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Río Grande, Puerto Rico

Coordinates: 18°22′49″N 65°49′53″W / 18.38028°N 65.83139°W / 18.38028; -65.83139
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Río Grande
Municipio de Río Grande
City and Municipality
Flag of Río Grande
Flag
Nickname: 
"La Ciudad del Yunque"
Anthem: "Entre las ondas que juguetean"
Location of Río Grande in Puerto Rico
Location of Río Grande in Puerto Rico
Coordinates: 18°22′49″N 65°49′53″W / 18.38028°N 65.83139°W / 18.38028; -65.83139
Commonwealth Puerto Rico
FoundedJuly 16, 1840
Government
 • MayorHon. Angel "Bori" González (PPD)
 • Senatorial dist.8 - Carolina
 • Representative dist.36,37
Area
 • Total89.6 sq mi (232.11 km2)
 • Land60.7 sq mi (157.28 km2)
 • Water28.9 sq mi (74.83 km2)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total54,304
 • Density610/sq mi (230/km2)
DemonymRiograndeños
Time zoneUTC−4 (AST)
Zip code
00721, 00745
Major routes

Río Grande (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈri.o ˈɣɾande]) is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in 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 wards 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.

History

Río Grande was founded on July 16, 1840, by Desiderio and Quilimaco Escobar, with the approbation of governor Miguel López. It was named after the Río Grande and is located where the Río Grande and the Río Espíritu Santo (Holy Spirit) join.

Geography

Río Grande[1] is on the northeastern coast and Sierra Luquillo Mountains.

Hurricane Maria

Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017 triggered numerous landslides in Río Grande with the significant amount of rainfall.[2][3]

Barrios

Subdivisions of Río Grande.

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Rio Grande is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as "el pueblo".[4][5][6]

  1. Ciénaga Alta - 4,606
  2. Ciénaga Baja - 18,220
  3. Guzmán Abajo - 6,614
  4. Guzmán Arriba - 928
  5. Herreras - 839
  6. Jiménez - 2,903
  7. Mameyes II - 2,919
  8. Río Grande barrio-pueblo[7]
  9. Zarzal - 13,385

Demographics

The United States took control of Puerto Rico from Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and conducted its first census of Puerto Rico, finding that the population of Río Grande was 12,365.

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
190012,365—
191013,94812.8%
192013,247−5.0%
193014,0856.3%
194016,11614.4%
195016,6513.3%
196017,2333.5%
197022,03227.8%
198034,28355.6%
199045,64833.2%
200052,36214.7%
201054,3043.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1899 (shown as 1900)[9] 1910-1930[10]
1930-1950[11] 1960-2000[12] 2010[5]

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 Gran Melia Puerto Rico Resort. Every March, the Trump International Golf Club 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.[14]

Hotels

  • The Wyndham Rio Mar Beach Resort and Spa
  • Gran Melia Golf Resort
  • St. Regis Bahía Beach Resort & Golf Club

Landmarks and places of interest

There are 27 beaches in Río Grande.[15] Main attractions of Río Grande are:

  • Coco Beach
  • El Yunque
  • Indio Cave
  • Las Picúas Beach

Economy

Agriculture

Fruits, ornamental plants, vegetables, and cattle.

Business

Local retail stores are aside highway PR-3. Large shopping centers were not present mainly due to the closeness of the Canóvanas shopping district area. However, there is one large shopping mall located on 65th Infantry expressway and 956th street. Because it is relatively new, many of its spaces are not leased yet.[when?] Together both cities are growing economically very fast and becoming the eastern economic bloc of the northeastern area of Puerto Rico attracting hotels, shopping malls, sport venues among others. Another thing that is making Río Grande more attractive to tourists and businesses alike is the newly constructed and opened Route 66 (or Ruta 66), which makes it a lot more accessible and more appealing to home buyers.

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.[16]

Industry

Manufacture of textiles.

Special Communities Program

See also: Puerto Rico Office for Socioeconomic and Community Development

In 2001, law 1-2001 was passed[17] to identify communities with high levels of poverty in Puerto Rico.[18] In 2017, Governor Rosello created a new government agency to work with the Special Communities of Puerto Rico Program.[19][20] Of the 742 places on the list of Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods are in Río Grande: Sector Montebello and Sector El Hoyo in Malpica, Las Dolores, La Ponderosa, Villa Realidad, Estancias del Sol, and Hong Kong.[21]

Culture

Festivals and events

  • Cross Festival (May)
  • Patron Celebrations (July)

Sports

Baseball, basketball and handball are popular sports in Río Grande. Also many play tennis.

Government

Main article: Mayoralty in Puerto Rico

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.[22]

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.[23]

Transportation

There are 48 bridges in Río Grande.[24]

Symbols

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.

  • Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa
    Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa
  • Evening at El Yunque
    Evening at El Yunque
  • Winding road at El Yunque
    Winding road at El Yunque
  • Waterfall in El Yunque
    Waterfall in El Yunque

See also

References

  1. ^ "Río Grande Municipality - Municipalities - EnciclopediaPR". Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades (FPH).
  2. ^ "Preliminary Locations of Landslide Impacts from Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico". USGS Landslide Hazards Program. USGS.
  3. ^ "Preliminary Locations of Landslide Impacts from Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico" (PDF). USGS Landslide Hazards Program. USGS.
  4. ^ Gwillim Law (20 May 2015). Administrative Subdivisions of Countries: A Comprehensive World Reference, 1900 through 1998. McFarland. p. 300. ISBN 978-1-4766-0447-3. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  5. ^ a b Puerto Rico:2010:population and housing unit counts.pdf (PDF). U.S. Dept. of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration U.S. Census Bureau. 2010.
  6. ^ "Map of Río Grande at the Wayback Machine" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-12-29.
  7. ^ "US Census Barrio-Pueblo definition". factfinder.com. US Census. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  8. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  9. ^ "Report of the Census of Porto Rico 1899". War Department Office Director Census of Porto Rico. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  10. ^ "Table 3-Population of Municipalities: 1930 1920 and 1910" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  11. ^ "Table 4-Area and Population of Municipalities Urban and Rural: 1930 to 1950" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  12. ^ "Table 2 Population and Housing Units: 1960 to 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  13. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  14. ^ "Land Areas of the National Forest System" (PDF). U.S. Forest Service. January 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  15. ^ "Las 1,200 playas de Puerto Rico [The 1200 beaches of Puerto Rico]". Primera Hora (in Spanish). April 14, 2017.
  16. ^ "Consejo Comunitario de Seguridad de Río Piedras celebra 32 años de lucha y trabajo voluntario • WIPR". December 11, 2019.
  17. ^ "Leyes del 2001". Lex Juris Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  18. ^ "Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico" (in Spanish). 8 August 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  19. ^ "Evoluciona el proyecto de Comunidades Especiales". El Nuevo Dia (in Spanish). 24 February 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  20. ^ "Ya es ley Oficina para el Desarrollo Socioeconómico y Comunitario". El Vocero de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  21. ^ Rivera Quintero, Marcia (2014), El vuelo de la esperanza:Proyecto de las Comunidades Especiales Puerto Rico, 1997-2004 (Primera edición ed.), San Juan, Puerto Rico Fundación Sila M. Calderón, p. 273, ISBN 978-0-9820806-1-0
  22. ^ Criollo Oquero, Agustín (September 14, 2014). "Ángel "Bori" González es el nuevo alcalde de Río Grande". El Nuevo Día. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  23. ^ Elecciones Generales 2012: Escrutinio General Archived 2013-01-15 at the Wayback Machine on CEEPUR
  24. ^ "Río Grande Bridges". National Bridge Inventory Data. US Dept. of Transportation. Retrieved 20 February 2019.

Further reading

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