TheTaíno people were the original inhabitants of the area before the arrival of theEuropeans to the island ofPuerto Rico in 1493. Remains of a small indigenous fishing village have been found inPuerta de Tierra where thePuerto Rico National Guard Museum stands today, however most archaeological sites in the region have been destroyed and lost throughout the colonial history.[9] The area of San Juan used to be the boundary between the tribal regions (yucayeques) ofGuaynabo andHaimanio, led by the chiefs (caciques)Mabo andYuisa (also known as Loaíza), respectively, at the time of the arrival of theSpanish conquistadors.[10][11]
In 1508,Juan Ponce de León founded the original settlement which he calledCaparra. It was named after aformer Roman city in the province ofCáceres in Spain,[12] the birthplace ofNicolás de Ovando, then the Governor of Spain's Caribbean territories.[13] Today, it is part of thePueblo Viejo district ofGuaynabo, directly to the west of the modern municipality of San Juan. A year later, the settlement was moved to a site then calledPuerto Rico, Spanish for "rich port" or "good port".[14]
Thelocal Catholic diocese, the second oldest in the Americas and the oldest in the United States, was founded in the newly built settlement on August 8 of 1511.[15] In 1521, the newer settlement was given its formal name:Ciudad de Puerto Rico de San Juan Bautista. Many of the oldest European-founded institutions in the Western Hemisphere, such as theSanto Tomás de Aquino Convent and the Nuestra Señora de la Concepción Hospital, were established during this time in San Juan.[16]
The ambiguous use ofSan Juan Bautista andPuerto Rico for both the city and the island in time led to a reversal in practical use by most inhabitants: by 1746 the name for the city (Puerto Rico) had become that of the entire island, leading to the city being identified asPuerto Rico de Puerto Rico on maps of the era.[17][18][19]
San Juan, as a settlement of theSpanish Empire, was used by merchant and military ships traveling from Spain as the first stopover in theAmericas. Because of its prominence in the Caribbean, a network of fortifications was built to protect the transports of gold and silver from theNew World to Europe. Because of the rich cargoes, San Juan became a target of the foreign powers of the time.[20]
San Juan and bay, Puerto Rico, 1766
San Juan underwent attacks from the English led bySir Francis Drake in 1595 (in what is known as theBattle of San Juan) and byGeorge Clifford, Earl of Cumberland, in 1598. Artillery from San Juan's fort,El Morro, repelled Drake; however, Clifford managed to land troops and lay siege to the city.[21] After a few months of English occupation, Clifford was forced to abandon the siege when his troops began to suffer from exhaustion and sickness. In 1625 the city was sacked by Dutch forces led by CaptainBalduino Enrico (also known as Boudewijn Hendricksz/Bowdoin Henrick), but El Morro withstood the assault and was not taken. The Dutch were counterattacked by CaptainJuan de Amézqueta and 50 members of the civilian militia on land and by the cannons of the Spanish troops in El Morro castle. The land battle left 60 Dutch soldiers dead and Enrico with a sword wound to his neck which he received from the hands of Amézqueta.[22][unreliable source?]
The Dutch ships at sea were boarded by Puerto Ricans who defeated those aboard. After a long battle, the Spanish soldiers and volunteers of the city's militia were able to defend the city from the attack and save the island from an invasion. On October 21, Enrico setLa Fortaleza and the city ablaze. Captains Amézqueta and Andrés Botello decided to put a stop to the destruction and led 200 men in an attack against the enemy's front and rear guard. They drove Enrico and his men from their trenches and into the ocean in their haste to reach their ships.[23]
The Britishattack in 1797, during theFrench Revolutionary Wars, led bySir Ralph Abercromby (who had just conqueredTrinidad). His army laid siege to the city but was forced to withdraw in defeat as the Puerto Rican defenses proved more resilient than those of Trinidad. Various events and circumstances, including liberalized commerce with Spain, the opening of the island to immigrants as a direct result of theRoyal Decree of Graces of 1815, and the colonial revolutions, led to an expansion of San Juan and other Puerto Rican settlements in the late 18th and early 19th century.
On May 8, 1898, United States Navy ships, among themUSS Detroit,USS Indiana,USS New York,USS Amphitrite,USS Terror andUSS Montgomery, commanded byRear AdmiralWilliam T. Sampson arrived at San Juan Bay.[24][25]USS Yale captured the Spanish freighterRita in San Juan Bay, thus being the first hostile encounter between the warring sides in Puerto Rico. On May 9,Yale fought a brief battle with anauxiliary cruiser of Spain, name unknown, resulting in a Spanish victory. Around this time, CaptainÁngel Rivero Méndez was assigned the command of the Spanish forces in the fortress ofSan Cristóbal in San Juan. On May 10,Yale returned to San Juan Bay, Rivero-Méndez ordered his men to open fire uponYale using an Ordoñez 15-centimeter cannon, thus becoming the first attack against the Americans in Puerto Rico during theSpanish–American War.[26]
For his actions, Captain Rivero-Méndez was awarded the "Cruz de la Orden de Mérito Militar" (The Cross of the Order of the Military Merit) first class.[26] The residents of San Juan were furious with Rivero and blamed him for the destruction caused to their city by the American bombardments. Nothing came of those accusations and Capt. Rivero-Méndez was ordered to turn over the keys of all the military installations in San Juan to CaptainHenry A. Reed of the U.S. Army after theTreaty of Paris of 1898 was signed.[26]
On July 25, GeneralNelson A. Miles landed atGuánica (in southwestern Puerto Rico) with 3,300 soldiers in what was known as thePuerto Rican Campaign. The American troops found some resistance and engaged the Spanish and Puerto Rican troops in battle, the most notable of these the battles ofYauco andAsomante. All military actions in Puerto Rico were suspended August 13, 1898, after PresidentWilliam McKinley and French AmbassadorJules Cambon, acting on behalf of the Spanish government, signed anarmistice.[27][28] Spain ceded the island to the United States later the same year by signing theTreaty of Paris.
Camp Las Casas, located in the district ofSanturce, served as the main training camp for the Puerto Rican soldiers prior to World War I and World War II; the majority of the men trained in this facility were assigned to the "Porto Rico Regiment of Infantry" which was renamed the65th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army by the Reorganization Act of June 4, 1920. The 65th Infantry was deactivated in 1956 and became the only unit ever to be transferred from an active Army component to thePuerto Rico National Guard.[29]
LieutenantTeófilo Marxuach (retired as a Lieutenant Colonel), a native ofArroyo, Puerto Rico, fired what is considered to be the first shot of World War I fired by the regular armed forces of the United States against any ship flying the colors of theCentral Powers.[30] Marxuach, who was a member of the "Porto Rico Regiment of Infantry" and Officer of the Day, on March 25, 1915, opened fire on theOdenwald, an armed German supply vessel, when it was trying to force its way out of San Juan's bay.[31] The shots ordered by Lt. Marxuach were the first fired by the United States in World War I.[32]
In 1919,Félix Rigau Carrera, "El Aguila de Sabana Grande" (The Eagle fromSabana Grande), the first Puerto Rican pilot, became the first native Puerto Rican to fly an aircraft in the island when he flew hisCurtiss JN-4 from Las Casas. At the time, the area was used by the military as an air base and it was also Puerto Rico's first commercial airport, and Rigau Carrera was allowed to perform his historic flight from the airfield.[33] Camp Las Casas was eventually closed down, and in 1950 a public housing project by the name ofResidencial Fray Bartolome de Las Casas was constructed on its former location.
On January 2, 1947, the people of San Juan electedFelisa Rincón de Gautier (also known as Doña Fela) (1897–1994) as their mayor. Thus, she became the first woman to be elected as the mayor of a capital city in any of the Americas.[34] During theCold War era, she ordered the establishment of the island's first Civil Defense system under the directorship of ColonelGilberto José Marxuach (Teófilo's son).[35] Rincón de Gautier served as mayor until January 2, 1969.On October 30, 1950, San Juan was the scene of theSan Juan Uprising, one of many uprisings which occurred in various towns and cities in Puerto Rico, by thePuerto Rican Nationalist Party against the governments of Puerto Rico and the United States. Among the uprising's main objective was to attack La Fortaleza and theUnited States Federal Court House Building inOld San Juan. The "La Fortaleza battle", which ensued between the nationalists and the police lasted 15 minutes and ended when four of the five attackers were killed.[36]
On September 20, 2017,Hurricane Maria made a direct impact in Puerto Rico, causing widespread damage and a collapse of the infrastructure in San Juan and the rest of Puerto Rico. The damage caused in 2017 was extensive, affecting the electricity, potable water supplies, transportation, and communication, but significant progress had been made in the capital by April 2019, and particularly by October 2019. This was significant for tourism, which had rebounded by October of that year and was close to the pre-Maria era.[40]
San Juan today remains an important cultural, financial and industrial center not only of Puerto Rico but of the Caribbean region. As the biggest industrial center of Puerto Rico, it is the home of industries such as tobacco processors, breweries, refining facilities for petroleum and sugar, and distillers of rum as well as manufacturers of metal products, cement, pharmaceuticals, and clothing.[41] ThePuerto Rico Convention Center, opened in 2005, is the largest of its kind in the Caribbean and one of the most advanced in the Americas.[42][43]
San Juan is located along the north-eastern coast of Puerto Rico in the Northern Plains region. It lies south of the Atlantic Ocean; north ofCaguas andTrujillo Alto; east ofGuaynabo; and west ofCarolina. The city occupies an area of 76.93 square miles (199.2 km2), of which, 29.11 square miles (75.4 km2) (37.83%) is water. San Juan's main water bodies areSan Juan Bay and two natural lagoons, theCondado andSan José.[44]
At almost 1,030 feet (314 m) above sea level, the highest point in the municipality of San Juan is located on an unnamed hill on theMorcelo sector ofCaimito, close to the municipal border withCaguas.[45]
The municipality of San Juan is surrounded by theSan Juan metropolitan area, particularly the highly urbanized municipalities ofGuaynabo,Trujillo Alto andCarolina. These municipalities, together withBayamón andCataño, form what is locally referred to as theÁrea Metro, the core of the wider San Juan metropolitan area. In total 41 municipalities are included in the entire metropolitan area extends throughout the island's northern coast and central eastern regions.[46][47]
San Juan has atropical monsoon climate (Am) with year-roundgrowing season. It has an average temperature of 81.0 °F (27.2 °C). Temperatures of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher are seen on an average 79 days annually, more commonly occurring during the wetter months of the northern summer, especially if the winds come from the south.[48]
In the winter, temperatures can drop to around 60 °F (16 °C). The average winter low is 71 °F (22 °C). The coolest temperature officially recorded was 60 °F (16 °C) on March 3, 1957, and the hottest was 98 °F (37 °C) on October 9, 1981.[49] The record cold daily maximum is 71 °F (22 °C) on February 4, 1935. The record warm daily minimum is 83 °F (28 °C) on August 11, 1995, the most recent of four occasions.[48]
With a mean minimum of 67 °F (19 C), San Juan is in USDA planthardiness zone 13B, which is the highest category. Rainfall is well-distributed throughout the year. The months of January, February, and March are the driest. As March averages just 1.95 inches (49.5 mm) of rain, the city falls under thetropical monsoon category.[50]
Rainfall averages 56.35 inches (1,431.3 mm), falling on an average of 161 days per year (13.4 monthly). Despite this dampness, the city averages 2,970 hours of sunshine per year, or just over2⁄3 of the possible total.[51] Annual rainfall has historically ranged from 35.53 in (902 mm) in 1991 to 89.50 in (2,273 mm) in 2010.[48]
As with other parts of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, San Juan is often blanketed by waves ofSaharan dust coming from theSahara across the Atlantic Ocean inNorthern Africa. Although beneficial to the tropical environment,[52] these dust storms have recently become hazardous to human health causing haze and overheating in urban areas of the island. Due to San Juan's relatively flat geography, the dust often settles in these flat coastal regions of Puerto Rico as its flow is blocked by the higher altitudeCordillera Central to the south, causing intense episodes of haze to settle for long periods of time, especially during periods of more scarce rainfall.[53] Recent advancements include early warning systems to prepare the population for these intense episodes by both local authorities and theEPA.[54]
Department of Defense vehicles traveling through a major highway in San Juan flooded with the Hurricane Maria rainfall
Hurricane Maria made landfall in southeastern Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017.[55][56] Gusts of up to 113 mph (182 km/h) were reported in the capital city shortly before landfall in the municipality ofYabucoa.[57] The municipality of San Juan experienced widespread flooding in most coastal areas, and roofs were blown off from numerous structures.[58][59] The neighborhood ofLa Perla was largely destroyed.[60] In the wider metropolitan area, flooding fromLake La Plata produced flash floods that trapped residents ofToa Baja, and inCataño the Juana Matos neighborhood was estimated to be 80% destroyed.[61] At least eight people died from the flooding, while many were unaccounted for.[62]
San Juan is home to numerousbeaches, all of which are open to the public.[66] All beaches of San Juan face the Atlantic Ocean. TheIslet of San Juan hosts Los Cables Beach and La Perla Beach next to theOld San Juan district ofLa Perla, the Capitolio Beach located immediately north of the Puerto Rico Capitol, Puerta de Tierra Beach along thePaseo de Puerta de Tierra, andEl Escambrón Beach at the northeastern edge of the islet. The latter is the most popular beach in the islet due to its shore being protected from the strong Atlantic Ocean waves by reefs that serve as naturalbreakwaters.[67] From east to west, the beaches in Santurce includeOcean Park Beach (also known as Último Trolley Beach),Condado Beach andPlayita del Condado. Ocean Park Beach and El Condado Beach are the largest in the city and they host a large number of hotels and businesses that cater to tourists and beachgoers.[68][69]
As with other beaches across Puerto Rico and the Caribbean,[70] the beaches of San Juan are currently under the threat ofcoastal erosion, particularly that of Ocean Park.[71] The threat has become more evident recently and there are currently no state reports dedicated to the documentation or mitigation planning, according to oceanographer and geologist Maritza Barreto.[72]
The district of theCapitol of Puerto Rico is home to the Iglesias Pantín and Rafael Hernández Marín parks, and a line of monuments located along Constitución Avenue which includes theWalkway of the Presidents, thePuerto Rico Police Memorial Monument andThe Holocaust Memorial Monument. TheLoma de los Vientos, orLoma del Viento (Spanish for "hill of winds"), is a small open green area located northwest of the Capitol, next toCastle San Cristóbal, and it often hosts events such as theEpiphany celebrations.[76]
Another historic district currently under revitalization is theSan Juan Waterworks historic district which contains the Old Piedras River Aqueduct. There are plans to revitalize the old aqueduct structures and its surroundings to create a historic park open to visitors and researchers.[79]
Some of the recreational parks of the municipality includeBahía Urbana, a waterfront park located in Old San Juan and Puerta de Tierra by the San Juan Bay; thePaseo de Puerta de Tierra, a recreational walkway along the Atlantic Ocean cliffs of Puerta de Tierra that connects the Puerto Rico Capitol withEl Escambrón Beach and Luis Muñoz Rivera Park.
Luis Muñoz Marín Park, La Merced Park, Dr. José N. Gándara Park, Santiago Iglesias Pantín Park are some of the parks located in Hato Rey.[81] Luis Muñoz Marín Park is one of the largest in the municipality. It is located in theGobernador Piñero district between Hato Rey andPuerto Nuevo. The park has gazebos that can be rented for events, green areas for strolls, biking and picnics, an artificial lake with paddleboats for rent ($6), and a number of playgrounds for children. Its main attraction is thecableway that crosses the park and offers scenic views of thePiedras River and the city while providing transportation to theRoberto Clemente Coliseum and theHiram Bithorn Stadium.[82]
The municipality of San Juan is home to various important ecosystems and preserved natural areas. Some of the ecosystems of theSan Juan Bay National Estuary, which is the only tropical estuary in theNational Estuary Program network, are protected by numerous nature reserves and protected areas such as theCaño Martín Peña Nature Reserve. Other areas protected under the San Juan Bay National Estuary includeEl Condado Lagoon, theSan José Lagoon andEl Boquerón where the San Antonio Creek and the Condado Lagoon connect with the Atlantic Ocean.[83]
The architecture of San Juan is very diverse, due to its size and all the cultural influences received during its existence. The oldest part of the city, known asOld San Juan, mostly features the influence ofSpanish architecture. This part of the city is comprised by a network of"setted" roads usually surrounded by colonial, two-storied houses built onmasonry. Some colonial structures have been restored and serve either as government offices or museums.[85] Some examples are theBallajá Barracks, which now serve as museum and headquarters of several cultural organizations;La Fortaleza, which has served as the residence of theGovernor of Puerto Rico since the 16th Century; and the Ancient Welfare Asylum, which now houses the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, among others. Old San Juan also features several public squares, like thePlaza de Armas, located in front of San Juan City Hall; and cathedrals, like theCathedral of San Juan Bautista.[85] Old San Juan is also notable for being partly enclosed bymassive walls and fortifications built by theSpanish government. The colonial Walls of the city of San Juan had five gates. The main was the Puerta de San Juan, today preserved, built in 1635. It also had the Puerta de San José, the Puerta de Santa Rosa, the Puerta de San Justo and the Puerta de Santiago, the latter built between 1635 and 1641 by Spanish Captain General Íñigo de la Mota Sarmiento.
The subdivisions of San JuanSan Juan and Rio Piedras as separate municipalities on a 1915 map
As with the other Puerto Rican municipalities, San Juan is administratively divided intobarrios. What is now known asOld San Juan occupied the western end of a rocky islet, theIsleta de San Juan, at the mouth of San Juan Bay. During the 20th century, the main population centers surged well beyond the walls of the old city and onto Puerto Rico's main island and merged with the existing settlements east and south of Old San Juan. Together withPuerta de Tierra, Old San Juan comprises the barrio ofSan Juan Antiguo.
With the annexation ofRío Piedras in 1951, the municipality of San Juan grew to four times its previous size. As a result, the municipality also went from 2 to 18 barrios (barrios),[93] 16 of which fall within the former municipality ofRío Piedras. Eight of the 18 barrios are further subdivided into subbarrios, including the two barrios (San Juan Antiguo andSanturce) that belonged to the original municipality of San Juan.
Some streets in Old San Juan are still paved with bluecobblestones from the Spanish colonial era
During the Spanish colonial times most of the urban population resided in what is today known asOld San Juan. This sector is located on the western half of a small island called theIsleta de San Juan, which is connected to the mainland by two bridges and acauseway. The small island, which comprises an area of 47 square miles (120 km2), also hosts the working-class neighborhood ofPuerta de Tierra and most of Puerto Rico'scentral government buildings, including theCommonwealth's Capitol. This is also the largest and most populatedsubbarrio of San Juan Antiguo.[94]
The main central part of the old city is characterized by narrow streets made of bluecobblestone and picturesque colonial buildings, some of which date back to the 16th and 17th century. Sections of the old city are surrounded by massive walls and several defensive structures and notable forts. These include the 16th-centuryFort San Felipe del Morro and the 17th-centuryFort San Cristóbal, both part ofSan Juan National Historic Site, and the 16th-centuryEl Palacio de Santa Catalina, also known asLa Fortaleza, which serves as the governor's mansion.[95]
Santurce is the largest and most populated barrio in the municipality of San Juan, and one of the most densely populated areas of the island (13,257.4 persons per square mile).[101] Santurce, originally namedSan Mateo de Cangrejos (Saint Matthew of the Crabs), was a settlement forfreed African slaves during the early days of the city. Santurce was a separate town until it was annexed to San Juan in 1863.[102] After Pablo Ubarri Capetillo, a Spanish railroad developer andCount of San José de Santurce under the Spanish colonial period, sought permission to link San Juan with Río Piedras proper via steam tramway in 1878, the time it took to travel between both points were shortened and thereby stimulated the colonization and growth of the district. At the beginning of the twentieth century an electric trolley was installed, the township was split into three parts, and its main settlement, merged with the city, was renamed using the Spanish spelling ofSanturtzi (Saint George in Basque), Ubarri's birthplace inVizcaya, Spain.Puerto Rico Museum of Art and other important cultural venues are located in Santurce.[103]
This barrio is further divided into subbarrios such as the tourist-oriented neighborhood ofCondado, which occupies land that used to be owned by Ubarri Capetillo. Beaches such as nearbyOcean Park, popular with swimmers,surfers andkitesurfers, are found all along the district's Atlantic coastline which is also the locus of numerous hotels.[104]Miramar is mainly a residential area rising south of the Condado Lagoon. It comprises the formerbarrio of Miraflores, as well as drained marshland and landfill over which was built San Juan's first airport, the Isla Grande airport, which was renamedFernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport in honor of MajorFernando Luis Ribas-Dominicci (USAF). Miramar now hosts thePuerto Rico Convention Center as well as some of San Juan Harbor's cruise ship piers. In 2005 Miramar was designated an historical district of Puerto Rico.[105]
Plaza de la Convalecencia inRío Piedras Pueblo (the historic downtown of Rio Piedras).
South of Santurce isHato Rey, part of the former municipality of Río Piedras. Hato Rey was grazing ground for cattle owned by the royal government (hence its name, theKing's Herd in Spanish) as early as the 16th century,[106] and is now considered the financial center of the island. A section of this district is often referred to asMilla de Oro (actually 0.47 miles or 0.76 kilometers long) due in part to the many banks and businesses located there.[106]
In the southern part of the city is the socially diversified community ofRío Piedras. Founded in the mid-1850s, Río Piedras was a separate town which hosted sugar cane plantations and the estates of some of San Juan's wealthiest inhabitants (as well as their working-class staff). The Spanish colonial governors also had their summer home there on land which eventually gave way to the main campus of theUniversity of Puerto Rico. In 1951 the municipalities of San Juan and Río Piedras were merged to redefine San Juan's current city limits. Today Río Piedras comprises the largest area of the municipality of San Juan.[107] and is home to the "Plaza del Mercado" (Río PiedrasMarketplace), the main campus and the Medical Sciences campus of theUniversity of Puerto Rico and theSan Juan Botanical Garden.
The municipality of San Juan has a population of 342,259 as of the 2020 US Census, making it thelargest in Puerto Rico,[109] and the57th largest in the United States and its territories.[110] From 1899 to 1950 the municipality of San Juan excluded the township of Río Piedras. For this reason, population data and land area for the period make reference only to the Antiguo San Juan and Santurcebarrios, or subdivisions, of San Juan. The old municipality of Río Piedras constituted the third most populated city of Puerto Rico at the time of its annexation in 1951. Its strategic location south of the capital served as a junction for all the principal ways of transportation of the island and as a geographical entry to San Juan, which are factors that prompted Río Piedras's dramatic urban development in the 20th century.[111]
Among the Hispanic and Latino population,Puerto Ricans are the largest group; they make up 87.5% of San Juan's Hispanic population. People ofDominican descent make up 7.6% of the Hispanic population, while those ofCuban descent form 1.7% of the Hispanic populace. Other Hispanic and Latino groups collectively form 3.2% of San Juan's Hispanic population.
There are 4,822 whites and 1,187 blacks of non-Hispanic origin living in San Juan. Non-Hispanic whites and blacks form 1.2% and 0.3% of San Juan's population respectively. There are also approximately 673 Asians of non-Hispanic origin in San Juan; they make up less than 0.1% of the population. However, Asians of Hispanic and non-Hispanic origin together number at 6,342.[113]
The vast majority of Asians in San Juan are ofChinese descent; of the 6,342 Asians, 4,928 are Chinese. Chinese comprise 1.4% of the population. The only other sizable Asian group in San Juan areIndian Americans; there are 698 people of Indian descent in the city, forming 0.2% of the population. There are very small numbers of people ofFilipino,Japanese, andVietnamese ancestry; none of these groups number more than 100 members.[113]
According to the 2006–2008 American Community Survey, 87.5% of San Juan's population was native and 12.5% were foreign-born. Of the native population, 86.9% were born in Puerto Rico or the U.S. proper, of which 75.6% were born in Puerto Rico and 8.9% were born in the U.S. The other 0.7% were born in a different U.S. territory or born abroad to American parents. The remaining 11.9% of the population were born outside the United States and U.S. territories.
In recent years, an increasing number of Americans not of Hispanic ancestry (both ofAfrican American and ofWhite American descent) have moved to San Juan. In addition, a large number ofStateside Puerto Ricans have settled in the city upon their return to Puerto Rico. There is also a growingWest Indian population, both of Hispanic and non-Hispanic origin.
San Juan today is home to the largestJewish community in Puerto Rico, and one of the largest Jewish communities in the Caribbean,[114] with more than 2,000 people attending two local synagogues inSanturce (theConservative Shaare Zedeck Synagogue and theReform Temple Beth Shalom)[115] and an additional synagogue (theChabad Jewish Center of Puerto Rico) inIsla Verde in neighboringCarolina.[116]
In terms of ancestry, 23,875 people claimed American ancestry, which is equivalent to 5.8% of San Juan's population. Other sizable ancestry groups included those ofItalian descent,French descent, andWest Indian descent. People of Italian descent numbered at 1,694, forming 0.4% of the population; people of French descent numbered at 1,064, forming 0.2% of the population. Finally, those of West Indian descent numbered at 1,393, forming 0.3% of San Juan's population. Approximately 1,026 people claimedSub-Saharan African ancestry; 719 claimedIrish ancestry; 646 claimedGerman ancestry; 431 claimedArab ancestry, and 346 claimedEnglish ancestry. There are many other ancestry groups in San Juan, but they are very scant.[117]
As of 2000, speakers ofEnglish as a first language accounted for 12.93% of the population.[118]
San Juan experienced significant economic growth followingWorld War II. During this period the city underwent an industrial revolution, although as of 1984 it had never generated its own economic region.[119][120] The city's economy relies mostly on companies dedicated to the manufacture of several products, including:chemical substances (bleach and house cleaning products); pharmaceuticals; rum and other beverages;fertilizers; electric tools;electronic devices; plastics,textiles, and food-based products.[120]
Tourism is also a key industry, based on San Juan's proximity to Puerto Rico's main airport, theLuis Muñoz Marín International Airport.[120]The tourism focus of the city is located in the district of Condado Beach where there are luxurious hotels.[120] Historical locations such as El Morro, Old San Juan and El Cuartel de Ballaja are promoted in tourism campaigns. The district of Hato Rey contains a corporate sector known asMilla de Oro (Golden Mile) which serves as the headquarters of local and international banks. San Juan's Hato Rey district is often referred to as the "Wall Street of the Caribbean", due to the influence of the area on Puerto Rico and the Caribbean's economy.[106]
Technological advances after World War II in the development of the airliner, coupled with the island's climate and natural setting, have transformed San Juan into the springboard for tourism around the island, and has made the rest of the Caribbean known throughout the world during the last fifty years.[123] Today the capital features hotels, museums, historical buildings, restaurants, parks, beaches and shopping centers. San Juan is the most visited city in Puerto Rico domestically and internationally, with approximately 12.2 million passengers arriving by air and 1.8 million cruise passengers arriving by sea in 2023 according to thePuerto Rico Tourism Company and thePuerto Rico Ports Authority.[124]
Old San Juan is often emphasized in tourism campaigns, promoting the historic nature of its colonial buildings and narrow streets covered by cobblestones, a blue stone cast from furnace slag; they were brought over as ballast on Spanish ships.[120] This includes the city's ancient defensive wall and forts, most notablyEl Morro and theCastillo San Cristóbal.[120] On January 23, 1984, both of these edifices together withLa Fortaleza andEl Cañuelo (in nearbyToa Baja) were included as aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site,[6] catalogued as being part of humanity's cultural patrimony as part of theNational Park Service-administeredSan Juan National Historic Site.[125] The restaurants and art galleries in the zone are visited by tourists and locals alike.[120]
Casa Bacardi in nearbyCataño is a popular tourist attraction for those visiting San Juan.
Outside of Old San Juan, the Puerto Rico Convention Center District (PRCC) includes thePuerto Rico Convention Center, which hosts a number of local and international events throughout the year such as thePuerto Rico Comic Con, the biggest of its kind in the Caribbean.[126] ThePRCC District also hosts a number of hotels, nightclubs, shops, cinemas, bars and restaurants,[127] theCoca-Cola Music Hall, and the Toro Verde Eco Adventure Park.[128]
An April 2019 report indicated that, by that time, repairs after Hurricane Maria were moving rapidly. Only a few hotels were still closed in San Juan and that life for tourists in and around the capital had, for the most part, returned to normal.[132] By October 2019, nearly all of the popular amenities for tourists, in the major destinations such as San Juan, Ponce and Arecibo, were in operation on the island and tourism was rebounding. This was important for the economy, since tourism provides up 10% of Puerto Rico's GDP, according to Discover Puerto Rico.[133]
In late November 2019, reports indicated that 90 calls to San Juan byRoyal Caribbean ships would be cancelled during 2020 and 2021. This step would mean 360,000 fewer visitors, with a loss to the island's economy of $44 million. As well, 30 ship departures from San Juan were being canceled.[134]
As the capital and most populous municipality of Puerto Rico, San Juan is a culturally vibrant city influenced by the heterogenous origins of Puerto Rican culture. The city is the birthplace of artists and musicians who have significantly influenced the arts, design, literature, music and pop culture of Puerto Rico. During the 20th century, the musical aspect of the city was influenced by performers includingAfro-Caribbean dancer and choreographerSylvia del Villard andJosé Enrique Pedreira who became a composer of Puerto RicanDanzas.
San Juan is host to numerous annual festivals and celebrations. The officialpatronal festival of the city is the summertimeFeast of Saint John (Fiestas de San Juan). The most famous event is theSan Sebastián Street Festival (Fiestas de la Calle de San Sebastián), celebrated yearly during the third weekend of January in Old San Juan. The event, originally a community festival coinciding with the feast day ofSaint Sebastian, has become an important part of Puerto Rican popular culture, being unofficially considered to mark the end of theChristmas and holiday season in the island. It is now one of the most popular and largest festivals in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, drawing around 200,000 visitors each year. Other annual festivals and events in San Juan include the Puerto Rico Heineken JazzFest in March, theCasals Festivals in April, Puerto Rico Comic Con in May, San JuanFashion Week in September, Puerto Rican Music Festival (Festival de la Música Puertorriqueña) in November, the city-wide events and activities of Christmas in San Juan (Navidad en San Juan) in December, and the New Year's Eve celebrations inDistrito T-Mobile.[136][137][138][139]
TheLuis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center (Spanish:Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré) hosts some of the most important musical and artistic events in Puerto Rico. It is home to thePuerto Rico Symphony Orchestra (PRSO) and hosts theCasals Festival, the most important classical music festival in the Caribbean. The venue also hosts theater and musical performances such asHamilton, which it hosted in 2019.[140] The Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico is a public music conservatory that hosts Puerto Rican and international students has a longstanding relationship with the classical music movement in the island. TheAteneo Puertorriqueño and the theater of theUniversity of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras also host important music events.
The city is also the home of contemporary and classic art museums. ThePuerto Rico Museum of Art hosts the largest collection of art in Puerto Rico, housing over 1,100 permanent art pieces and displaying temporary exhibitions containing artwork from various locations through Latin America.[141] ThePuerto Rico Museum of Contemporary Art, located in Santurce, specializes in contemporary artwork from Latin America and the Caribbean. The paintings displayed in the permanent exhibition are either acquired by the museum's administrative personnel or donated by artists and collectors. They are judged by a panel of painters, art critics, and scholars before being displayed.[142]
As one of Puerto Rico's 78municipalities, San Juan's government has two branches, the executive and the legislative. Those citizens eligible to vote directly elect theMayor of San Juan and the municipal assembly for four-year terms. The municipal government is housed inCity Hall orCasa Alcaldia, which is located at 153 San Francisco Street, facing thePlaza de Armas at the center ofOld San Juan.[148] City Hall was constructed based onMadrid's City Hall starting in 1604 and completed in 1789.[148]
In addition to running the city's day-to-day operations and supervising associated departments, the mayor is responsible for appointing a secretary-auditor and a treasurer. San Juan's Municipal Legislature is made up of 17 municipal legislators, elected at-large, which represent the city's population.[151]
San Juan's historic coat of arms during Spanish rule
Themunicipio has an official flag and coat of arms.[152]
On March 8, 1948, the city government of San Juan officially adopted as the city's first flag an orange field, in the center of which is the coat of arms of the city. The orange color was based and taken from FatherDiego de Torres Vargas' text and it reads:
"Escudo de armas dado a Puerto Rico por los Reyes Católicos en el año de 1511, siendo Procurador un vecino llamado Pedro Moreno. Son : un cordero blanco con su banderilla colorada, sobre un libro, y todo sobre una isla verde, que es la de Puerto Rico, y por los lados una F y una I, que quiere decir Fernando e Isabel, los Reyes Católicos que se las dieron, y hoy se conservan en el estandarte real, que es de damasco anaranjado, con que se ganó la ciudad".[153]
("Coat of arms given to Puerto Rico by theCatholic Monarchs in the year 1511 being Procurator avecino (citizen) named Pedro Moreno. They are a white lamb with a red flag, on top of a book, and everything above a green island, which is Puerto Rico...which is of orange damask, with which the city was won"). It appears that the color was changed from orange to white at some point.[154][153]
Law enforcement in San Juan is the joint responsibility of the Department of Police and Public Safety, also known as theSan Juan Police Department and thePuerto Rico Police Department.[158] The Municipal Police, originally known as the "San Juan Municipal Guard", was created in 1521 and had active military and law enforcement functions until 1980, when Act #77 created municipal law enforcement agencies in Puerto Rico. It employs over 1,000 sworn officers plus civilian staff.[159]
In 2010, there were 201 homicides in San Juan, a rate of around 50 per 100,000 residents. In 2019, there were 172 homicides, a rate of 53 per 100,000 residents.[160] In the 2019 bulletin ranking of the 50 most violent cities in the world, San Juan ranked as the 16th most violent in the world, with a rate of 54.01 murders per 100,000 inhabitants.[161] San Juan ranked as the 3rd most violent in the United States and its territories, afterSt. Louis andBaltimore.[162]
San Juan is also home to several of Puerto Rico's major radio stations:WKAQ 580 AM and105 FM, WPRM Salsoul 99.1 FM, WODA La Nueva 94 FM, Fidelity 95.7 FM, WSKN Radio Isla 1320 AM, WORO Radio Oro 92.5 FM, Salsa Hits Radio, WAPA Radio, WOYE Magic 97.3, WRTU Radio Universidad FM, WIPR 940 AM, Mix 107.7 FM, WTOK Hot 102, AZ Rock, Radio Antillas, etc.[166]
There are also several technical schools based in San Juan, including the Technological College of San Juan, theLiceo de Artes y Ciencias, Ramirez College of Business and Technology, and the Puerto Rico Technical Junior College. ThePuerto Rico Conservatory of Music and theSchool of Fine Arts in Old San Juan specialize in education that promotes the fine arts and music.[172]
As of the 2022–23 school year, there are 83 public schools serving 24,494 students in San Juan,[173] all of which are operated by thePuerto Rico Department of Education. Most of the specialized schools operated by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are located in San Juan. These schools emphasize topics such as Science and Math, Radio and Television, Arts, Trade, Music, and Sports, but also include other subjects such as Spanish, English, and Social Studies in their curriculum.
In addition to dozens of state-run elementary, intermediate, and high schools, the government of the city of San Juan operates two bilingual schools, including one sports-magnet school, the first municipal-run schools in Puerto Rico.[174] Several private schools are located in San Juan, including Robinson and St. John's schools in theCondado, Perpetuo Socorro inMiramar, St. John's Episcopal, Santa Mónica andAcademia San Jorge inSanturce, Commonwealth High School, La Merced and Espíritu Santo inHato Rey, Escuela Josefita Monserrate de Selles, San Antonio,Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola, San José inRío Piedras andCupeyville, St. Mary's, Boneville and Cupey Maria Montesory School in Cupey.
TheLuis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU), San Juan's primary commercial airport, is located eight miles (12.9 km) fromOld San Juan in the neighboring municipality ofCarolina. The airport accommodates more than 30 domestic and international airlines and is the busiest airport in theCaribbean. It is often referred to asThe Gateway to the Caribbean because it serves as the main connection to the island and the rest of the Caribbean for the United States and vice versa.[175]
The area's secondary airport is theFernando Ribas Dominicci Airport (SIG), located directly across theSan Antonio Channel (Caño San Antonio) from Old San Juan in theIsla Grande district.[176] Dominicci Airport is used mainly by general aviation aircraft, charter flights and some domestic commercial flights. It used to be the city's and also the island of Puerto Rico's main international gateway until the opening of Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport. It is now also widely used by the Isla Grande Flight School and Caribbean Flight Center, the only flight school on the island.
Puerto Rico Highway 26 (PR-26), also known asRomán Baldorioty de Castro Expressway, runs from Santurce to the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport andCarolina.
Puerto Rico Highway 28 (PR-28), also known asFrancisco José de Goya Avenue, runs from the Port of San Juan toBayamón.
At 4,300 vehicles per paved mile, San Juan has by far the highest density of vehicles on the road of any city in the world.[178] The city is served by five limited-access expressways and highways and numerous arterial avenues and boulevards but continues to suffer from severe traffic congestion.[179]
TheMetropolitan Bus Authority (Autoridad Metropolitana de Autobuses orAMA in Spanish) provides daily bus transportation to residents of San Juan, Guaynabo, Bayamón, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto, Cataño and Carolina through 30 fixed routes. Its fleet consists of 277 regular buses and 35 handicap-accessible buses. AMA's ridership is estimated at 112,000 on weekdays.[180]
The T5, 21 and 53 buses pass between Old San Juan, Condado and Isla Verde.
In an attempt to decrease vehicle dependency and road congestion, the city built ametro system dubbed "Tren Urbano" ("Urban Train"). The 10.7-mile (17.2 km) line connects to 16 stations.[181] The project, which opened in late 2004, cost $2.25 billion and was more than $1 billion over budget and four years late. The Tren Urbano has received less ridership than was originally projected and has not significantly reduced the city's automobile traffic, despite a reported 7.5% ridership increase in 2006 over 2005. There is a planned project to build an "interurban light rail system" connecting the cities ofSan Juan and Caguas.[182]
Increased investment in public transportation, however, has not changed the fact that San Juan is anautomobile-reliant city and its fast growth has sparkedurban sprawl. As of mid-2010, the government has approved plans for a redesign of this Puerto Rican city, featuring a newmass transit system, new roads and intersections, and more beach-access points.No cars will be allowed inside the oldest part of city (Old San Juan). The plans hope to remedy previous poor urban planning in the oldest section of the city, the Isleta, while curbing reliance on motor vehicles. The plans for redevelopment also hope to make the city more appealing in order to attract new residents, as San Juan has suffered from a shrinking population over the past 60 years.[183]
ThePort of San Juan is the fourth busiest seaport in the Western Hemisphere, ranked among the top 17 in the world in terms of container movement. It is also the largest home-based cruise port in the world with over a dozen cruise ships. It is the second busiest port in cruise volume after Miami.[citation needed] It is managed by thePuerto Rico Ports Authority.
San Juan has an elaborate system oftriage, hospital, and preventive care health services. The municipal government sponsors regular health fairs in different areas of the city focusing on health care for the elderly and the disabled. There are 20 hospitals in San Juan, half of them operated by the government. The largest hospital in San Juan and most important of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean[citation needed] is theRio Piedras Medical Center, orCentro Medico de Rio Piedras in Spanish. This hospital, founded in 1956, is operated by the Medical Services Administration of the Department of Health of Puerto Rico. It is made up of eight other hospitals.
San Juan Municipal Hospital: This hospital is operated by the San Juan municipal government.
Industrial Hospital: This is the hospital for Puerto Rico government employees, whether municipal or Commonwealth government employees. Normally, injured police officers and firefighters are cared for here.
San Juan Pediatric Hospital - Also operated by the San Juan municipal government.
Pediatric Hospital: Operated by the government of the Commonwealth, this is the main trauma hospital for pediatric cases.
Centro Médico: This is the main hospital for trauma cases for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
Centro Cardiovascular del Caribe (Caribbean Cardiovascular Center): This is the main hospital for open heart surgery in the Caribbean. It features a hotel for the patients' families.
Psychiatric Hospital: The main psychiatric hospital in Puerto Rico. Operated by the government of Puerto Rico.
Psychiatric Correctional Hospital: It is both a hospital and correctional facility. It is operated jointly by the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and the Medical Services Administration.
The city of San Juan operates 10 hospitals. Of these, nine are Diagnostic and Treatment Centers located in communities throughout San Juan. The main hospital is located at Centro Medico. These 10 hospitals are:
Teams based in San Juan have been notably successful in athletic competition. TheSanturce Crabbers won theNational Superior Basketball League championship in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003 during this period being recognized as a dynasty. The San Juan Senators and theSanturce Crabbers were the two major baseball teams in the city, winning the championship of thePuerto Rican Professional Baseball League a total of 17 times. The Santurce Crabbers are located third among teams with more championships in theCaribbean Series, winning championships in the 1951, 1953, 1955, 1993 and 2000 editions of the tournament. The city has also been the host of events within the sports community; some examples include:
In July 2007, the San Juan Golf Academy and its driving range began operating atop the city's former sanitary landfill inPuerto Nuevo, and will eventually include the city's first and only 9-hole golf course.
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
^Official records for San Juan were kept at downtown from November 1898 to December 1955 and at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport since January 1956.[63]
^www.whitehouse.gov Office of Management and Budget I The White House - Puerto Rico Metropolitan Statistical Area - Code 41980 -Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas as of 2013 Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
^"Station: San Juan L M Marin AP, PR RQ".U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived fromthe original on June 24, 2023. RetrievedJune 17, 2021.
^Iturrospe, Jon Fernández García de (November 20, 2015)."135 AÑOS DEL SANTURCE DE PUERTO RICO".Santurtzi historian zehar (in Spanish). RetrievedJuly 15, 2025.
^"General Info" (Archive).Seaborne Airlines. Retrieved on April 18, 2015. "Mailing Address: Seaborne Airlines World Plaza Building, 9th Floor 268 Muñoz Rivera Ave. San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918"
^Puerto Rico, Borinquen Querida - Authors; Roger A. LaBrucherie, Imágenes Press, (1992)ISBN0-939302-26-8
^"Nearly two years after Hurricane Maria devastation, Puerto Rico welcomes record number of tourists". USA Today. April 2, 2019.Archived from the original on November 27, 2019. RetrievedNovember 27, 2019.Brief power outages still hit occasionally as the government prepares to privatize an aging and poorly maintained grid that was destroyed by the hurricane, and water shortages have hit parts of Puerto Rico's north coast since 30 percent of the island is experiencing a moderate drought that is affecting 791,000 of its 3.2 million inhabitants.
^"Cruise Ship Visits to San Juan, Puerto Rico Are Being Canceled". Cruise Hive. November 27, 2019.Archived from the original on November 27, 2019. RetrievedNovember 27, 2019.Cruise ship visits to San Juan, Puerto Rico are being canceled for the 2020-21 season due to the privatization of the cruise port.
^"Colección Parmanente" (in Spanish). Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Puerto Rico. 2004.Archived from the original on June 23, 2012. RetrievedJune 11, 2007.
^ab"San Juan".LexJuris (Leyes y Jurisprudencia) de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). February 19, 2020.Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. RetrievedSeptember 17, 2020.
^"San Juan Bridges".National Bridge Inventory Data. US Dept. of Transportation.Archived from the original on October 3, 2020. RetrievedFebruary 20, 2019.
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