are both named Matagalpa). The 12-kilometer drive takes about 25 minutes by bus as the road is for the most part unpaved, as they have not yet fully reconstructed the routes that existed prior to Hurricane Mitch.

San Ramon was established in 1800, having previously been called by the indigenous name "Abai". San Ramon was historically settled by a mixture of Sumo and Miskito peoples from Nicaragua's Atlantic coast, as well as by Chontales Indians, who are a branch stemming from the ancient Mayans.

San Ramon has only the rainy season from May through December, and a dry season from January to May. Because of a relatively high altitude, the climate is cooler than the majority of Nicaragua, having year-round lows in the low 60s and highs around 90 degrees.

It is an integral part of Nicaragua's Coffee trail, and is the jump-off point for a significant amount of tourism. Some of the touristic attractions include: taking an English-speaking guide to the abandoned gold mine "La Reina" (5 kilometers from town), the waterfalls "La Lima" and "La Garrota" which are respectively about 1.5 kilometers and 3 kilometers from the city center, a guided historic tour of "Cerro de la cruz" (Hill of the cross) where you can eat your fill of fresh fruit and see the city and surrounding countryside from rustic wooden benches, and finally trips to see local artisans creating artisanal textiles, recycled paper stationery, and jewelry from seeds and other local commodities.

Other tourist attractions that are nearby and directly affect the town's revenue are the eco-resort "Esperanza Verde" and "La Selva Negra".

There is generally a high presence of foreigners in San Ramon due to its hospitable climate and a history of international aid stations being placed there. Seattle-based non-profit, Corner of Love, leads twelve medical-dental-optical brigades to serve in San Ramon each year, The Vermont charity Planting Hope brings brigades yearly, the local tourism office is supported by the Interamerican Foundation and is currently working on a web page, and USAID and Peace Corps have frequently been present there. Additionally, San Ramon is a sister city of Durham, North Carolina, USA, and the location of the Associacion Catalana where Spaniards consult and assist the locals in coffee production, adult education, building initiatives with wood and bamboo, medical consults, and teaching scholarships.