Luquillo, Puerto Rico

Luquillo, Puerto Rico
—  Municipality  —
Aerial view of Luquillo
Flag
Nickname(s): "Capital del Sol", "La Riviera de Puerto Rico", "Los Come Cocos"
Anthem: "Junto a las costas del mar Atlántico"
Location of Luquillo in Puerto Rico
Coordinates: 18°22′21″N 65°43′00″W
Country	United States
Territory	Puerto Rico
Founded	1797
Government
• Mayor	Hon. José "Nelo" González (PNP)
• Senatorial dist.	8 - Carolina
• Representative dist.	36
Area
• Total	34.26 sq mi (88.73 km2)
• Land	26 sq mi (68 km2)
• Water	8.00 sq mi (20.73 km2)
Population (2010)
• Total	20,068
• Density	585.78/sq mi (226.169/km2)
Demonym	Luquillenses
Time zone	AST (UTC-4)
Zip code	00773

Luquillo (Spanish pronunciation: [luˈkiʎo]) is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northeast coast, northwest of Fajardo; and east of Rio Grande. Luquillo is spread over 5 wards and Luquillo Pueblo (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the Fajardo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Luquillo was founded in 1797 and is known as "La Capital del Sol" (sun capital), "La Riviera de Puerto Rico" (Puerto Rico's riviera, and "Los Come Cocos" (The coconut eaters). The town was named after the Indian cacique Loquillo, who died a few years after the last Indian rebellion in 1513.

Flag

It consists of three horizontal stripes, the blue top and green bottom are double of width of the yellow central stripe. Blue makes reference to the sky and the sea; yellow represents the sand of its beaches and green represents the vegetation of the mountains. In the center stripe resides the Coat Of Arms of the town superimposed and surrounded by two palm tree leaves crossed at the bottom.

Coat of Arms

In a gold background a centered mountain range with three green mountains is accompanied at the bottom by a bay with blue and silver waves; the top portion of the shield in blue, has three iris branches. Above the shield resides a three tower gold crown. Surrounding the shield by its flanks are two palms trees leaves crossed at the bottom.

Demographics

Ethnicity - Luquillo, Puerto Rico - 2005
Race	Population	% of Total
White people	10,112	57.4%
Black/African American	4,345	23.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native	120	0.6%
Asian	62	0.3%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	3	0.0%
Some other race	2,933	14.8%
Two or more races	610	3.1%

Barrios (Districts/Wards)

• Juan Martín
• Luquillo Pueblo
• Mameyes I
• Mata de Plátano
• Pitahaya
• Sabana

Economy

Industry

• Manufacturing

Tourism

A view of Luquillo Beach

If you stay on the coastal highway going east from San Juan, you'll soon reach Luquillo Beach. This huge plantation of majestic coconut palms shades more than a mile of fine and shimmering sand. It is one of the most popular and nicest public beaches in the San Juan area. It offers cafeterias, public bathrooms with showers, access for disabled people, and an ample parking lot. Monserrate Beach is one of the public beaches most frequented by the locals. In 2006 El Balneario de Luquillo (The Luquillo Beach) was pronounced the most popular one in Puerto Rico.

Landmarks and places of interest

• Chief Loquillo Monument
• La Fortuna Hacienda
• La Bandera Beach
• La Monserrate Beach
• La Pared Beach
• Las Pailas Beach
• Luquillo Beach
• Mameyes Beach
• Ocean View Boulevard
• Fortuna Beach
• El Parque de Recreacion
• El Balneario
• The Brass Cactus rest.

Festivals and events

• Patron Saint Celebrations - March
• Leatherback Turtle Festival - April
• Coconut Festival - September
• Typical Dish Festival - December
• The Three Kings Day Celebration at The Luquillo Plaza - January

References

4. Places in Luquillo