Barceloneta Municipio Autónomo de Barceloneta | |
|---|---|
Town andMunicipality | |
 Barceloneta in letters sculpture | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Nicknames: "La Ciudad de las Piñas", "La Ciudad Industrial," "El Pueblo de los Indios", "El Pueblo de Sixto Escobar" | |
| Anthem:"Querido Barceloneta" | |
 Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Barceloneta Municipality | |
| Coordinates:18°27′02″N66°32′19″W / 18.45056°N 66.53861°W /18.45056; -66.53861 | |
| Sovereign state |  United States |
| Commonwealth |  Puerto Rico |
| Settled | early 19th century |
| Founded | July 1, 1881 |
| Founded by | Bonocio Llenza Feliú |
| Named after | Barcelona |
| Barrios | |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Wanda Soler (PPD) |
| • Senatorial dist. | 3 - Arecibo |
| • Representative dist. | 13 |
| Area | |
• Total | 36.39 sq mi (94.24 km2) |
| • Land | 32 sq mi (82 km2) |
| • Water | 4.73 sq mi (12.24 km2) |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
• Total | 22,657 |
| • Rank | 56th in Puerto Rico |
| • Density | 720/sq mi (280/km2) |
| Demonym | Barcelonetences |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (AST) |
| ZIP Code | 00617 |
| Area code | 787/939 |
| Major routes |     |
Barceloneta (Spanish pronunciation:[baɾseloˈneta],locally[baɭseloˈneta]) is atown andmunicipality inPuerto Rico located in the north region, bordering theAtlantic Ocean, north ofFlorida (city and municipality in Puerto Rico), east ofArecibo, and west ofManatí. Barceloneta is spread over 3 barrios andBarceloneta Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of theSan Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The name ofBarceloneta ("LittleBarcelona") is derived from theSpanish city, from where the town's founder originated.Barceloneta is also the name of a beach and neighborhood of Barcelona.[2]
Barceloneta was founded on July 1, 1881 by Bonocio Llenza Feliú,[3] an immigrant fromBarcelona,Spain. Barceloneta was one of the last municipalities created by theSpanish Government in Puerto Rico.[2][4]
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 Barceloneta was 9,357.
About a decade after its foundation, the town had a significant economic development led byagriculture and industry. By 1894, there were threesugarcane estates, 93 sugar mills, and the production of other fruits.[5]Because of its location next to theRío Grande de Manatí, Barceloneta was known for many years as a site of important port activity, for shipment ofsugar andsalt, as well as passengers toNew York City andBarcelona. Bonocio's son was the owner of asail ship that made those routes.[3]
In 1899, Barceloneta requested to be annexed to the town ofManatí. An election was scheduled for August 14, 1899 to decide the matter. However, on August 8, the island suffered the effects ofHurricane San Ciriaco, which prevented the elections from being held. The following year, GovernorGeorge Whitefield Davis ordered the annexation of Barceloneta into Manatí. The annexation was short-lived. Eleven years later, the government reinstated Barceloneta as a municipality.[6]
AfterCentral Plazuela, a large sugar cane mill, closed in 1963, Barceloneta started reinforcing its agricultural economy withpineapples and other minor fruits. Efforts to revive the economy were not too successful, until pharmaceutical industries established themselves in the town during the 1970s.[7] For a time, Barceloneta supplied all of theViagra for North America.[8]
Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017 causing large-scale damage and destruction to infrastructure.[9][10] In Barceloneta, some homes and establishments along the coast were flooded with up to 15 feet of water, and nearly all wooden homes were destroyed.[11]
The Municipality of Barceloneta sits on theNorthern Karst region of Puerto Rico, on the shores of theAtlantic Ocean. It is bordered by the municipalities ofArecibo,Florida, andManatí. In terms of physical features, the municipality occupies a roughly rectangular area in the northern coast of the island. It has a surface area of 36.4 square miles (94.24 km2).[7]
Barceloneta's terrain is predominantly plain. Since it is located in the karst region, it features hills,ponors, and caves. Near the coast, the terrain is occupied by theCaño Tiburones wetlands.[12]
Updated flood zone maps (as of 2019) show that Barceloneta is extremely vulnerable toflooding, along withHumacao,Rincón,Toa Baja, andCorozal. For its many wetlands, Barceloneta ends up being extremely vulnerable when hit by a major hurricane.[13]
TheRío Grande de Manatí travels across the municipalities of Manatí and Barceloneta and drains into theAtlantic Ocean. Barceloneta also features theCaño Tiburones, a natural reserve.[7][12][14]
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Barceloneta is subdivided intobarrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a small barrio referred to as"el pueblo", near the center of the municipality.[15][16][17]
Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable tominor civil divisions)[18] and subbarrios,[19] are further subdivided into smaller areas calledsectores (sectors in English). The types ofsectores may vary, from normallysector tourbanización toreparto tobarriada toresidencial, among others.[20][21][22]
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 Barceloneta: Abra del Pimiento, Abra los Caballos, Cité Sector in Garrochales, Palenque, and Seboruco.[23]
There are six beaches in Barceloneta including ablack sand beach calledMachuca.[24]
Barceloneta has many places of interest.[25]
To stimulate local tourism during theCOVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico, thePuerto Rico Tourism Company launched theVoy Turistiendo (I'm Touring) campaign in 2021. The campaign featured a passport book with a page for each municipality. TheVoy Turisteando Barceloneta passport page listsMalecón de la Boca,Antiguo Hospital Bonocio Llenza Feliú,La Mirada del Taíno,Semilla (foragritourism), andPlaya Arena Negra, as places of interest.[26]
Barceloneta celebrates itspatron saint festival in mid-July, generally from Wednesday to Sunday. TheFiestas Patronales de la Virgen del Carmen is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.[25] The festival has featured live performances by well-known artists such asOdilio González,La Sonora Ponceña,Pedro Capó,Andrés Jiménez,José Alberto "El Canario" andTito Nieves.[27]
Barceloneta has the biggest pharmaceutical complex in the world (14 industries). These companies have chosen Barceloneta to establish their facilities for its underground water reservoirs. The water in Barceloneta requires very little treatment for use in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical products.[7]
The employment created by these companies, along with a well-developed plan for urban growth, has allowed Barceloneta to be more than simply a town where people go to work.Puerto Rico Premium Outlets, near theexpressway, have made the town into a destination for shopping and consumerism and consequently a place for investment in food chains and entertainment. Increased employment opportunities have also caused an increase in population in Barceloneta and its surrounding municipalities.
Barceloneta is also known for its black sand beaches.[28]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 9,357 | — | |
| 1910 | 11,644 | 24.4% | |
| 1920 | 13,442 | 15.4% | |
| 1930 | 15,751 | 17.2% | |
| 1940 | 18,545 | 17.7% | |
| 1950 | 19,897 | 7.3% | |
| 1960 | 19,334 | −2.8% | |
| 1970 | 20,792 | 7.5% | |
| 1980 | 18,942 | −8.9% | |
| 1990 | 20,947 | 10.6% | |
| 2000 | 22,322 | 6.6% | |
| 2010 | 24,816 | 11.2% | |
| 2020 | 22,657 | −8.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[29] 1899 (shown as 1900)[30] 1910-1930[31] 1930-1950[32] 1960-2000[33] 2010[16]2020[34] | |||
Barceloneta is known for its political stability. MayorSol Luis Fontanes held the mayor's seat for thePopular Democratic Party (PPD) from 1986 until 2012. He assumed the role after the sudden death of elected mayorHéctor Ruíz Martínez, also of the PPD. After that, Fontánes was elected by only a narrow margin (49.2% vs. 48.6%), but he gained popularity with time. At the2008 general elections, Fontánes received more than 70% of the votes and his margin of victory was one of the biggest of that election.[36][37] However, on 2012, Fontánes was arrested on charges ofextortion, after 24 years as mayor. He resigned on March 1, 2012 while in prison.[38] In 2012,Wanda Soler was elected as Fontánes replacement.[25] She was reelected in 2024 for her fourth term.[39]
The city belongs to thePuerto Rico Senatorial district III, which is represented by two senators. In 2024,Brenda Pérez Soto and Gabriel González were elected as District Senators.[40]
Themunicipio has an official flag and coat of arms.[41]
The flag of Barceloneta is a variation of the flag ofBarcelona inSpain, from where the town borrows its name. It features four fields, two of them bearing thecross of Saint George (in Catalan,Sant Jordi), with fivered and yellow bars in vertical direction to the right of each cross. These are all symbols pertaining to the city ofBarcelona, and the community ofCatalonia, where it is located, since the town was founded by aCatalan immigrant. The remaining two fields in the flag are blue, representing theAtlantic Ocean, which lies to the north of Barceloneta.[2][12][42][43]
Barceloneta's coat of arms is similar to the flag, since it features the sameCatalan symbols. However, it features threesugarcane flowers (guajanas) on top of the blue fields. The sugarcane flowers symbolize the source of life of the oldagricultural economy of Barceloneta. The blue symbolizes the beaches and marine ports that contributed to the industry and commerce of the town. Like many coat of arms, it features a crown with three towers.[2]
Barceloneta is referred to as"La Ciudad de las Piñas" (Pineapple City) for its manypineapple plantations. It is also known as"La Ciudad Industrial" (Industrial City) for its many industries, mainlypharmaceutical.[44]
Other names are"Ciudad de los Indios" (City of the Indians) and"Pueblo deSixto Escobar" (Town of Sixto Escobar) for being the birthplace of the Puerto Rican boxer.[citation needed]
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Barceloneta has recently added the use of trolley cars, free of charge, for local transport within the town itself. For travel outside Barceloneta, there is a station forcarros publicos (public car transportation), which is a type of taxi.
There are 9 bridges in Barceloneta.[45]
Places in Barceloneta:
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Places adjacent to Barceloneta, Puerto Rico | ||||||||||||||||
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Media from Commons
Travel guides from Wikivoyage
Data from Wikidata| International | |
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