Barceloneta, Puerto Rico

Barceloneta, Puerto Rico
—  Municipality  —
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s): "La Ciudad de las Piñas", "La Ciudad Industrial," "El Pueblo de los Indios", "El Pueblo de Sixto Escobar", "Tomás Dávila Martínez"
Anthem: "Querido Barceloneta"
Location of Barceloneta in Puerto Rico
Coordinates: 18°27′02″N 66°32′19″W
Country	United States
Territory	Puerto Rico
Founded	July 1, 1881
Government
• Mayor	Hon. Sol Luis Fontanes Olivo (PPD)
• Senatorial dist.	3 - Arecibo
• Representative dist.	13
Area
• Total	36.4 sq mi (94.24 km2)
• Land	31.7 sq mi (82 km2)
• Water	4.7 sq mi (12.24 km2)
Population (2010)
• Total	24,816
• Density	682/sq mi (263.3/km2)
Demonym	Barcelonetences
Time zone	AST (UTC-4)
Zip code	00617

Barceloneta (Spanish pronunciation: [barseloˈneta]) is a municipality in Puerto Rico and is located in the north region, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Florida, east of Arecibo and west of Manati. Barceloneta is spread over 3 wards and Barceloneta Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Barceloneta was founded on July 1, 1881 by Don Bonocio Llenza Feliú, an immigrant from Barcelona. The name of Barceloneta is derived from the Spanish city. Barceloneta was one of the last municipalities created by the Spanish Government in Puerto Rico.

About a decade after its foundation, the town had a significant economic development led by agriculture and industry. By 1894, there were three sugarcane estates, 93 sugar mills, and 100 of other fruits.

In 1899, Barceloneta requested to be annexed to the town of Manatí. An election was scheduled for August 14, 1989 to decide the matter. However, on August 8, the island suffered the effects of Hurricane San Ciriaco, which prevented the elections to be held. The following year, Governor George Whitefield Davis ordered the annexation of Barceloneta with Manatí. The annexation was short-lived, though, because 11 years later, the government reinstated Barceloneta as a municipality.

After sugarcane mill Central Plazuela closed in 1963, Barceloneta started reinforcing its agricultural economy towards pineapples and other minor fruits. Efforts to revive the economy weren't that successful, until pharmaceutical industries started establishing themselves in the town during the 70s.

Because of its location next to the Río Grande de Manatí, Barceloneta was also known for many years a site of important port activity, for both the shipment of sugar and salt, as well as a passenger route to New York and Barcelona. Don Bonocio's son was the owner of a sail ship that made those routes.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

The Municipality of Barceloneta sits on the northern karst region of Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by the municipalities of Arecibo, Florida, and Manatí. In terms of physical features, the municipality occupies a roughly rectangular area in the northern coast of the island. It has a surface area of 36.4 square miles (94.24 km2).

Barceloneta's terrain is predominantly plain. Since it is located in the karst region, it features hills, ponors, and caves. Near the coast, the terrain is occupied by the Tiburones cienaga.

Water features

The Río Grande de Manatí travels across the municipalities of Manatí and Barceloneta and drains into the Atlantic Ocean. Barceloneta also features the Caño Tiburones, the largest swamp on the island.

Cityscape

Barrios

• Barceloneta Pueblo
• Florida Afuera
• Garrochales
• Palmas Altas

Sectores

• Palenque
• Abra del Pimiento
• Angostura
• Tiburon I, II y III
• Magueyes
• Seboruco
• Catalana
• Cataluña
• Llanadas
• Fortuna
• Punta Palma
• La Boca
• Sabana Aguila
• Cimarrona
• Quebrada
• Imbery

Tourism

Landmarks and places of interest

A coast scene in Barceloneta

• Antiguo Muelle (Old Seaport)
• Cambalache Reserve
• Caño Tiburones Marshland
• La Monserrate Refinery Ruins
• Las Criollas Beach
• Marqués de la Esperanza Hacienda Ruins
• Palmas Altas Beach
• Sixto Escobar Museum
• Centro Cultural de Barceloneta:Located in the heart of the city, the museum provides the cultural and historical about Barceloneta. Also features a collection of Arqueological artifacts and Taino pieces. Open Mon-Fri 8:30am-4pm.

Economy

Barceloneta has the biggest pharmaceutical complex in the world (14 industries). It is known that these companies have chosen Barceloneta to establish their facilities for its underground water reservoirs. The water in Barceloneta is so pure that it requires very little treatment for use in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products. Pentecostal churches are very well known in Barceloneta, As well as catholic and Mormon.

The employments created by these companies along with a well-developed plan for urban growth have allowed Barceloneta to be more than simply a town where people go work. Puerto Rico Premium Outlets, conveniently placed near the expressway, have made the town into a favorite destination for shopping and consuming, and consequently a prime place for investment in food chains and entertainment. Increased employment opportunities have also caused an increase in population in Barceloneta and its surrounding municipalities. Barceloneta is looking at a future with tourism.

Barceloneta is also famous for its blue sand beaches, due to the high iron content found in the sand.

Government

Barceloneta is known for its political stability. Honorable mayor Sol Luis Fontanés has held the mayor's seat for the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) of Puerto Rico since 1992. Originally elected by only a narrow margin (49.2% vs. 48.6%), his popularity rose dramatically during his first quatrain. His administration has successfully turned Barceloneta into a fertile ground for investment and employment opportunities, as detailed in the Economy section above. Mayor Fontanés' popularity increased in 1996, a year in which his party suffered a major defeat. In the 2004 elections he directed one of the most successful mixed voting campaigns in the history of Barceloneta, winning with a margin of over 25 points over his opponents. The mixed voting campaign was even more successful in 2008, when the town electorate voted over 50% in favor of a governor from the New Progressive Party (PNP) while re-electing Fontanés with an absolute majority (69.4%). This makes him rank as one of the most popular mayors in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, along with mayors from towns like Caguas, Cayey and Guaynabo.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district III, which is represented by two Senators. In 2008, José Emilio González and Angel Martínez were elected as District Senators.

Names and symbols

Flag

The flag of Barceloneta is a variation of the flag of Barcelona in Spain, from where the town borrows its name. It features four fields, two of them bearing the cross of Saint George (in Catalan, Sant Jordi), with five red and yellow bars in vertical direction to the right of each cross. These are all symbols pertaining to the city of Barcelona, and the community of Catalonia, where it is located, since the town was founded by a Catalan immigrant. The remaining two fields in the flag are blue, representing the Atlantic Ocean, which lies to the north of Barceloneta.

Coat of Arms

Barceloneta's coat of arms is similar to the flag, since it features the same Catalonian symbols. However, it features three sugarcane flowers ("guajanas") on top of the blue fields. The "guajanas" symbolize the source of life of the old agricultural economy of Barceloneta. The blue symbolizes the beaches and marine ports that contributed to the industry and commerce of the town. Like many coat of arms, it features a crown with three towers.

Names

Barceloneta is referred to as La Ciudad de las Piñas (city of the pineapples) due to its plantations of that fruit. It is also known as La Ciudad Industrial (industrial city) for its many industries, most of them pharmaceutical.

Other names are Ciudad de los Indios (town of the Indians) and Pueblo de Sixto Escobar (town of Sixto Escobar) for being the birthplace of the renowned Puerto Rican boxer.

Transportation

Barceloneta has recently added the use of trolly cars free of charge for local transport within the town itself. If your looking to go further than the town limits, there is a station for "carros publicos" or public car transportation. These work like a kind of taxi and, for a small fee, will take you to the next town, for example, Manati.

References

http://electionspuertorico.org/home_es.html

External links

• Welcome to Puerto Rico Barceloneta
• BarcelonetaPR.com, Spanish website by Santiago A. Villanueva