Morovis Municipio Autónomo de Morovis | |
|---|---|
Town andMunicipality | |
 Small plaza in Morovis barrio-pueblo | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Nickname: "La Isla Menos Morovis" ("The island but Morovis") | |
| Anthem:"Oh Morovis, tu vives latente" | |
 Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Morovis Municipality | |
| Coordinates:18°20′00″N66°25′00″W / 18.33333°N 66.41667°W /18.33333; -66.41667 | |
| Sovereign state |  United States |
| Commonwealth |  Puerto Rico |
| Settled | 1815 |
| Founded | January 24, 1818 |
| Founded by | Don Juan José de la Torre |
| Barrios | |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Carmen Maldonado González (PPD) |
| • Senatorial dist. | 3 - Arecibo |
| • Representative dist. | 28 |
| Area | |
• Total | 38.7 sq mi (100.3 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,230 ft (375 m) |
| Population (2020)[2] | |
• Total | 28,727 |
| • Rank | 43rd in Puerto Rico |
| • Density | 741.8/sq mi (286.4/km2) |
| Demonym | Moroveños |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (AST) |
| ZIP Code | 00687 |
| Area code | 787/939 |
| Major routes |      |
Morovis (Spanish pronunciation:[moˈɾoβis],locally[moˈɾoβiʔ]) is atown andmunicipality ofPuerto Rico located in the central region of the island, north ofOrocovis, south ofManatí,Vega Baja andVega Alta; east ofCiales, and west ofCorozal. Morovis is spread over 13 barrios andMorovis Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city).[3] It is part of theSan Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.
In 1815, a group of residents, under the leadership of Don Juan José de la Torre, began the process to separate Morovis fromManatí. In 1817, thegovernment of Puerto Rico approved the separation, but it was not until 1818 that the requirements of a population of one thousand residents and the construction of a church and several other public buildings was fulfilled, that the municipality of Morovis was officially founded. In 1822, the mayorship was constructed and in 1823, the new church was built, dedicated toNuestra Señora del Carmen on lands donated by Don Juan Evangelista Rivera. Its first mayor was Don Juan José de la Torre, with its second mayor being Don Juan Evangelista Rivera.[4]Morovis has a particular nickname. It was the only municipality in Puerto Rico that did not suffer from acholera epidemic in 1853; as a result, a common phrase,"la isla menos Morovis" ("(all of) the island but Morovis") was coined. The phrase is believed by Puerto Ricans from outside of the town to have a negative connotation againstmoroveños, while, in reality, it is considered a positive motto.[citation needed]
In 1875, Abino Casellas was mayor of Morovis and in 1879, Cruz Maria Castro was mayor.[5]
Puerto Rico was ceded bySpain in the aftermath of theSpanish–American War under the terms of theTreaty of Paris of 1898 and became a territory of theUnited States. In 1899, theUnited States Department of War conducted acensus of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Morovis was 11,309.[6]
Morovis is a mountainous municipality with an area of approximately 100.3 square kilometres (38.7 sq mi), located slightly north of the center of the island,[7] which was hit particularly hard byHurricane Maria on September 20, 2017. With a 2016 estimate of 31,603 residents at the time, 1500 to 2000 homes lost their roof and 500 wooden homes were completed destroyed. Roads and bridges were impacted by landslides and flooding, and residents were left without access to electrical power, telecommunication services and basic necessities for many months.[8]
The community inSan Lorenzo, a barrio of Morovis with about 1,000 people, was left isolated when the bridge into the barrio was washed away by theMorovis River.[9][10][11]
Then mayor of Morovis, Carmen Maldonado delivered food to residents, the municipal town hall became a food distribution center and she arranged for the purchase and delivery of a water truck to provide clean water daily to the residents who did not have access to clean water.[12][13][14]
Maldonado spoke toNew York governorAndrew Cuomo, requesting his help and Cuomo responded by contactingH.e.a.r.t. 9/11, a non-profit organization. In early 2019, Maldonado received and thanked volunteers fromH.e.a.r.t. 9/11, mostly carpenters who came to Morovis to repair and rebuild homes damaged by the hurricane.[15] In late 2019,H.e.a.r.t. 9/11 was still rebuilding roofs in Morovis.[16][17]
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Morovis is subdivided intobarrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located near the center of the municipality, in a small barrio referred to as"Pueblo".[18][19][20]
Barrios (which are likeminor civil divisions)[21] are further subdivided into smaller areas calledsectores (sectors in English). The types ofsectores may vary, from normallysector tourbanización toreparto tobarriada toresidencial, among others.[22][23][24][25]
Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencingsocial 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 entire barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Morovis:Barrio Vaga, Santo Domingo-Pellejas, Ensanche, Parcelas Cuchillas, Comunidad José Otero Claverol, Parcelas San Lorenzo, Parcelas Torrecillas, Patrón, Sector Invasiones de Torrecillas, Sector Jobos, Sector Riachuelo, Sector Rosado, Barrio Unibón, Sector Vietnam, andVilla Roca.[26]
TheMorovis National Cemetery, a US veterans cemetery, was built in Morovis within a 247.5-acre parcel of land that can be accessed fromHighway 137 atKm. 11.2. It was built to replace the existingPuerto Rico National Cemetery located inBayamón which reached capacity.[27][28] Construction was underway in 2019[29][30] with interments slated to begin in 2021.[31]
An Energy Consortium was signed in late February 2019 by the mayors ofVillalba,Orocovis, Morovis,Ciales andBarranquitas municipalities. The consortium is the first of its kind for Puerto Rico. It is intended to have those municipalities work together to safeguard and create resilient, and efficient energy networks, with backups for their communities. This is part of the hurricane preparedness plan of these municipalities, which were hit particularly hard byHurricane Maria on September 20, 2017.[32]
A well-known landmark in Morovis is The Red Bridge (Puente Colorao). It's an iron bridge which was built in 1912 and is located onPR-155 in barrioMorovis Norte.Cuevas Las Cabachuelas (Cabachuelas Caves) is a cave system in Puerto Rico which opened for tourism in 2019. It is located between the municipalities of Morovis andCiales, Puerto Rico[33] in the Cabachuelas Natural Reserve, established in 2012[34] and is of cultural, archaeological, hydrological and geomorphological importance to Puerto Rico.[35] Guided tours are offered by the Diógenes Colón Gómez Cultural Center in Morovis, by reservation only.[33][36]
La Patria Bakery, home of thePan de La Patita Echa', is a bakery established in 1862 in Morovis, that uses a brick oven for making bread. The bread has a curious name and look, resembling crossed legs.[37][38]
The Julia M. Cheverez Electronic Library is located in the main square inMorovis barrio-pueblo also referred to as thepueblo.[39]
Each barrio had a mural painted by a group of local artists and ValorArte and the mural images depict values such as honor, peace, responsibility, leadership and culture.[40][41][42]
Casa Bavaria restaurant, located in theCordillera Central (central mountain range) in Morovis, has become a gathering place for locals, and tourists, and was visited in 2009 by former US PresidentBill Clinton.[44][45]
Morovis'patron saint festival takes place in July. TheFiestas Patronales de Nuestra Señora del Carmen, celebrated in honor ofOur Lady of Mount Carmel, is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.[46][1][7]
Other festivals and events include:
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 11,309 | — | |
| 1910 | 12,446 | 10.1% | |
| 1920 | 14,660 | 17.8% | |
| 1930 | 17,332 | 18.2% | |
| 1940 | 19,167 | 10.6% | |
| 1950 | 19,291 | 0.6% | |
| 1960 | 18,094 | −6.2% | |
| 1970 | 19,059 | 5.3% | |
| 1980 | 21,142 | 10.9% | |
| 1990 | 25,288 | 19.6% | |
| 2000 | 29,965 | 18.5% | |
| 2010 | 32,610 | 8.8% | |
| 2020 | 28,727 | −11.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[48] 1899 (shown as 1900)[49] 1910-1930[50] 1930-1950[51] 1960-2000[52] 2010[19]2020[53] | |||
| Race - Morovis,Puerto Rico - 2000 Census[55] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Population | % of Total |
| White | 27,917 | 93.2% |
| Black/African American | 894 | 3.0% |
| American Indian andAlaska Native | 61 | 0.2% |
| Asian | 21 | 0.1% |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0 | 0% |
| Some other race | 643 | 2.1% |
| Two or more races | 422 | 1.4% |
All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. The current mayor of Morovis isCarmen Maldonado González, of thePopular Democratic Party (PPD). She was first elected at the2016 general elections.
The city belongs to thePuerto Rico Senatorial district III, which is represented by two Senators. In 2024,Brenda Pérez Soto andGabriel Gonzáles were elected as District Senators.[56]
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There are 15 bridges in Morovis.[57] Major routes that go through Morovis includePR-137,PR-145,PR-155,PR-159, andPR-160.
Themunicipio has an official flag and coat of arms.[58]
The flag of Morovis is divided vertically in two equal parts. The immediate one to the mast is yellow and has the eagle of the coat of arms, in this case with the head facing left, toward the flagpole. The other half is divided in seven vertical stripes of equal width, four red ones alternated with three yellow ones.[59]
. The coat of arms of the Municipality of Morovis is formed by an eagle in the left partition, which symbolizes Saint John the Evangelist and sings in honor of the founder of the town, Don Juan Evangelista Rivera. The five cuatros observable in the right partition symbolize the fact that the town of Morovis is the main center of production of such typical Puerto Rican musical instruments. The shield in the center represents the Order of the Carmelite Nuns, and symbolizes as well the Our Lady of the Carmen, matron of the town. The left half is a field of yellow color (yellow for gold) in which resides a saber (black) eagle, beak and claws in red, its head enclosed with a halo.[59]
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Travel guides from Wikivoyage
Data from Wikidata
