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Orocovis, Puerto Rico

Orocovis (from the Taino chief Orocobix) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the center of the island. Founded by Juan Rivera de Santiago in 1825. Orocovis is spread over 17 barrios. It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area. It's located north of Villalba and Coamo; south of Morovis and Corozal; southeast of Ciales; east of Jayuya; and west of Barranquitas

History
Since before the Spanish colonization in the 16th century, the Taíno were already established in the region. They were led by the cacique Orocobix and his tribe known as the Jatibonicu. After Spaniards settled in the island, the region was part of the south of Manatí and the north region of Coamo. By 1823 Orocovis was a barrio of Barranquitas while Morovis (previously part of Manatí) had a barrio called Barros. Both Orocovis and Barros were eventually united to establish a new town.

In early 1825, Juan Rivera de Santiago sought and obtained legal power by the neighbors of the region to request the Governor authorization to found a municipality in the Barros area, where they had bought 14 acres of land from Eulalia (Olaya) de Rivera Melendez, who donated an additional acre to establish several municipal works. However, due to the distance from bodies of water, the settlement was moved to another place where it is today. On November 10, 1825, Governor Miguel de la Torre granted permission to found the new municipality of Barros.

In 1838, the parish of San Juan Bautista de Barros was created and was blessed and inaugurated on October 29 of the same year. However, in 1875, a fire destroyed the church, the King's House, the priest's house and several homes.

Most of Orocovis nicknames stem from its location in the center of the island. Some of them are: "Corazón de Puerto Rico" (Heart of Puerto Rico) and "Centro Geográfico de Puerto Rico" (Geographical Center of Puerto Rico). Locals say the center of Puerto Rico is in a barrio called Pellejas, on Road 566, Km 5.7 in Orocovis. That the center of Puerto Rico is in front of the Catholic church was determined to be false by engineers from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus.

Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became a territory of the United States. In 1899, the United States Department of War conducted a census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Barros, as Orocovis was then called, was 14,845.

In 1928, the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico approved a resolution to change the name of Barros to Orocovis, to honor the Taíno cacique of the same name, who lived in that region.

Geography
The municipality Orocovis is mountainous with many valleys. Most of the Orocovis terrain runs through the Cordillera Central of the island. Most of the high peaks are in the southern region of the municipality within the limits of the municipality with Villalba and Coamo. The highest peak of the town is Cerro Mogote.

The rivers Toro Negro, Sana Muertos, Orocovis, Matrullas, and Bauta, and the creeks Doña Juana, Palmar and Cacaos are among the water bodies in the town. There are two lakes: El Guineo, a reservoir of the Toro Negro River, and the Matrullas Lake formed by the Bauta River. El Guineo is Puerto Rico's highest lake.

Barrios
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Orocovis is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as "el pueblo".

 * 1) Barros
 * 2) Orocovis
 * 3) Pueblo
 * 4) Ala de la Piedra
 * 5) Bauta Abajo
 * 6) Bauta Arriba
 * 7) Bermejales
 * 8) Botijas
 * 9) Cacaos
 * 10) Collores
 * 11) Damián Abajo
 * 12) Damián Arriba
 * 13) Gato
 * 14) Mata de Cañas
 * 15) Pellejas
 * 16) Sabana
 * 17) Saltos

Sectors
Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions) and subbarrios, are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.

Special Communities
Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Orocovis: Ala de la Piedra, Alturas de Orocovis, Cacao, Sector Parcelas in Botijas 1, Botijas II, Comunidad Miraflores and La Pica (Luis M. Alfaro).

Energy consortium
An Energy Consortium was signed in late February, 2019 by Villalba, Orocovis, Morovis, Ciales and Barranquitas municipalities. The consortium is the first of its kind for the island. It is intended to have municipalities work together to safeguard and create resilient, and efficient energy networks, with backups for their communities.

"The Musical Capital of Puerto Rico"
Orocovis is sometimes called "The Musical Capital of Puerto Rico" because many major Puerto Rican performers were either born or raised in the town, particularly bandleader Bobby Valentín, folk singer Andrés Jiménez, merengue singer Manny Manuel, salsa legend William "H. Christ" Corchado, and the Colón-Zayas family of musicians, which includes Emma (singer, multi-instrumentalist) and Edwin (a cuatro player).

Santo (art figurines)
Celestino Avilés Meléndez (1925-2004), a santero from Orocovis, saved the dying art from his workshop. Santeros are folk artists who create wooden, religious statuettes called Santos. The folk artists were dispersed around Puerto Rico and were few in number. Avilés' initiative, in 1983, for santeros to meet continues to this day with the Encuentro Nacional de Santeros taking place in Orocovis, the third week in December annually. Also, Avilés' establishing the Museo Orocoveño Familia Avilés Inc. in 1982, a museum for santeros art, revived the culture and art of santeros and santos and by 2019, there were more than 300 santeros making santos in Puerto Rico.

Tourism

 * Bosque Estatal de Toro Negro
 * Las Piscinas del Area Recreativa Doña Juana (Doña Juana Pool, Spring Water and Recreative Park)
 * Las Cabañas de Doña Juana (Ribs restaurant)
 * Área Recreativa de Damián (Recreative park of Damian)
 * Ríos (rivers)
 * Vistas Panorámicas (panoramic views)
 * Toro Verde Nature Adventure Park

Landmarks and places of interest
"El Monstruo" at Toro Verde Nature Adventure Park in Orocovis came in third for longest zip line in the world in 2018, at 2530 m (8,300 ft).
 * Indian Cave
 * Matrullas Lake
 * El Guineo Lake
 * Orocovis Museum
 * Taíno Refuge
 * Mirador Villalba - Orocovis
 * Toro Negro State Forest
 * Área Recreativa Cerro La Guaira (Recreative Park)
 * Cascada Chorro de Doña Juana
 * Toro Verde Nature Adventure Park

Festivals and events
Orocovis celebrates its patron saint festival in June. The Fiestas Patronales de San Juan Bautista is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

Other festivals and events celebrated in Orocovis include:
 * Children's Theater Festival – April
 * Shrimp Festival – July
 * Artisan Fair – September
 * Youth Festival – October
 * Puerto Rican National Meat Pie Festival – November

Agriculture
Cattle, coffee, fruits, tobacco, and wheat. A young business growing hydroponics lettuce was in negotiations to be a supplier for Walmart in 2019.

Industrial
Several small nutritional product industries.

Demographics
According to the 2000 census, Orocovis has a population of 23,844 with a population density is 378.4 people per square mile (145.5/km2). Although there was a decline in the population during the 1980s, it has steadily increased during the last decades.

Statistics taken from the 2000 census shows that 81.4% of Orocoveños have Spanish or White origin, 4.1% are black, 0.4% are Amerindian etc.

Government
All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. Jesús Colón Berlingeri (of the New Progressive Party) has served as mayor since 1998.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VI, which is represented by two senators. In 2012, Miguel Pereira Castillo and Angel M. Rodríguez were elected as district senators.

Education
Orocovis has several public and private schools and public education is administered by the Puerto Rico Department of Education.

Transportation
There is no direct highway connection to Orocovis. Roads #137 and #155 lead from the north, while roads #138 and #155 lead from the south. Orocovis lies at about an hour and a half from San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico.

There are 17 bridges in Orocovis.

Symbols
The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag of Orocovis
The Flag of Orocovis is formed by five vertical stripes: Two green stripes at the ends, representing the territories of Aibonito and Barranquitas; and a blue one in the center representing the regional domain of the cacique Orocobix prior to the Spanish colonization. These stripes are divided by two narrower white stripes, representing the territories granted by Barranquitas and Morovis to form the municipality in 1825.

Over the blue portion there's an oval with a Sun. The Sun has seventeen rays that represent the different regions of the town. The Sun, being the center of the Solar System, represents Orocovis as the center of the island of Puerto Rico.

Coat of arms
The oval is symbol of the letter "O", initial of the name of the town. In each quadrant appear representative elements of the town. In the left superior quadrant a Taíno Indian bust, symbol of the great "Chief Orocobix" and the Indian heritage of the town, silhouetted in gold on a silver-plated background. The Indian bust faces to the star or sun that appears in the superior right quadrant, which is in gold on a blue background and represents the territorial municipality with its seventeen rays or demarcations. In the inferior right quadrant, a plantain plant is observed representing the agriculture, silhouetted in gold on a silver-plated background. A bridge also silhouetted in gold on a blue background, above the river appears in the left inferior quadrant.

title: Orocovis, Puerto Rico


text:
Patillas, Puerto Rico

Patillas is a beach town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the southeastern coast, south of San Lorenzo; west of Yabucoa and Maunabo; and east of Guayama and Arroyo. It is spread over 15 barrios and Patillas Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the Guayama Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Europeans had settled the area as early as 1760. There was, however, no permanent settlement until the town was officially founded in 1811. In 1841 a fire in Patillas killed a great many people.

Patillas is located along the southeastern coast of the main island of Puerto Rico. There was an establishment of a sugar cane mill which took advantage of the agricultural potential the coastal valley provided. As this establishment provided a good source of income for the neighbors it also was the main reason for the town's foundation in 1811. Doña Adelina Cintrón, owner of "La Finca Patillas", donated almost 8 acre of land for the foundation. Most of the neighbors then relocated to the west side of the proposed site called Cacao Bajo.

Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became a territory of the United States. In 1899, the United States Department of War conducted a census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Patillas was 11,163.

On September 20, 2017 Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico. In Patillas, power was out and 341 homes were completely destroyed. Wind and rain triggered numerous landslides making roads inaccessible.

Geography
Patillas is located on the southeastern coast. Despite being located in the region known as the Coast Valley of the South, a part of the town is mountainous. The Sierra de Cayey borders the town's territory through the northern region, and the Sierra de Guardarraya through the east.

Map References
Coordinates: 18.0064° N, 66.0158° W Zip Code: 00723 Driving Distance from San Juan: 59.6 miles Driving Time: 1 hour, 31 minutes

Transportation
Puerto Rico Highway 53 and Puerto Rico Highway 3 provide access to Patillas from the nearby city of Ponce. Patillas lies at about 1.25 hours from San Juan.

There was an airport, Patillas Airport, but it did not have any commercial air service when it was closed. The nearest commercial airport with international air service (to the United States mainland) is Mercedita Airport in Ponce. The nearest commercial airport with major commercial air service is Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Carolina.

There are 32 bridges in Patillas.

Barrios
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Patillas is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as "el pueblo".

 * 1) Apeadero
 * 2) Bajo
 * 3) Cacao Alto
 * 4) Cacao Bajo
 * 5) Egozcue
 * 6) Guardarraya
 * 7) Jacaboa
 * 8) Jagual
 * 9) Mamey
 * 10) Marín
 * 11) Mulas
 * 12) Muñoz Rivera
 * 13) Patillas barrio-pueblo
 * 14) Pollos
 * 15) Quebrada Arriba
 * 16) Ríos

Sectors
Barrios (which are like minor civil divisions) and subbarrios, are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.

Special Communities
Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Patillas: Sector Barro Blanco in Bajos, Sector Higüero in Jacaboa, Sector Recio in Guardarraya, and Quebrada Arriba.

Landmarks and places of interest
There are 28 beaches in Patillas. Inches Beach in Patillas is considered a dangerous beach.

Some places of interest in Patillas include:
 * Charco Azul
 * Los Tres Chorros
 * Carite State Forest
 * Escondida Beach
 * Guardarraya Beach
 * Charco de la Vuelta
 * Villa Pesquera Beach
 * Lago de Patillas
 * Guavate Forest and places to eat on the boundary with Cayey

Festivals and events
Patillas celebrates its patron saint festival in August. The Fiestas Patronales de San Benito Abad is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

Other festivals and events celebrated in Patillas include:
 * Emerald of the South Carnival – May
 * Southeast Marathon – November
 * Wheat Flour Festival – December
 * Christmas Parade – December

Bodies of water
Río de Apeadero, Río Chico, Río Grande de Patillas, Río Jacaboa, and Río Marín (rivers) and a number of creeks flow through Patillas. There is also the Patillas Reservoir called Lago Patillas which was built in 1914. The Patillas and Marín Rivers flow into the reservoir which is also used for fishing.

Economy
In 2021 the Leader of the Association of Plantain Producers in Puerto Rico indicated the town was one of the main areas of production of plantains.

Demographics
According to the 2000 census, Patillas had a population of 20,152 with a population density is 426.0 people per square mile (163.9/km2). There was a decline in the population during the 1960s and the 1990s and most recently in the 2010 and 2020 census.

Puerto Rico is primarily made up of a mix of ancestors from Indigenous, European or African descent. Statistics from the 2000 census shows that 67.7% of Patillenses self-identify as European or white origin; only 12.3% self-identify as Afro Puerto Rican and 0.5% self-identify as Amerindian.

Government
Like all municipalities in Puerto Rico, Patillas is administered by a mayor. The current mayor is Maritza Sánchez Neriz, from the New Progressive Party (PNP). Sanchez was elected at the 2020 general election.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VII, which is represented by two Senators. In 2012, Jorge Suárez and José Luis Dalmau were elected as District Senators.

Education
Patillas has several public and private schools distributed through several regions. Public education is handled by the Puerto Rico Department of Education.

Symbols
The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag
The flag of Patillas has four green rectangles on the corners that symbolize the valleys and mountains of the town. These rectangles are separated by a golden cross symbolizing the fidelity to the town's religious patron "El Santo Cristo de la Salud". Superimposed in the middle of the golden cross is an emerald, thus the nickname "La Esmeralda del Sur".

The art design of the flag was a creation of Pedro de Pedro in 1977. Each symbol on the flag was defined by Pedro J. Rivera Arbolay. The legal assessor was the attorney Roberto Beascochea Lota.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms features a crow with a piece of bread in its beak, which represents the bird that saved the life to San Benito Abad, patron of the town, from being poisoned with a piece of bread. The castle with three windows symbolizes the captivity of Santa Barbara, matron of Patillas in the first years of the foundation and the devotion to the Holy Trinity. The cross represents Santo Cristo de la Salud. The two crossed machetes underneath the cross represent the peasants' struggle in the sugar cane plantations and the origins of economic development. The three towers in the superior part mean that Patillas is categorized as a town. The watermelon leaf, fruit that abounded in the west of Patillas, is the reason for the name of the town. The motto "Ora et Labora", means "Pray and Work"; motto of the religious order of San Benito Abad.

Names
The name Patillas is originally an indigenous name for a native type of watermelon. The large abundance of this fruit in the area, along with the land donation from the original owner, lead to the town's name.

The Emerald of the South
Although it is both a mountain town and a beach town, Patillas is known as the "Emerald of the South" for its majestic green color that stands out from the mountains with the reflection of the sun. This town has natural resources that invite the disconnection of the bustle of the city, such as beaches, forests, and the Patillas Lake. The coastal waters and the lake are used by many for recreational fishing.

Anthem: "Patillenses"
By Andrés Plaud Soto

"Patillenses, ¡Veis la luz, de la antorcha y su esplendor, que ilumina en noble gesta de amor... la ruta que recorrió, el que por ti ayer luchó, en las lides de los campos del honor!

No olvidéis otras proezas en las Artes del Saber, producto de otros hermanos, que este pueblo vio nacer. Sus conquistas celebramos con solemne admiración: ¡Hosana mis compueblanos... Les brindo mi corazón!"

Notable "Patillenses"

 * David "Quique" Bernier - Dentist, athlete and politician who served in various roles in public service in Puerto Rico
 * Francisco Cervoni-Gely – poet, playwright, journalist, and political figure. He was a delegate to the House for Guayama (1911 – 1912). His plays include Los suegros (1897) and La cruz roja (1928). His poetry was published in newspapers and magazines.
 * Gaspar Cochran – Recreational leader of Patillas in 1952 and the first to register a baseball team class "A" called the Lions of Patillas. For 20 years he was director of the annual Patron Saint Festivals.
 * José Dávila Ricci – political figure and journalist. Dávila was a member of the governing board of the Liberal Party (1932 – 1940). He also founded and presided the Puerto Rico Journalism Association (1938). He collaborated with newspapers such as El Mundo and El Universal, and headed La Democracia (1928 – 1932), Puerto Rico Ilustrado (1937 – 1938) and El Imparcial.
 * Edmundo Disdier – musician and composer
 * Olga D. González-Sanabria - Scientist and inventor
 * Luisa Lebrón Burgos - Judge, politician, and former member of the Senate of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2000. She currently serves as a judge in the Carolina region
 * Ramón Lebrón-Rodríguez – writer. His works include Esbozo histórico del Derecho Penal (1916) and La vida de un prócer (1954)
 * Angelita Lind – Winner of three gold medals, 3 silver medals and 1 bronze medal, she participated in 3 Central American and Caribbean Games, 3 Pan American Games and the Olympics in Los Angeles, California
 * Emilio "Millito" Navarro (born September 26, 1905 in the city of Patillas, Puerto Rico) - First Puerto Rican to play baseball in the Negro leagues.
 * Paulino Rodríguez – His literary work includes: Gotas de Estío (children's reading), The Son of Regret (novel), My Lonely Garden (poetry), and the History of the Town of Patillas.
 * Jalil Sued-Badillo – historian and teacher
 * Cirilo Tirado Rivera - Politician
 * Awilda Villarini - composer and pianist

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Patillas, Puerto Rico


text:
Rincón, Puerto Rico

Rincón is a popular beach town and municipality of Puerto Rico founded in 1771 by Don Luis de Añasco, who previously founded Añasco in 1733. It is located in the Western Coastal Valley, west of Añasco and Aguada. Rincón is spread over 9 barrios and Rincón Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the Aguadilla-Isabela-San Sebastián Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The municipality is home to many of the surfing beaches in Puerto Rico, including Domes, Marias, Tres Palmas, Sandy Beach, Pools Beach, Córcega Beach and Rincón Town Beach. The word "Rincón" means "nook" in Castilian Spanish. Rincón is in the north, on the westernmost tip of Puerto Rico.

Rincon has a large population of Non-Hispanic whites(most from the mainland United States and United Kingdom) when compared to the rest of the Island. Its known to suffer strong gentrification from the increasing Mainland US population moving to the Municipality(Puerto Ricans & Non-Hispanic combined) leading to higher rent prices and higher prices in other commodities such as groceries when compared to neighboring cities.

History
Rincón was founded in 1771 by Don Luis de Añasco. In 1885, Benito Cumpiano was mayor of Ríncon and in 1890, Victor Cumpiano was Ríncon's mayor.

Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became a territory of the United States. In 1899, the United States Department of War conducted a census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Rincón was 6,641.

On September 20, 2017 Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico. In Rincón, infrastructure was damaged and about 400 homes were damaged or completely destroyed. Intense rainfall and winds triggered numerous landslides. The storm surge bought 4 feet of water into homes on the coast.

Geography
Rincón is located on the western coast of Puerto Rico, on the westernmost tip.

Updated flood zone maps (as of 2019) show that Rincón is extremely vulnerable to flooding, along with Humacao, Toa Baja, Barceloneta, and Corozal. For its high levels of erosion, Rincón is vulnerable in the case of a major hurricane.

Barrios
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Rincón is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, main central square and large Catholic church are located in a downtown barrio referred to as "el pueblo".

 * 1) Atalaya
 * 2) Barrero
 * 3) Calvache
 * 4) Cruces
 * 5) Ensenada
 * 6) Jagüey
 * 7) Pueblo, (not to be confused with Rincón barrio-pueblo)
 * 8) Puntas
 * 9) Rincón barrio-pueblo
 * 10) Río Grande

Sectors
Barrios (which are like minor civil divisions) are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.

Special Communities
Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Rincón: La Playa Sector in Barrero, Cerro Los Pobres, El Pico in Atalaya, Hoyo Caliente, and Parcelas Stella.

Bodies of water

 * Gorges: Caño García, Quebrada Grande de Calvache, Quebrada Los Ramos, Quebrada Piletas, Punta Ensenada.
 * River: Río Grande

Economy
The 1968 World Surfing Championship was held at Domes Beach in Rincón. Since then, surfers from around the world have been visiting Rincón.

Rincón has a tourism economy which also boasts scuba diving, snorkeling, and sunsets. Rincón has also been an area for internet-based companies to set up shop.

In 2007, Rincón was the site for the ISA World Masters where local surfer Juan Ashton won first place in the Masters division.

Agriculture
Fruits and sugarcane are the primary sources of agriculture in Rincón. Cattle ranching also is popular.

Industry
The major industry of Rincón is tourism.

The Boiling Nuclear Superheater (BONUS) Reactor Facility, also known to the locals as "the Domes", is a decommissioned nuclear plant. The construction of BONUS started in 1960, and the reactor had its first controlled nuclear chain reaction on April 13, 1964, achieving full power operation in September 1965. Operation of the BONUS reactor was terminated in June 1968 because of technical difficulties and the ensuing need for high-cost modifications. General decontamination of the reactor was performed with the goal of meeting unrestricted use criteria in all accessible areas of the building. Residual radioactive materials remaining in the structure were isolated or shielded to protect site visitors and workers. During subsequent years, more radioactive contamination was identified in portions of the building, and additional clean-up and shielding activities were conducted in the 1990s and early 2000s. It was Puerto Rico's only nuclear reactor.

Demographics
Rincón reported the smallest decline in population of any Puerto Rican municipality between the 2010 and 2020 censuses (no municipality recorded an increase). The population fell by only 13, less than 0.1% of the overall population.

As of 2020, 5.1% of the population is of non-Hispanic origin, making Rincón the least Hispanic municipality on the Puerto Rican mainland. This represents an increase from 2010, when only 3.6% of the population was non-Hispanic.

Tourism
"Art Walk", a community initiative to build the social fabric of Rincón, takes places every Thursday. Locals and tourists mingle in the main town square Plaza de recreo in downtown Rincón to enjoy food, drinks, music and local art.

Landmarks and places of interest
There are 53 beaches in Rincón. Main attractions of Rincón include:
 * La Bandera (Pico Atalaya)
 * Domes Beach
 * Steps Beach
 * Balneario de Rincón
 * Punta Higuero Lighthouse
 * Tres Palmas Marine Reserve

Surfing
Rincón is well known as a surfing destination. Rincón rose to international recognition through the 1968 World Surfing Championship, which was held at Domes and Maria's Beaches. The winter surf along Rincón's coast is some of the best in the region. Generally regarded as one of the best surf spots across the globe, Rincón draws surfers from around the world and is the center of the island's surf scene. Dubbed the "Caribbean's Hawaii," winter waves here can approach 25–30 feet (6.7m) in height, sometimes equaling the force of the surf on Oahu's north shore. Famed surfing beaches in town include Little Malibu, Tres Palmas, Maria's, Indicators, Domes, Pools, Sandy Beach and Antonio's. The best time to surf is from November through March, but summer storms can also kick up the surf during the late summer.

Festivals and events
Rincón celebrates its patron saint festival in September. The Fiestas Patronales de Santa Rosa de Lima is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

Other festivals and events celebrated in Rincón include:
 * Whale watching – January and February
 * Humpback whale Festival – March
 * Surfing season – all year long
 * Ultimate Dirt Challenge – March
 * Rincón International Film Festival – April
 * Coconut Festival – May
 * Rincon Triathlon – June

Government
Like all municipalities in Puerto Rico, Rincón is administered by a mayor. The current mayor is Carlos López Bonilla, from the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). López was elected at the 2000 general election.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district IV, which is represented by two senators. In 2016, Luis Daniel Muñiz Cortés and Evelyn Vázquez were elected as district senators.

Transportation
There are 8 bridges in Rincón.

Symbols
The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag
Created and designed by Evaristo Cardona Moreno and art performed by Jose Luis Cardona Martinez (his eldest son). The colors of the Rincón flag are red, orange, yellow, green and white. The triangle has a five-pointed white star representing the urban zone. There are white stars of equal size which represent the 9 barrios. The red and orange symbolize the vitality and vigor of its people. The yellow symbolizes Christianity, the green symbolizes vegetation and hope for progress and the white symbolizes the integrity between its barrios and urban zone.

Coat of arms
Created and designed by Angel L. Cardona Moreno, the shield consists of a green and orange Spanish blazon, with a yellow band inclined left to right. To the right and on a green background a cross, symbol of Christendom. To the left and on an orange background a Spanish ship, symbol of the discovery of Puerto Rico, in the coasts of Rincón (this is greatly disputed, as the towns of Aguada, Rincón, and Añasco all claim entry-point status).

Notable people

 * Kiara Ortega – Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2018

Gallery
Some of the scenes in Rincón:

title: Rincón, Puerto Rico


text:
Río Grande, Puerto Rico

Río Grande is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located on the eastern edge of the Northern Coastal Valley, north of Las Piedras, Naguabo and Ceiba; east of Loíza and Canóvanas and west of Luquillo. Río Grande is spread over eight barrios and Río Grande Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area. A big portion of El Yunque National Forest, including El Yunque's peak, is located within the municipality.

History
Río Grande was founded on July 16, 1840, by Desiderio and Quilimaco Escobar, with the approval of Governor Miguel López. It was named after the Río Grande and is located where the Río Grande and the Río Espíritu Santo join.

In 1894, there were two sugar cane haciendas and 256 estancias growing minor fruits.

Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017, triggered numerous landslides in Río Grande with the significant amount of rainfall. Infrastructure was destroyed, trees were ripped out of the ground, and rivers were breached causing property losses to approximately 5000 people. Of the Puerto Rican amazon, 230 in captivity did survive.

Geography
Río Grande is on the northeastern coast of the island north of the Sierra de Luquillo. A large portion of El Yunque National Forest and some of the highest points of the Sierra de Luquillo are located within Río Grande including El Yunque and El Toro, which at 3,474 feet (1,070 m) is the highest point in eastern Puerto Rico.

Barrios
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Río Grande is subdivided into barrios (which mean barrios or boroughs or neighborhoods in Spanish). The municipal buildings, central square and a large Catholic church are located in a small, central barrio called barrio-pueblo or simply Pueblo.

 * 1) Ciénaga Alta
 * 2) Ciénaga Baja
 * 3) Guzmán Abajo
 * 4) Guzmán Arriba
 * 5) Herreras
 * 6) Jiménez
 * 7) Mameyes II
 * 8) Río Grande barrio-pueblo
 * 9) Zarzal

Sectors
Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions) are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores(sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.

Special Communities
Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Río Grande: Sector Montebello and Sector El Hoyo in Malpica, Las Dolores, La Ponderosa, Villa Realidad, Estancias del Sol, and Hong Kong.

Demographics
In 1894, while a Spanish colony, the population of Río Grande was 6,237. Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became a territory of the United States. In 1899, the United States conducted its first census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Río Grande was 12,365.

Tourism
Río Grande is home to one of the largest secluded areas with beach access (Coco Beach) on the entire island. Major hotels in the area include Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Resort and Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve. Every March, Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve plays host to the PGA Tour's Puerto Rico Open.

Within a ten-minute drive is El Yunque National Forest, the only tropical rain forest within the United States National Forest System.

Hotels

 * The Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Beach Resort and Spa
 * Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve
 * St. Regis Bahía Beach Resort & Golf Club

Landmarks and places of interest
There are 27 beaches in Río Grande. Main attractions of Río Grande are:
 * Coco Beach
 * El Yunque
 * Indio Cave
 * Las Picúas Beach

Agriculture
The municipality has agricultural activity that produces fruits, vegetables, ornamental plants, tobacco, and cattle.

Business
Local retail stores are aside highway PR-3. There is one large shopping mall located on 65th Infantry expressway and 956th street. The northeastern area of Puerto Rico has attracted hotels, shopping malls, sport venues among others. In 2012 the Puerto Rico Highway 66, which provides easy access to San Juan, was opened which runs along the municipality.

In 2019, volunteers and police who formed a group called Consejo Comunitario de Seguridad de Río Piedras celebrated their 32nd year aiding local businesses with security issues. This group works to ensure the safety and security of business patrons in the downtown area of Río Piedras.

Festivals and events
Río Grande celebrates its patron saint festival in July. The Fiestas Patronales de Nuestra Señora del Carmen is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

Other festivals and events celebrated in Río Grande include:
 * Río Grande Carnival – July
 * Stuffed Potato Festival – April
 * Las Picúas Festival – September

Sports
Baseball, basketball and handball are popular sports in Río Grande.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Río Grande include:
 * Antonio Bachour - Named one of the ten best pastry chefs in America
 * Raymond Burgos - Major League Baseball pitcher
 * Ovidio de Jesús - Puerto Rican male sprinter who competed at international events
 * Luis Pizarro - Puerto Rican boxer who at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow
 * Rafael Quintero - Puerto Rican diver who competed in the men's 10 m platform event at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Government
Like all municipalities in Puerto Rico, Río Grande is administered by a mayor. The current mayor is Angel "Bori" González, who was elected in a special election on September 14, 2014. González is replacing Eduard Rivera Correa, who was elected at the 2004 general election. However, Rivera Correa stepped down from office after being indicted on federal charges.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VIII, which is represented by two senators. In 2012, Pedro A. Rodríguez and Luis Daniel Rivera were elected as District Senators.

Transportation
There are 48 bridges in Río Grande.

Symbols
The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag
The Río Grande flag consists of two horizontal stripes of equal size, upper one is green with lower one been blue, and united by a white triangle placed on the side of the mast. On the white triangle is a Puerto Rican parrot.

Coat of arms
In a silver field, two Puerto Rican parrot (Amazona vitatta), accompanied by a waving blue stripe, a green mountain with three peaks. The top portion of the shield is blue, with an opened silver book, accompanied on each side by five gold coins. Topped by a three tower gold crown outlined in black with green openings.

Gallery
Sites around Río Grande:

title: Río Grande, Puerto Rico


text:
Jungfraujoch

The Jungfraujoch (German: lit. "maiden saddle") is a saddle connecting two major 4000ers of the Bernese Alps: the Jungfrau and the Mönch. It lies at an elevation of 3463 m above sea level and is directly overlooked by the rocky prominence of the Sphinx. The Jungfraujoch is a glacier saddle, on the upper snows of the Aletsch Glacier, and part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch area, situated on the boundary between the cantons of Bern and Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch.

Since 1912, the Jungfraujoch has been accessible to tourists by the Jungfrau line, a railway from Interlaken and Kleine Scheidegg, running partly underground through a tunnel through the Eiger and Mönch. The Jungfraujoch railway station, at an elevation of 3454 m is the highest in Europe. It lies east of the saddle, below the Sphinx station, and is connected to the Top of Europe building, which includes several panoramic restaurants, shops, exhibitions, and a post office. Several tunnels lead outside, where secured hiking trails on the crevassed glacier can be followed, in particular to the Mönchsjoch Hut. The normal route to the Jungfrau and Mönch starts from there.

The Sphinx Observatory, one of the highest astronomical observatories in the world, provides an additional viewing platform at a height of 3572 m, the second-highest in Switzerland. It can be reached by an elevator from the Jungfraujoch. The observatory houses one of the Global Atmosphere Watch's atmospheric research stations. The Jungfraujoch radio relay station, which is not accessible to the public, is installed west of the Jungfraujoch, on the Jungfrau ridge. It is Europe's highest radio relay station.

Etymology
The Swiss- and Austro-Bavarian-German term Joch means "saddle", in this case referring to the ridge between two higher peaks, as recorded in the 14th century (Grimm, Deutsches Wörterbuch "bereits im 14. jahrh. als ortsname: des gotzhus zwing und ban vahet an Rotenhalden und denne die roten bachtalen uf unz an den grat, und den grat obnan hin ob Grüblen hin iemerme, unz an Joch. und ab Joch unz an Stoerben. weisth. 1, 4 (Zürich)").

The name Jungfrau ('Virgin'), which refers to the highest mountain overlooking the Jungfraujoch, is most likely derived from the name Jungfrauenberg given to Wengernalp, so named for the nuns of Interlaken Monastery, its historical owner. However, the "virgin" peak was heavily romanticized as a "goddess" or "priestess" only in late 18th- to 19th-century Romanticism. After the first ascent in 1811 by Swiss alpinist Johann Rudolf Meyer, the peak was jokingly referred to as Mme Meyer (Mrs. Meyer).

Geographic setting
The Jungfraujoch is a snow saddle located directly between the summits of Mathildespitze (west) and Sphinx (east). It is, however, most notably the lowest point between the Jungfrau and the Mönch, respectively third and fourth highest mountains in the Bernese Alps, and the key col of the former. The south side (canton of Valais), almost flat, is constituted by the Jungfraufirn, one of the branches of the Aletsch Glacier, the longest in the Alps. From the south, the Jungfraujoch can be relatively easily accessed by mountaineers in two days from the region of Fiesch, via the Konkordia Hut. The north side (canton of Bern) is almost vertical with a difference of height of nearly 3,000 metres from the bottom of the valley at Interlaken, with no easy natural access. For those reasons, the only easy and quick access to the Jungfraujoch is through the 7 kilometre-long tunnel of the Jungfrau Railway, accessed via Kleine Scheidegg on the north side, the railway pass between Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald.

Administrativelly, the Jungfraujoch is split between the territories of the municipalities of Lauterbrunnen and Fieschertal. Nearly all built infrastructure, including the Jungfraujoch railway station, Top of Europe complex and the Sphinx Observatory, are on the Valais side of the border, therefore in the municipality of Fieschertal. The ridge between the Jungfrau and the Mönch is a major European watershed as well. The north side is drained by the Weisse Lütschine, the Aare and the Rhine. The south side is drained by the Massa and the Rhone.

First crossing

There is a tradition in the Bernese Oberland, supported by some documentary evidence, that a pass existed between Grindelwald and Fiesch in Valais in the late medieval period, later lost to the advancing glaciers. With the early development of tourism in Switzerland and the exploration of the High Alps in the 19th century, there were once again attempts to traverse the great ridge that encloses the head of the Aletsch Glacier, and connecting Fiesch with Grindelwald and Wengernalp. Four such routes were found, with the Jungfraujoch and the Eigerjoch being among the most difficult passes in the Alps, despite the former having a relatively easy southern approach on the Aletsch Glacier.

The first ascent of the north side of the Jungfraujoch succeeded in July 1862, by a party of six English climbers and six Swiss guides: Leslie Stephen, F. J. Hardy, H. B. George, Living, Moore, and Henry Morgan, with Christian Almer, Christian and Peter Michel, Ulrich Kauffmann, P. Baumann, and C. Bohren as guides. The time of ascent from Wengernalp was nine hours.

The party turned back on the first day at a bergschrund, returning on the following day with a ladder 25 ft in length, carried by Peter Rubi, a porter from Grindelwald. The way lay at first by the rocky buttress of the Mönch, separating the Eiger and Guggi glaciers. From the buttress the route descended a short distance in order to reach the Guggi Glacier, which could be ascended to a plateau. This halting place was reached in about three hours.

Above the bergschrund was a second and smaller plateau which was situated immediately under the long slopes of broken neve that lay below the saddle. The final and very arduous stage in the ascent was a single patch of dark rocks jutted out from the snow in the ridge connecting the Jungfrau with the Mönch. After more than an hour of climbing, a great wall of ice, whose projecting cornice of snow was fringed by long icicles, had to be avoided bearing left in the direction of the Mönch, along the base of the wall by a slippery pathway of ice formed from the dripping from the icicles above. At a point where the pathway thinned out nearly to a point, and was cut across by a transverse crevasse, the wall became low enough to be scaled by the ladder. This was the last serious obstacle: a moderate slope of névé, unbroken by crevasses, then led up to the summit of the saddle.

After reaching the first patch of rocks, a short way below the saddle on the south side, the party divided: George and Moore, with C. Almer and U. Kaufmann went down to the Eggishorn and Fiesch, therefore completing the first crossing of the Jungfraujoch, while the remainder of the party returned to Grindelwald by the Mönchsjoch.

History
Adolf Guyer-Zeller first thought of the idea of a tunnel in 1893, and at that point, he had planned to have seven stations inside the tunnel before reaching the peak of the Sphinx. The building of the tunnel started on July 27, 1896 and took 16 years to complete. The construction phase was troubled by many problems including monetary shortages, inclement weather and mounting deaths due to construction accidents. The worst accident occurred in 1908, when 30 tons of dynamite accidentally exploded.

When construction finally finished, the railway reached only to the height of the Jungfraujoch saddle, rather than the summit of the Sphinx, and had only two intermediate stations. However, even in its current state, the Jungfraubahn is a significant achievement in engineering and construction, still holding the title for highest railway in Europe.

Railway
The train into the mountain leaves from Kleine Scheidegg, which can be reached by trains from Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen. The train enters the tunnel running eastward through the Eiger shortly after leaving Kleine Scheidegg.

It runs close behind the Eiger's north face, stopping at Eigerwand, where there is a window about 8 m long and a metre high, halfway up the face. The windows have been placed in holes used to remove excavated rock from the tunnel during construction, and are also occasionally used as access points, by climbers, and also rescue parties. This window was used for one of the final scenes of a Clint Eastwood spy movie, The Eiger Sanction. There one can get off the train to admire the view before the train continues five minutes later. The tunnel then turns west, heading towards the Jungfrau. There is a second stop at a window looking out on the Eismeer ("Sea of Ice") before the train continues to the Jungfraujoch. The tunnel was constructed between 1898 and 1912; it is about 7 km long, with gradients of up to 25%. The journey from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch takes approximately 50 minutes including the stops at Eigerwand and Eismeer; the downhill return journey taking only 35 minutes.

The Jungfraujoch complex plays an important role in John Christopher's The Tripods novels.

Climate
Located above the permanent snow line, the Jungfraujoch is officially the coldest place in Switzerland, although other higher locations with no weather station, for example the top of the nearby Jungfrau and Finsteraarhorn, probably experience a more extreme climate. According to Köppen climate classification, the Jungfraujoch has an alpine climate on the border between tundra climate (ET) and ice cap climate (EF) with long, cold winters lasting most of the year and a brief period during summer where the average daily highs rise above freezing.

title: Jungfraujoch


text:
Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico

Sabana Grande is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located north of Lajas and Guánica; south of Maricao; east of San Germán; and west of Yauco. Sabana Grande is spread over seven barrios and Sabana Grande Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Germán-Cabo Rojo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
The municipality's name comes from the extensive plain that occupies the southern part of the municipality which extends towards the west to San German and Hormigueros, better known as the Sabana Grande Valley (Spanish for the big savanna valley; the word sabana and the English savanna both come from the Taino word for plains). According to historian Mario Villar Roces, before 1808 there was a community with its own church on the land today known as Sabana Grande Arriba (literally upper great savanna). Evidence of this is the oldest baptismal registry preserved from the area, as Sabana Grande was originally a sector of the municipality of San Germán.

Because the community was so far from the center of San Germán, residents felt a need to build a church, which was established as an auxiliary to the San Germán parish. The church was built and was devoted to San Isidro Labrador and Santa María de la Cabeza.

During Spanish rule, in order for a town to be established, the following had to take place: A group of vecinos ("neighbors" or residents) that wanted to found a town had to grant a power of attorney to one or more other vecinos to represent them before the governor and viceroy. This person could authorize the founding of the town and the establishment of a parish. The grantors of the power of attorney had to be a majority in the given territory and more than ten in number. Once the case had been made, the governor appointed a "capitán poblador" or settlement official to represent the vecinos and one or more delegates, who usually lived in nearby aldeas, or hamlets. Proof was required that the settlement was so far from a church that it was very difficult for the settlers to partake of sacraments and municipal services. In general, proof was provided of the absence or bad condition of roads and bridges. If the petition was approved, it was required that the vecinos mark off the new municipality and build public works such as a church, a parish house, a government house (Casa del Rey), a slaughterhouse, and a cemetery, and to set aside land for the town square or plaza and the commons (ejidos). The vecinos were expected to cover the cost of building these works by levying special assessments. Usually one of the land owners donated some land for the founding. Once the requirements had been met, the governor authorized the founding of the town and the parish, and he appointed a Lieutenant at War who usually was the same capitán poblador.

There is some debate as to when Sabana Grande was founded. Some say that it was established in 1808, while others say it was established in 1813, a year after the town was politically established in 1812. Historian Villar Roces posits that although the exact date of the founding of the town is not found in any document in the municipal archives, 1813 should be considered the year it was legally founded because it coincides with the date of the first registry document. In entry number 23 in the third book of marriages, dated July 1, 1813, the priest is identified as "Priest Ecónomo of the Sabana Grande Parish Church," while previous entries were called "Attending Priests" or "Coadjutants of the Villa of San Germán."

Sabana Grande became an independent parish, under its own jurisdiction, in June 1813, with the first parish priest of the San Isidro Labrador y Santa María de la Cabeza Church being Martín Antonio Borreli.

On December 21, 1814, the first captain general of Sabana Grande, Pedro de Acosta, took office. Some local historians assert that he donated seventy cuerdas of land where the Kings House, priests house, a plaza, a butcher shop and a cemetery were established. Others say that this land was donated by Joaquín P. Rodríguez de la Seda y Almodóvar. Villar Roces adds that Juan Francisco de Acosta, brother of the mayor and parish priest of Sabana Grande, donated his house to the town so it could be used as the Kings House or council house.

The first families of Sabana Grande were the Vélez Borrero, García Almodóvar, Nazario de Figueroa, Acosta, Sanabria, Lugo, Rivera, Sepúlveda, del Toro, Montalvo, Irizarry, Borreli, Ramírez, Torres, Matos, Pabón-Dávila, Quiñones, Rodríguez de la Renta, Soltero, Segarra, Ortiz de la Renta, Ortiz de Peña, Saavedra and others. Also, Catalan families with the surnames of Busigó, Malaret and Serra, and a group of Greek immigrants with the surname Soto, all settled in the town from the time of its founding.

Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017 triggered numerous landslides in Sabana Grande with the significant amount of rainfall.

Geography
Sabana Grande is on the south west side of Puerto Rico, in the Lajas Valley. There are a number of rivers there: Río Guanajibo and its tributaries, Coco River, Flores River, and Río Grande.

Barrios
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Sabana Grande is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as "el pueblo".

 * 1) Machuchal
 * 2) Rayo
 * 3) Rincón
 * 4) Sabana Grande barrio-pueblo
 * 5) Santana
 * 6) Susúa
 * 7) Tabonuco
 * 8) Torre

Sectors
Barrios (which are like minor civil divisions) and subbarrios, are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.

Special Communities
Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Sabana Grande: Santana, Cerro Gordo, El Burén, Molinas and Susúa.

Agriculture
Fruits, sugar and cattle on a small scale.

Landmarks and places of interest
The following are some of the well-known places of interest in Sabana Grande:
 * San Francisco Estate, in Hacienda San Francisco, also known as Hacienda Quilinchini, is a historic sugar mill complex with an hacienda house, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
 * Museum of Art, within City Hall
 * The Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Rosary of the Well, El Pozo de la Virgen, a Catholic mission with millions of members in twenty countries
 * Susúa State Forest
 * Barco House Casa Barco
 * Orlando López Recreational Center
 * Igualdad Lodge #23
 * Masonic Cemetery, Cementerio Masónico de Ia Resp. Logia Igualdad Num. 23 de Sabana Grande, is of countrywide significance under Criterion A in the area of Social History as the property is associated with a very important pattern of social and political events that took place during the nineteenth century in Puerto Rico. The construction of the cemetery came out as a result of the struggles among the Spanish political establishment and its ideological partner, the Roman Catholic Church, against the presence of the philosophical brotherhood commonly known as the Freemasons.
 * Placita de la Recordación

Festivals and events
Sabana Grande celebrates its patron saint festival in May. The Fiestas Patronales de San Isidro Labrador is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

Other festivals and events celebrated in Sabana Grande include:
 * Virgen del Pozo Marathon – May
 * Inter-organizational Carnival – April
 * Soberao Jazz Festival – April
 * Petate Festival – December
 * Burén Corn Fritter Festival – December
 * Troubadour Festival – December
 * Three Kings Festival – January
 * Grand Petate Festival – February

Government
Like all municipalities in Puerto Rico, Sabana Grande is administered by a mayor. The current mayor is Marcos Gilberto Valentin, from the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). He was elected at the 2020 general election.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district V, which is represented by two Senators. In 2012, Ramón Ruiz and Martín Vargas Morales, from the Popular Democratic Party, were elected as District Senators.

Transportation
There are 27 bridges in Sabana Grande.

The main highways in Sabana Grande are PR-2, PR-120, PR-121, PR-102 and PR-117. In 2020, a section of PR-368, from downtown Sabana Grande to Yauco, was named Fidel Vélez Vélez.

Symbols
The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag
The flag of Sabana Grande has four squares, two green and two yellow, alternating. In the center is the municipal coat of arms. The meaning of the flag comes from the coat of arms.

Coat of arms
The municipality's coat of arms contains the elements that represent the town's patron saints. The shovel and rake allude to San Isidro Labrador. It is believed this representation arose from the faith of the workers in the Sabana Grande countryside. When a bad drought came, they made promises in the hopes that their patron saint would save their crops. The urn represents the domestic tasks of Santa María de la Cabeza, the wife of San Isidro.

In the center is the leaf of the petate palm as an icon of a traditional industry of Sabana Grande. Above is the crown wall which, as a symbol of solidarity, civic unity and common defense, is a heraldic tribute that is part of the coat of arms of towns. The motto on the coat of arms is "Town of the Prodigies."

Education
Sabana Grande boasts several public and private schools within its territory. Public education is handled by the Puerto Rico Department of Education.

Some of the local schools are:
 * Jose A. Castillo Elementary
 * Jose Celso Barbosa Elementary
 * Rosendo Matienzo Cintron Elementary
 * Francisco Vazquez Puello Elementary
 * David Antorgiorgi Cordova Elementary and Middle School
 * Juan I. Vega Elementary and Middle School
 * Blanca Malaret Middle School
 * Luis Negron Lopez High School
 * Jose R Gaztambide elementary

Private:
 * The Academy of Saint Agustin and the Holy Spirit
 * Santa Ana Bilingual School
 * Christian Academy
 * Baptist Academy
 * Seventh-Day Adventist Academy

Notable Sabaneños

 * Luis Negrón López (politics)
 * Santos Colón (singer)
 * Félix Rigau Carrera - First Puerto Rican pilot and the first pilot to fly on air mail carrying duties in Puerto Rico.
 * Aníbal González Irizarry educator, journalist and news broadcaster
 * Adalberto Rodríguez "Machuchal" (Comedian)
 * Fidel Vélez Vélez (Patriot) (Intentona de Yauco)
 * John Ruiz (boxing-First Hispanic Heavyweight World Champion)
 * Jose Vidro MLB All-Star
 * Jonathan Sánchez MLB Pitcher, No Hitter, World Series Champion

title: Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico


text:
San Sebastián, Puerto Rico

San Sebastián is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northwestern region of the island, south of Isabela, Quebradillas and Camuy; north of Las Marías; east of Moca and Añasco; and west of Lares. San Sebastián is spread over twenty-four barrios and San Sebastián Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is a principal city of the Aguadilla-Isabela-San Sebastián Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
The permission to found the town was officially granted in 1752, under the leadship of the founder, Captain Cristóbal González de la Cruz, who among other residents had an interest in converting some cow farms into an agricultural village. The foundation of the town from the religious aspect, was consummated in December 1762 by Mariano Martin, the island catholic bishop at that time. At the beginning, by 1700, San Sebastián was a conglomerate of a few cow farms, owned by some residents of the Partido de Aguada. Las Vegas was the former plain site of one of the first cow farms located by the Guatemala riverside at the north. Also, another of those cow farms was Pepinito (today's downtown) that was a prominent hill with a white calcium carbonate face. On the north side of the town it can be seen some of this pepinos (cucumbers). These two cow farms gave the town its first name. From these geographical features come the first names of the new village: Las Vegas del Pepino (Cucumber Fields). In 1865 it is documented as San Sebastián de Las Vegas del Pepino.

At the beginning of the 19th century, wealthy Spanish families arrived in El Pepino, fleeing the revolutions of Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Later, by 1850, several families from Catalonia and the Basque Country in Spain joined the large number of isleños (Canary Islanders) that had made El Pepino their home. These people, after taking over the local political power, developed a coffee industry and brought some material progress to the town. Basques in the municipality, in remembrance of their home region and its religious patron, saw the need of updating old traditions used by the Canary Islanders and started to call the town San Sebastián, and thus got the name formally changed by the central government authority. Nevertheless, the citizens of San Sebastián are popularly called pepinianos.

San Sebastián Mártir (Spanish for Saint Sebastian the Martyr) is the patron saint of archers and was chosen to be the patron saint of the town since its early history, first brought by the immigrants from the Canaries and later confirmed by the Basques, with the town name changed in 1869.

Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017, triggered numerous landslides in San Sebastián with significant amount of rainfall. The hurricane winds knocked all the power out and the town was left in the dark.

The 40,000 residents of San Sebastián were left without electrical power. Two weeks after the hurricane decimated the island, Javier Jiménez, the mayor at the time, noticed that help was not on the way. He decided that San Sebastián would not wait for the AEE brigades to come. He assembled an ad hoc team of volunteers, some who were retired AEE electricians, set safety protocols, and their mandate was to get the electrical power back up and running for the people of San Sebastián. Four months after the hurricane, they had restored power to 2,500 homes and continued to do about 60 homes each day. A monument honoring the accomplishments of the Pepino Power Authority, as they were quickly named, was erected in Plaza de la Identidad Pepiniana in San Sebastián barrio-pueblo.

Geography
San Sebastián is on the northwest.

Water features

 * Guajataca Lake
 * Río Grande de Añasco
 * Río Culebrinas
 * Río Guajataca

Barrios
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, San Sebastián is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as "el pueblo".

 * 1) Aibonito
 * 2) Alto Sano
 * 3) Bahomamey
 * 4) Calabazas
 * 5) Cibao
 * 6) Cidral
 * 7) Culebrinas
 * 8) Eneas
 * 9) Guacio
 * 10) Guajataca
 * 11) Guatemala
 * 12) Hato Arriba
 * 13) Hoya Mala
 * 14) Juncal
 * 15) Magos
 * 16) Mirabales
 * 17) Perchas 1
 * 18) Perchas 2
 * 19) Piedras Blancas
 * 20) Pozas
 * 21) Robles
 * 22) Salto
 * 23) San Sebastián barrio-pueblo
 * 24) Sonador

Sectors
Barrios (which are like minor civil divisions) are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.

Special Communities
Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in San Sebastián: Guació barrio, Boquerón, Chinto Rodón, Estalingrado, Paralelo 38, Parcelas Perchas II, Pueblo Nuevo, and Tablas Astilla.

Landmarks and places of interest
Established in 2016 is the Veredas Sports Complex in barrio Guatemala. The complex which consists of a modern skate park, a sand volleyball court, a zipline with four stations, a climbing and rappelling wall, an outdoor gym, a rope bridge, basketball and tennis courts, and walking paths, is set within an urban forest of about six thousand trees. Hacienda La Fe, an agriculture museum is located at the complex. Other landmarks and places of interest in this municipality include: The Robles Waterfall (located within the Gozalandia waterfalls zone) – It is a favorite with the locals however, several deaths have occurred at Gozalandia, including tourists

Church of Saint Sebastian the Martyr on the US National Register of Historic Places, is located in the Pueblo of San Sebastián.

There is a farmer's market held every Friday at the Centro Agropecuario that sells local agriculture as well as souvenirs, for tourists.

The Casa de Doña Bisa Museum located across from the main square in downtown features information on what life was like in the early 20th century.

Other sites include:
 * Guajataca Lake
 * Luis Aymat Cardona Coliseum
 * Collazo Waterfall
 * Hacienda El Jibarito
 * Hacienda La Fe
 * Juan Jose "Titi" Beniquez Stadium
 * Luis Muñoz Marin Ground
 * Guajataka Scout Reservation

Agriculture
San Sebastián is a producer of coffee, fruits, and has dairy farms. There is a coffee production plant called El Coquí located in Perchas 1, a barrio of San Sebastián.

Government
Like all municipalities in Puerto Rico, San Sebastián is administered by a mayor. The current mayor is Javier Jiménez, from the New Progressive Party (PNP). Jiménez was elected at the 2004 general election.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district IV, which is represented by two Senators. In 2012, María Teresa González and Gilberto Rodríguez were elected as District Senators.

Transportation
There are 30 bridges in San Sebastian.

There is also an air strip in San Sebastian, near Culebrinas River, which is visible on Google Earth. The air strip is for the use of RC (radio-controlled) airplanes.

Culture
In the town is a Fine Arts and Convention Center called Centro de Convenciones y Bellas Artes, which was in the last phase of its construction, as of February 2019.

Festivals and events
San Sebastián celebrates its patron saint festival in January. The Fiestas Patronales de San Sebastián is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

The San Sebastián Heifer Festival (Spanish: Festival de la Novilla), celebrated every year on the first Sunday during the patron saint festival, is San Sebastián's largest festival attracting thousands of people. The celebration features carnival rides, the diverse music of Puerto Rico, cows decorated with flowers, floats and Puerto Rican cuisine. In January 2016, the town celebrated its 40th Heifer festival.

Other festivals and events celebrated in San Sebastián include:
 * Three Kings Day Festival – January
 * Children's Festival – January
 * Hammock Festival – July
 * Lighting of the Christmas tree – November
 * Cultural Evenings – third Thursday of the month
 * Farmers' market – every Friday

Sports
The Luis Aymat Cardona Coliseum is where the Los Caribes volleyball team plays their games.

In amateur baseball or Double AA baseball, the city is represented by the Patrulleros de San Sebastián, who play at the Juan Jose "Titi" Beniquez Stadium and became champions of the Northwest area in 2019.

Symbols
The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag
It consists of a rectangular flag of the usual proportions, crossed by a white waved band that separates its red superior part from the inferior one, which is green.

Coat of arms
The Mountains: With silver-plated borders, represent the characteristic mountains under which the vegetable namesake of the town grow (cucumbers) The Crown: Is the heraldic standard used to identify towns, villas and cities. The sugar cane and coffee ranches represent main agricultural products.

Notable people

 * Juan Beníquez, a former center fielder in Major League Baseball
 * Ángel Mislan, (1862–1911) musician and composer of danzas "Sara" and "Tu y Yo".
 * Nilita Vientós Gastón, (1903–1989) an educator, writer and journalist and the first woman president of the Puerto Rican Athenaeum.
 * Luis V. Gutiérrez, first Latino to be elected to Congress from the Midwest.
 * Oscar Lopez Rivera, political prisoner.
 * Altemio Sanchez, Rapist and Serial Killer
 * Luz Odilia Font, Telenovela, theater and film actress

title: San Sebastián, Puerto Rico


text:
Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico

Santa Isabel is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Coamo; east of Juana Díaz; and west of Salinas. Santa Isabel is spread over 7 barrios and Santa Isabel Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center). It is the principal city of the Santa Isabel Micropolitan Statistical Area and is part of the Ponce-Yauco-Coamo Combined Statistical Area.

Santa Isabel is known as The Capital of Agriculture, La Ciudad de los Potros ("City of Colts") due to the number of potreros (or racehorse stud farms) in the area.

History
Before being founded, the area where Santa Isabel is located today was part of the boundary between the cacicazgos (or Taíno regions) of Guaynia and Guayama. During the Spanish conquest and settlement of Borinquen, the area became key to the settlement and agriculture of Coamo which at the time was the second town to be founded in the southern part of the island. Numerous estancias were established in the region during the time to cultivate "frutos menores" or small crops for local use such as rice, corn, beans and root vegetables. The area where Central Cortada is located was originally called Estancia Descalabrado, and was owned by Catalan settler Juan de Quintana from 1737.

The municipality of Santa Isabel was officially founded on October 5, 1842, by Antonio Vélez. Vélez led a group of residents to obtain independence from the municipality of Coamo, which Santa Isabel was originally a part of.

Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became a territory of the United States. In 1899, the United States conducted its first census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Santa Isabel was 4,858.

On September 20, 2017 Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico. In Santa Isabel, close to 500 people had to be rescued, the agriculture was leveled. The strong winds, 15 inches of rain, and rivers that crested, caused an estimated 12,000 homes to be completely or partially destroyed.

Geography
Santa Isabel is on the southern coast.
 * Aguirre State Forest (Punta Petrona Nature Reserve)
 * Rivers: Cayures, Coamo, Descalabrado and Jueyes.

Barrios
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Santa Isabel is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as "el pueblo".

 * 1) Boca Velázquez
 * 2) Descalabrado
 * 3) Felicia 1
 * 4) Felicia 2
 * 5) Jauca 1
 * 6) Jauca 2
 * 7) Playa
 * 8) Santa Isabel barrio-pueblo

Sectors
Barrios (which are like minor civil divisions) and subbarrios, are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.

Special Communities
Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Santa Isabel: Playita Cortada, Sector Islote, Sector Canta Sapo, Sector Descalabrado, Sector El Río, Sector Florida, Sector la Pica, Sector Villa Pote, and Sector Villa Pulga (Villa del Mar).

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States Decennial Census, Santa Isabel had a population of 20,281 residents, a decrease from the 2010 Census when the population was of 23,274 residents. In 2020, the racial makeup of the municipality was 50.2% White, 33.3% Black, 13.4% two or more races, and 0.1% Native American. The majority of the population, 99.8%, are Hispanic or Latino of any race, and 0.2% are non-Hispanic White residents.

Landmarks and places of interest
There are 29 beaches in Santa Isabel. Some of the main attractions of Santa Isabel are: Santa Isabel has two listings in the United States National Register of Historic Places:
 * El Malecón (boardwalk)
 * Indian Museum
 * Jauca Beach
 * Hacienda Alomar Ruins
 * Central Cortada (Cortada Sugarcane Refinery)

 * Dr. Martin G. Brumbaugh Graded School
 * Las Tres Haciendas irrigation system

Agriculture
The surrounding areas produces fruits and vegetables such as mango, guineo and avocado. Campo Fresco, a Puerto Rican company, owns a plant in Santa Isabel, from where they produce Jugos Lotus juice and other drink brands.

Industry
Aerospace, electrical and electronic, metal products and nutritional products.

Festivals and Events
Santa Isabel celebrates its patron saint festival in July. The Fiestas Patronales de Santiago Apostol is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

Other festivals and events celebrated in Santa Isabel include:
 * Agroferia Santa Isabel - April
 * Carnaval de Baloncesto Barrio Ollas - July
 * City Foundation Anniversary - October
 * Encendido Navideño Barriada Felicia, Calle Elifaz Ostolaza - November

Elementary

 * Escuela Martín G. Brumbaugh
 * Escuela John F. Kennedy
 * Escuela Esther Rivera
 * Escuela Ana L. Rosa Tricoche
 * Escuela Apolonia Valentín
 * Escuela Ana Valldejuly
 * Escuela Emilio Casas

Middle school

 * Escuela Manuel Martín Monserrate

High school

 * Escuela Elvira M. Colón

Second Units

 * Escuela S.U. Pedro Meléndez (Playita Cortada)

Private Education

 * Colegio Evangélico Fuente De Sabiduría (K-6)
 * Colegio LOGOS

Sports
Santa Isabel is known as Tierra de Campeones (Land of Champions) because of its rich sports tradition (especially in Baseball). The city is home to the Santa Isabel Potros baseball team. The Potros won the 1992 National Championship of the Federación de Béisbol Aficionado de Puerto Rico. The team plays its home games at Estadio Municipal Luis Guillermo Moreno.
 * Class A Baseball Teams (Wild Passages of Paso Seco, Marlins de Felicia and Jueueros de Jauca)
 * Double A Baseball Team (Ponies of Santa Isabel)
 * Basketball Carnival (Ollas neighborhood) - July
 * Interbarrio Children's Basketball League - August–November
 * Double A Youth Baseball Team (Potritos U19)
 * Soccer Teams (Santa Isabel Soccer Club)
 * Collegiate Volleyball (UAGM Santa Isabel)

Government
All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. Enrique "Quique" Questell (of the New Progressive Party) was elected at the 2004 general election and served from 2005. Questell lost to Rafael "Billy" Burgos Santiago in the November 2020 elections.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VI, which is represented by two senators. In 2012, Miguel Pereira Castillo and Angel M. Rodríguez were elected as district senators.

Transportation
There are 12 bridges in Santa Isabel.

Symbols
The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag
The flag is divided horizontally into three stripes; white at the top, yellow in the center and red at the bottom, and may be decorated with sugarcane stems.

Coat of arms
The crown stands for Saint-Queen Elizabeth of Hungary (Isabel in Spanish), patroness of the Third Order of Saint Francis. The shells are a symbol of St. James the patron saint of the town, as well as for the many shells found in the beaches near the town.

Notable Santaisabelinos

 * Adolfo L. Monserrate Anselmi - former member Puerto Rico House of Representatives
 * Benito Santiago - Baseball player; won unanimously the 1986 the National League Rookie of the Year Award with the San Diego Padres.
 * Melwin Cedeño - Actor, comedian, kids host, Merengue musician, and singer.
 * Carlos Colón Sr. - professional wrestler known as El Acróbata de Puerto Rico. Co-owner (vice-president) of the World Wrestling Council (WWC), formerly known as Capital Sports Promotions. Former WWE wrestler when he entered the 1993 WWF Royal Rumble. Inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2014.
 * Carlos Correa - Baseball player; First Overall Pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, 2015 American League Rookie Of The Year, Shortstop for the Minnesota Twins. Formerly played for the Houston Astros where he won an MLB World Series championship for the team in 2017.
 * José Guzmán - Former professional Baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers.

title: Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico


text:
Toa Alta, Puerto Rico

Toa Alta is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northern coast of the island, north of Naranjito; south of Dorado and Toa Baja; east of Vega Alta and Corozal; and west of Bayamón. Toa Alta is spread over eight barrios and Toa Alta Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo metropolitan statistical area. There are nine barrios in Toa Alta and altogether in 2020 had a population of 66,852. Río de la Plata, is a large river that runs through Toa Alta. Toa Alta celebrates its patron saint festival in May.

History
Toa Alta is located west of the capital city of San Juan and was founded in 1751, making it one of the oldest towns on the main island of Puerto Rico. The construction of the San Fernando Rey Church in the main town square began in 1752. It is popularly said that the name Toa Alta comes from the Taíno word for mother or fertility, Thoa. Most likely the word toa comes from the Taino word for valley or mountain; the region is also known as Valle del Toa (Toa Valley).

Over the years, agriculture became an important economic force in the area. At the peak of the agricultural economy, the town was also known as the "Granja de los Reyes Católicos" (the Farm of the Catholic Monarchs). The town is also called Ciudad del Josco. The town is commonly known by its nickname La Cuna de los Poetas, or "Cradle of Poets", due to the numerous Spanish-language poets born there, such as Abelardo Díaz Alfaro and the musician Tomás "Masso" Rivera.

Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017 triggered numerous landslides in Toa Alta. Many homes and roads in Toa Alta were destroyed by the hurricane.

Flood control project
In mid 2018, the United States Army Corps of Engineers announced it would be undertaking a major flood control project of a river that often causes flooding in Toa Alta, Río de la Plata.

Geography
Toa Alta is located on the Northern Coastal Plain in the Northern Karst zone.

Barrios
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Toa Alta is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as "el pueblo".

 * 1) Contorno
 * 2) Galateo
 * 3) Mucarabones
 * 4) Ortíz
 * 5) Piñas
 * 6) Quebrada Arenas
 * 7) Quebrada Cruz
 * 8) Río Lajas
 * 9) Toa Alta barrio-pueblo

Sectors
Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions) are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.

Special Communities
Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Toa Alta: Comunidad Acerolas, Sector Cuba Libre, Sector La Prá, Villa del Río, Villa Josco, and Villa Juventud.

Landmarks and places of interest

 * Legendary tree Bala de Cañón
 * Tomás "Maso" Rivera Municipal Theatre
 * Tomás "Maso" Rivera Statue
 * Egozcué Square public plaza
 * San Fernando Rey Parish Church
 * Villa Tropical Recreation Center
 * Plaza Aquarium Mall
 * Valle El Toa

Festivals and events
Toa Alta celebrates its patron saint festival in May. The Fiestas Patronales de San Fernando is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

Festival El Josco or the Festival of the Mechanical Bull is held in October.

Other festivals and events celebrated in Toa Alta include La Chopa Marathon, held in March, and Folk Music Festival, held in November.

Government
Like all municipalities in Puerto Rico, Toa Alta is administered by a mayor. The current mayor is Clemente Agosto, from the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). Agosto was elected at the 2012 general election.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district II, which is represented by two senators. Migdalia Padilla and Carmelo Ríos Santiago have served as District Senators since 2005.

Transportation
There are 16 bridges in Toa Alta. In January, 2019 the mayor of Toa Alta fought for the reopening of highway #861, which, he stated, was closed without warning by Puerto Rico Public Works.

Symbols
The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag
Horizontally divided in three, the bottom and top red stripes are double the size of the center yellow stripe. In the upper left corner is a yellow, eight-point star. The original design was elaborated by professor Herman E. Perez and adopted by the City Council in 1983.

Coat of arms
The shield in gold, a red board with a silver sword topped with a gold crown of the same metal, to each side two small shields in red, the right-hand one with a tower in gold with a crescent moon on the top and the left-hand one with a gold eight point star, a five tower crown lined in black with red openings. The motto is Non Deserit Alta and Professor Herman E. Pérez included it in the coat of arms so that present and future generations will remember to “not abandon higher principles and values”.

Education
There are several public and private schools in Toa Alta and public education is handled by the Puerto Rico Department of Education.

Elementary schools

 * Alejandro Junior Cruz
 * Heraclio Rivera Colón
 * José de Diego
 * José María del Valle
 * Luis Muñoz Rivera
 * Manuel Velilla
 * María C. Osorio
 * Merced Marcano
 * Secundino Díaz
 * Violanta Jiménez
 * Virgilio Morales

Middle and junior high schools

 * José Pablo Morales
 * Abelardo Díaz Alfaro
 * Felipe Díaz González

High schools

 * Adela Rolón Fuentes
 * Nicolás Sevilla
 * Tomás "Maso" Rivera Morales

Private schools

 * Academia Cristiana Yarah
 * Colegio Doriber

Notable natives and residents

 * Sergeants José Díaz and Francisco Díaz – defended Puerto Rico from a British invasion in 1797
 * Dayanara Torres Delgado – Miss Universe 1993
 * Eddie Santiago - Platinum selling Salsa and Merengue recording artist

title: Toa Alta, Puerto Rico


text:
Toa Baja, Puerto Rico

Toa Baja is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northern coast, north of Toa Alta and Bayamón; east of Dorado; and west of Cataño. Toa Baja is spread over five barrios, including Toa Baja Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). Toa Baja is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area. Toa Baja is located fifteen minutes by car from San Juan and two hours from Ponce.

History
The region of what is now Toa Baja belonged to the Taíno region of Toa and Bayamón, which was located on the north coast of Puerto Rico. The regions were led by cacique Aramana and Majagua respectively. During the Spanish colonization, a farm was settled in the region around 1511 where Spanish settlers tried to learn from the Taínos how to grow fruits and vegetables. Some of the families who settled in the region were Marrero, Salgado, and Martínez, from the Canary Islands.

In 1745, the town was officially organized, with the parish being built in 1749. It was dedicated to Nuestra Señora de la Concepción (Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception). It is said that in 1776 there were six cattle ranches and 12 sugar cane estates in the region. However, rises in the flow of nearby rivers were problematic for the population. Because of this, in 1841 a group of residents requested the settlement to be transferred to what is now Dorado. The municipality of Dorado was officially founded the next year.

Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became a territory of the United States. In 1899, the United States conducted its first census of Puerto Rico, finding that the population of Toa Baja was 4,030.

In 1902, the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico approved the consolidation of several municipalities, which resulted in the annexation of Toa Baja to the municipality of Bayamón. However, in 1905 the law was annulled, and Toa Baja regained its status as an independent town.

In 2010, Toa Baja was among the top ten municipalities in Puerto Rico, in terms of population, with 89,609 residents.

The La Plata River rose more than 11 feet on September 20, 2017 as a result of Hurricane Maria and caused major infrastructure damage in Toa Baja.

The four radar systems used by the Federal Aviation Administration in Puerto Rico were broken and took almost two weeks to restore. One of the radar systems is located at Punta Salinas in Toa Baja.

Flood control project
In mid 2018, the United States Army Corps of Engineers announced it would be undertaking a major flood control project of the Río de la Plata river, which often causes flooding in Toa Baja.

Geography
Toa Baja is located in the Northern Coastal Plains of the island, in the Northern Karst zone. It has an area of 24.0 miles2 (62.4 km2). The terrain consists mostly of alluvial deposits and clay-like surface as a result of the surrounding waters.

The elevations range from 200 to 490 feet (60 to 150 meters) above sea level, with most of its highest parts located in the south. The rest of the area is mostly plain. The northern part of Toa Baja is characterized for its mangroves and marshes, while the southern part is classified as typical karst area.

Updated flood zone maps (as of 2019) show that Toa Baja is extremely vulnerable to flooding, along with Humacao, Rincón, Barceloneta, and Corozal. For its many rivers, almost the entire municipality of Toa Baja is in the flood zone area. Homes in Toa Baja have historically been built a few feet above ground level to account for flooding. After Hurricane Maria, architects from the University of Puerto Rico and Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico provided residents of Toa Baja with ideas on how to mitigate flooding.

Water features
There are three main rivers in Toa Baja: Río de la Plata, Río Cocal, and Río Hondo. La Plata is the longest river on the island and crosses Toa Baja in the east. Cocal is the natural boundary between Toa Baja and Dorado. Boca Vieja Bay (Ensenada Boca Vieja) is a bay located in Toa Baja.

Barrios
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Toa Baja is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as "el pueblo". Although not a barrio, Levittown is the most populated community in the municipality of Toa Baja.
 * 1) Candelaria
 * 2) Media Luna
 * 3) Palo Seco
 * 4) Sabana Seca
 * 5) Toa Baja barrio-pueblo

Sectors
Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions) are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.

Special Communities
Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Toa Baja: Sector Villa Hostos (Campanillas), San José, Sector El 26, Toa Ville, Villa Albizu in Candelaria, Villa Calma, Villa del Sol, Villa Esperanza, Villa Marisol, and Villa Quintero.

In 2009, an order was given by Governor Luis G. Fortuño to shut off essential services, such as water and electricity, to Villas del Sol, a "Special Community", which consisted of homes built illegally on flood-prone, state land. The Federal Emergency Management Agency bought these homes from the Puerto Rican government in order to keep the land from being used further. In January 2010, the Puerto Rican government began demolishing some of the homes. The village had a large population of Dominicans, including illegal aliens. In 2013, the mayor and the community continued to argue about how to construct in Villas del Sol. By 2016, six years after the community had been promised, by the government of Toa Baja, that it would receive permits for the building of critical infrastructure, it had not. Some families had dispersed, others had constructed humble homes on land obtained from a private donor.

Demographics
In 2020, Toa Baja had a population of 75,293. This represents a decrease of 16% since 2010, when the population was 89,609. In 2000, the population was 94,085. The population in Toa Baja had steadily increased from 1899, when it had 4,030.

Landmarks and places of interest
There are 22 beaches in Toa Baja. Some main attractions of Toa Baja include:
 * Cañuelo Fortress
 * Central Constancia (sugar mill)
 * Isla de Cabras
 * Hacienda Santa Elena
 * Hermana Island
 * Nuestra Señora del Carmen Church
 * Palo Seco Thermoelectrical Power Station
 * Punta Salinas Beach
 * San Pedro Apostle Church
 * Coliseo Antonio R. Barceló

Festivals and events
Toa Baja celebrates its patron saint festival in June. The Fiestas Patronales de San Pedro Apostol is a religious and cultural celebration in honor of Saint Peter and generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

Fiestas de la Santa Cruz is celebrated in May with the participation of various churches and cultural groups. It is dedicated to the Holy Cross, and lasts nine nights.

In October, the town celebrates the Festival de la Zafra with musical groups of bomba and plena.

Other festivals and events celebrated in Toa Baja include:
 * Artisans Festival (Feria de Artesanías) – March
 * Beach Festival – July
 * Musical Bands Festival – August
 * Christmas Festival – December

Sports
Toa Baja doesn't have a team in the island's main male sports leagues. They do have a female volleyball team from the Liga de Voleibol Superior Femenino, the Llaneras de Toa Baja.

Each year, Toa Baja hosts both the Pee Wee Reese World Series (for baseball players of ages 12 and under) and the Willie Mays World Series (for baseball players of ages 10 and under). The town has a team, the Llaneros de Levittown, in the PeeWee Reese Category baseball team from the Pro-Deportes/American Amateur Baseball Congress.

Economy
For many years, Toa Baja's economy relied in agriculture, particularly sugar cane and cattle. Because of this, the municipality was the site of many important haciendas like Santa Elena (founded in 1790), Central Constancia (founded in 1867), and Media Luna. In the middle of the 18th century, fishing also became a primary source of Toa Baja's economy. Cattle ranches were also among the best in the island, processing large amounts of milk. The growth of small fruits also continues to be one of Toa Baja's main products.

After the 1950s, manufacturing started replacing agriculture as the main economic source. Currently, the industrial sector continues to be one of the most important factors of economic growth in the region. Some of the products manufactured in Toa Baja are metal, plastic, concrete, textile, electrical and electronic machinery, and rum.

Government
Anibal Vega Borges, a lawyer, was elected Mayor of the city in 2004 for the first time. He has been re-elected twice (2008 and 2012). Vega Borges' election wins have been for wide margins, which led a newspaper to label him as one of the "most powerful" mayors in the island.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district II, which is represented by two Senators. Migdalia Padilla and Carmelo Ríos Santiago have served as District Senators since 2005.

In 2016 Vega Borges was challenged to a primary by a former representative of Toa Baja, Bernardo "Betito" Marquez Garcia. Marquez won the primary and subsequently won the general election. On January 15, 2017 Marquez Garcia was sworn in as mayor of Toa Baja.

Symbols
The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag
Toa Baja's official flag features two vertical bands: the left side is green and the right side is gold. The green band represents the plains of the Toa River (now known as La Plata), and the golden band represents the sun. The green band features two keys, one across the other. One is gold and the other silver, symbolizing the Apostle Saint Peter, the patron saint of the city.

Coat of arms
Toa Baja's coat of arms features a green waving stripe, representing the Toa River, one of the first mentioned in the history of Puerto Rico. Like the flag, it features two keys, one across the other, symbolizing Saint Peter, patron saint of the town. The coat has the letters "F" and "J" to each side of the keys, representing Ferdinand II of Aragon and V of Castile, and his daughter, Joanna of Castile, sovereign of Castile and León.

The gold fields above and below the green stripe represent the wealth of the city. It also feature handfuls of yucca, one of the main crops of this area. It constitutes a symbol of the Taínos who cultivated it, and whose main food was cassava or bread of yucca. Two sugar cane stems surround the shield, representing the cultivation and industry of sugar cane, which was the main source of Toa Baja's economy.

Transportation
Toa Baja is approximately 25 minutes in non-rush hour from San Juan by car, however, it may take up to 90 minutes in rush hour. The main road to the city is the PR-22 and PR-165.

A new bus rapid transit (BRT) system called Metro Urbano operates in the center of José de Diego Expressway (PR-22) in high-occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV) from Candelaria in Toa Baja to the Bayamón Station of the Tren Urbano metro system.

There are 29 bridges in Toa Baja.

Notable people

 * Edwin Rosario (1963–1997) - Puerto Rican Professional boxer. 4 time world champion. Inducted to IBHOF in 2006
 * Madison Anderson - Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2019 and Miss Universe 2019 1st Runner-Up

title: Toa Baja, Puerto Rico