Santiago de los Caballeros
Santiago de los Caballeros | |
|---|---|
| Central Santiago Area, Notice of a growing city Central Santiago Area, Notice of a growing city | |
 | |
| Country | Dominican Republic |
| Province | Santiago Province |
| Municipality | Santiago de los Caballeros |
| Founded | 1495 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (Síndico) | José Enrique Sued |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.839 km² (Province) km2 (Formatting error: invalid input when rounding sq mi) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 750,000 (approx.) |
| Time zone | UTC-4 |
| Website | Portal del ciudadano |
Founded in 1495 during the first wave of European colonization of the New World, today Santiago de los Caballeros (the first "Santiago" of America) is the second most important city in the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola. Also known as Santiago de los 30 Caballeros. It is the capital of Santiago Province. The city served many times as the capital of the nation but not for long periods of time. Many wanted Santiago as the main city for its rich fertile lands and its central location.
History
The original colony was in the city of Jacagua, but when it was destroyed by an earthquake, it was moved to its present location in 1506. It was devastated by another earthquake in 1562. Santiago de los Caballeros has sometimes been the capital of the country, and was an important strategic city in the Dominican War of Independence in 1844.
Economy
The city of Santiago, as most of the Cibao region, is hugely dependent in the Fertile lands of the region. This makes Santiago de los Caballeros an important region for farming and livestock. The city has been recently growing into a service predominant provider. The sector has grown a lot in the recent years making it great for expansion. It should be noted that Santiago is the 2nd most important city in the Dominican Republic after Santo Domingo de Guzman and due to that case it produces the 2nd highest percentage of the nations GDP. Telecommunications like wireless, cable, internet and other forms hold an important part of the city too. Even though it has shown progress throughout the years the city has to deal with the major power outages that hold back its development. Tourism too, holds an important part in the city's economy.
Growth and Development
Like Santo Domingo, Santiago has recently experienced an era of rapid growth and development. It has become a city of great importance for the nation and the region's development. Santiago like any other fast growing city is faced with numerous problems including precarious Electricity and Water infrastructure just to name a few. The approximate population of Santiago is in the range of 750,000 inhabitants, but with the undocumented Haitian immigrants the population could raise to over 1 Million inhabitants. The fastest growing community in the city of Santiago is La Trinitaria.
Geography
Santiago de los Caballeros is located on a hilly terrain in the middle of the Cibao Valley in the Central Region of the Dominican Republic, one of the most fertile lands found in the Republic. The Yaque del Norte river passes by Santiago which is in between Cordillera Central and Cordillera Oriental, two of the three major mountain ranges on the island of Hispaniola, forming the Cibao Valley.
Education
Santiago has a few universities including Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) and Universidad Tecnológica de SantiagoUTESA. It also has many private schools because public education is not very well developed in the Dominican Republic.
Nightlife
Santiago has a blooming nightlife around the Monument area. Dozens of restaurants circle the center of the city making it an active nightlife area. bars, clubs, and the park surrounding the monument provide recreation and fun attracting crowds of the city's inhabitants and tourists as well. The central portion of the city has an extremely active nightlife which is considered by many to be the best nightlife in the country. The cibaeños have a love for merengue tipico which creates an entertaining and exciting atmosphere on a nightly basis.
Restaurants
- Restaurante Pez Dorado: It is located in the El Sol Street, is one of the more prestigious restaurants of Santiago and is one of the more visited in this city.
- Cafetto Bar & Restaurant: Is located in an mountain zone. You can see the Cibao Valley and Santiago City Completely. It is a very nice dite for a dinner moment.
- Camp David: It is located in the Santiago-Puerto Plata Way. It is the Higtest Class Restaurant of Santiago. It is in a mountain of 1200 meters under sea level. They have a panoramic view of Santiago, we can say the best view of Santiago City. They have the more expensive and exquisite food of Santiago.
- Montezuma: It is located in the Monumental Zone. This restaurant is one of the more solicities in Santiago, because of it Azteca style and its very good foods.
- Kukaramakara: It is located Next to Montezuma and it style is inspirated the wild west. They present famous artist of the Dominican Typical Music.
Transportation:
Carros Públicos: Santiago does not have an efficient form of transportation, there is however “Carros Públicos” and private and independent bus owners who form their own routes according to demands.
Inter-City Bus Transportation: The city has private bus transportation to other important cities. Bus companies include Metro, Caribe Tours, Transporte Espinal, Aetra Bus.
Highways: The Autopista Juan Pablo Duarte Officially known as DR-1 passes by the city center and connects the city directly to Santo Domingo. Other minor highways connect the city to Puerto Plata, Samana, and the northeastern region of the country. Overall, Santiago has a fine connection througth highways to the rest of the country.
Airports: The Cibao International Airport serves mostly Dominicans living in the United States and other Caribbean islands like Cuba, Turks and Caicos Islands, Puerto Rico and Panama. It has expanded tourism to this region.
Proposed Rail System: The construction of a light metro rail is in planning stages. It's scheduled to be started by August 2007. Financing is to be by a private firm, the State Rail System of Spain (FEVE). The Light rail system will connect the City center to the Airport and shorten the amount of time of trips.
New and planned projects
- HOMS: HOMS – The HOMS is the largest hospital in Santiago and the most modern of the Dominican Republic. It will have two towers with fourteen floors each, one of them being for doctor's offices and the other for examination and observation rooms. Formal Inauguration is planned to August 16, 2007.
- Gran Cibao Hotel – It is the largest hotel in the Cibao region. It will have approximately 11 floors and it will enter into service shortly.
- Light Rail in Santiago – A Light Rail development in the city's metro area has been proposed. If completed it will be the second city In the nation to have a mass transit system and would be e 5.5 km longer than the Metro of Santo Domingo. The Light Rail will have 12 stops, its route will be from the Cemetery to the Airport. Construction is scheduled to begin in October 2007 and to be operating 14 months thereafter.
- Electric “Highway” from Santo Domingo – Santiago's power comes from Puerto Plata, but the government commenced the building of the Electric “Highway” that will feed Santiago electric energy from Santo Domingo's generators. construction started in February of 2007.
- Central Park of Santiago – The Central Park of Santiago is projected to be constructed on the land of the now defunct old Cibao International Airport that now lodges the regional seat of the National Police and the offices of the Association for Development.
The industrialists of Santiago have defended the project since it is considered to be a solution to the lack of green spaces suitable for relaxation in the city. Nevertheless it has been argued that the granting of contracts for the different phases from this project violate the frame of transparency and legality. In the Strategic Plan of Santiago it is indicated that the construction of the Metropolitan Park would increase the Santiagos green area from its currently 1.1% to 4%.
Sports
As much as the nation does, Santiago residents enjoy baseball and love to see the Dominican winter season with the local team being the Aguilas Cibaeñas. There are other sports played in the city as well but to a lesser extent.
Architecture
Catedral de Santiago:
The Cathedral of Santiago was built in 1495 when the city was founded and was the first church to be built in the city. It is located in the Center of Santiago and is constructed in a colonial style that attracts many tourist and locals alike.
Hermanos Patiño Bridge:
The Hermanos Patiño Bridge is both the largest and oldest bridge in the city connectiing the North and South sides of the city of Santiago. It's Construction was started by Rafael Leonidas Trujillo and inaugurated in 1962, one year after his death. The Bridge is named after the two brothers that died in an effort to put an end to Trujillo's Regiment and dictatorship in the Dominican Republic in the mid 20th Centuy.
Monument to the Heroes of Restoration:
On a hill overlooking Santiago is a Template:M to ft high marble monument. Construction of the monument began in 1944 on the orders of then-dictator Rafael Trujillo. He named it the "Monument of the Peace of Trujillo". Trujillo was assassinated in 1961, after which the monument was renamed the "Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration", in remembrance of the Independence Restoration War of 1863, in which the Dominican Republic regained its independence from Spain.
Historic Center Of Santiago:
Sites of Interest
- Estadio Cibao
- Monumento de Santiago
- Centro Leon
- La Trinitaria
- Hotel Gran Cibao
- Hotel Gran Almirante
- Hotel Hodelpa Centro Plaza
- Colinas Mall
- Plaza Internacional
- Centro Español
- Country Club Santiago
Museums
There are some interesting museums in Santiago that show the culture of this northern city. Here show some of this:
- Museo Folklorico Yoryi Morel : This Museum is located in the Historic City Center in the Restauracion Street. This museum shows the Santiago's Carnival Culture, it have some interesting wearings of the Lechones the vestiments of Santiago Province in the Carnival they also shows vestiments of some others provinces.
- Museo del Tobaco: or The Tobacco Museum is located in the Town Center. How Santiago is the mayor producer of Tobacco, they show how they elaborates this searched product.
- Museo Historico Fortaleza San Luis: or Historic San Luis Fort Museum is located in front of the Yaque del Norte River, Southwestern Santiago. It shows the Colonial Weapons and the 1822 Haitian Invasion.
- Museo de los Heroes de la Restauracion: or Restauration Heroes Museum (under Construction) is located in The Santiago Monument. It will show the Restauration War Pictures that occurred in 1863-1865 with the Dominican Government and the Spain army.
- Centro Leon: This Museum is located in the 27 de Febrero Avenue. It shows the Caribbean Culture, the Dominican Culture, the Natural Dominican History, Natives Indians Evolution and Culture. How The E. Leon Jimenez Company & Asoc. is the owner of the Centro Leon, they decided to show too the Leon Jimenez Family and the evolution of its company and the productions of its beers and cigars. In this Museum temporaly present Dominican Famous Artist Pictures, Sculptures, Paints.
Hotels
There are too many Hotels in Santiago, mostly five stars they are some of the best City Hotels in Dominican Republic.
- Hotel Gran Cibao: (under construction) It is located in the Duarte Highway. It will help to increase the tourims in this city and it will generates some employes, it will be a five stars hotel and the best in Santiago.
- Courhtyard Marriott Hotel: It is located in Duarte Highway in Santiago-La Vega Route. It is an other five stars hotel and it is near to the Cibao International Airport, that makes facilities for tourist to visit it.
- Hodelpa Gran Almirante: It is located in Estrella Sadhala Avenue. It is a verry visited hotel most of visitors comes to it Casino. This hotel is a five stars too, it is used for formal events like conventions by the government.
- Hodelpa Centro Plaza: Whith Casino, it is located in San Luis Street, in the City Center, so it is easy for visitors to visit the historic sites of the city and it is near of some of the museums mentioned above.
- Hotel Matum: It is located in Las Carreras Avenue in front of the Gran Teatro del Cibao. It is a four stars hotel, but have the most important Casino in Santiago that calls El Diamante (The Diamond).
Recreation Places
There are places in Santiago that you can be with your family recreating that are funny things to do, food and pools:
- Centro Espanol: It is a very popular place, located in the Panamericana Avenue, this place is very visited in summer by Santiago's population and also some tourist, in the Centro Espanol (Spain Center) are many activities such as sports like swimming, basketball, baseball, softball, football, golf, table games, and child summer orientation campment that makes children have fun without it parents. They also offer parties with famous Dominican artists.
- Gurabito Country Club: An other popular club located near Centro Espanol Club in Panamericana Avenue, it's another distraction place spacially in summer. They have sports activities too, such as Baseball and Basketball. They offer parties with Dominican artist, a Friday parrillada and some pool parties with other Dominicans singers.
- Kascada Agua Park: Located in Panamericana Avenue too, it is the easiest way to have fun with water and the funniest in Santiago. It is the most popular just because it isn't a club, it is a public place open for everybody. It have sports activities too such as Baseball and others, they also offerts much populars parties too.
There aren't all of the distraction places like this of Santiago, there are much more....
Trivia
Despite the fact that Santiago is the second largest city in the Dominican Republic, the metropolitan area of New York City has a larger population of Dominicans.
Gallery
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Hotel Gran Cibao in Santiago. It is under construction but it will be the biggest Hotel in the Cibao Region..
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Gran Teatro del Cibao or Grand Cibao Theatre in front of the Santiago´s Monument.
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Vimenca Building in Santiago.
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North Santiago seen from the Monument.
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The ``Centro Leon´´ in Santiago, is a modern museum that shows the Dominican Culture and some Dominican habits and National Parks. -
The house of the Aguilas Cibaeñas or Cibao Eagles in the City of Santiago.
Trivia
Despite the fact that Santiago is the second largest city in the Dominican Republic, the metropolitan area of New York City has a larger population of Dominicans.
External links
- Carnival Mask of Dominican Republic
- Pontifícia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra
- La Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago
- Centro Leon
- Santiago
- Santiago de los Caballeros at Wikimapia