Santa Isabel Municipio Autónomo de Santa Isabel | |
|---|---|
Town andMunicipality | |
 Skyline of Jauca 2 barrio in Santa Isabel | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Nicknames: Tierra de Campeones, La Ciudad de los Potros Capital de la Agricultura | |
| Anthem:"En un pedazo del sur estás presente" | |
 Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Santa Isabel Municipality | |
| Coordinates:17°57′58″N66°24′18″W / 17.96611°N 66.40500°W /17.96611; -66.40500 | |
| Sovereign state |  United States |
| Commonwealth |  Puerto Rico |
| Settled | 1801 |
| Founded | October 5, 1842 |
| Founded by | Don Juan de la Cruz, and Antonio Vélez |
| Named after | Saint Isabelle of France |
| Barrios | |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Meldwin Rivera Rodríguez (PNP) |
| • Senatorial dist. | 6 - Guayama |
| • Representative dist. | 27 |
| Area | |
• Total | 34.3 sq mi (88.9 km2) |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
• Total | 20,281 |
| • Rank | 60th in Puerto Rico |
| • Density | 591/sq mi (228/km2) |
| Demonym | Santaisabelinos |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (AST) |
| ZIP Code | 00757 |
| Area code | 787/939 |
| Major routes |       |
Santa Isabel (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈsantajsaˈβel]) is atown andmunicipality ofPuerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south ofCoamo; east ofJuana Díaz; and west ofSalinas. Santa Isabel is spread over 7 barrios andSanta Isabel Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center). It is the principal city of the Santa IsabelMicropolitan Statistical Area and is part of thePonce-Yauco-Coamo Combined Statistical Area.
Santa Isabel is known asThe Capital of Agriculture,[2]La Ciudad de los Potros ("City ofColts") due to the number ofpotreros (orracehorsestud farms) in the area.
Before being founded, the area where Santa Isabel is located today was part of the boundary between thecacicazgos (orTaíno regions) ofGuaynia andGuayama. During theSpanish conquest and settlement ofBorinquen, the area became key to thesettlement and agriculture ofCoamo which at the time was the second town to be founded in the southern part of the island.[3] Numerousestancias were established in the region during the time to cultivate "frutos menores" or small crops for local use such as rice, corn, beans androot vegetables. The area whereCentral Cortada is located was originally calledEstanciaDescalabrado, and was owned byCatalan settler Juan de Quintana from 1737.[4]
The municipality of Santa Isabel was officially founded on October 5, 1842, by Antonio Vélez. Vélez led a group of residents to obtain independence from the municipality of Coamo, which Santa Isabel was originally a part of.[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 the United States. In 1899, the United States conducted its firstcensus of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Santa Isabel was 4,858.
On September 20, 2017Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico. In Santa Isabel, close to 500 people had to be rescued, the agriculture was leveled. The strong winds, 15 inches of rain, and rivers that crested, caused an estimated 12,000 homes to be completely or partially destroyed.[2]
Santa Isabel is on the southern coast.[6]
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Santa Isabel is subdivided intobarrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as"el pueblo".[7][8][9][10]
Barrios (which are likeminor civil divisions)[11] and subbarrios,[12] are further subdivided into smaller areas calledsectores (sectors in English). The types ofsectores may vary, from normallysector tourbanización toreparto tobarriada toresidencial, among others.[13][14][15]
Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount ofsocial 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 barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Santa Isabel: Playita Cortada, Sector Islote,[16] Sector Canta Sapo, Sector Descalabrado, Sector El Río, Sector Florida, Sector la Pica, Sector Villa Pote, and Sector Villa Pulga (Villa del Mar).[17]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 4,858 | — | |
| 1910 | 6,959 | 43.2% | |
| 1920 | 7,257 | 4.3% | |
| 1930 | 8,886 | 22.4% | |
| 1940 | 11,468 | 29.1% | |
| 1950 | 13,478 | 17.5% | |
| 1960 | 14,542 | 7.9% | |
| 1970 | 16,056 | 10.4% | |
| 1980 | 19,854 | 23.7% | |
| 1990 | 19,318 | −2.7% | |
| 2000 | 21,665 | 12.1% | |
| 2010 | 23,274 | 7.4% | |
| 2020 | 20,281 | −12.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[18] 1899 (shown as 1900)[19] 1910-1930[20] 1930-1950[21] 1960-2000[22] 2010[9]2020[23] | |||
As of the2020 United States Decennial Census, Santa Isabel had a population of 20,281 residents, a decrease from the2010 Census when the population was of 23,274 residents. In 2020, the racial makeup of the municipality was 50.2% White, 33.3% Black, 13.4% two or more races, and 0.1% Native American. The majority of the population, 99.8%, are Hispanic or Latino of any race, and 0.2% are non-Hispanic White residents.[25]
There are 29 beaches in Santa Isabel.[26]Some of the main attractions of Santa Isabel are:
Santa Isabel has three listings in theUnited States National Register of Historic Places:
The surrounding areas produces fruits and vegetables such as mango,guineo and avocado.[27] Campo Fresco, a Puerto Rican company, owns a plant in Santa Isabel, from where they produceJugos Lotus juice and other drink brands.[28]
Aerospace, electrical and electronic, metal products and nutritional products.
Santa Isabel celebrates itspatron saint festival in July. TheFiestas Patronales de Santiago Apostol is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.[6]
Other festivals and events celebrated in Santa Isabel include:
Santa Isabel is known asTierra de Campeones (Land of Champions) because of its rich sports tradition (especially inBaseball). The city is home to the Santa Isabel Potros baseball team. The Potros won the 1992 National Championship of theFederación de Béisbol Aficionado de Puerto Rico. The team plays its home games at Estadio Municipal Luis Guillermo Moreno.
All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. The current mayor of Santa Isabel isMeldwin Rivera Rodríguez, of theNew Progressive Party (PNP). He was first elected at the2024 general elections.
The city belongs to thePuerto Rico Senatorial district VI, which is represented by two Senators. In 2024,Rafael Santos Ortiz andWilmer Reyes Berríos were elected as District Senators.[29]
There are 12 bridges in Santa Isabel.[30]
Themunicipio has an official flag and coat of arms.[31]
The flag is divided horizontally into three stripes; white at the top, yellow in the center and red at the bottom, and may be decorated withsugarcane stems.[32]
The crown stands for Saint-QueenElizabeth of Hungary (Isabel inSpanish), patroness of theThird Order of Saint Francis. The shells are a symbol ofSt. James the patron saint of the town, as well as for the many shells found in the beaches near the town.[32]
Places adjacent to Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico | ||||||||||||||||
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Media from Commons
Travel guides from Wikivoyage
Data from Wikidata| International | |
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