Luquillo Municipio de Luquillo | |
|---|---|
Town andMunicipality | |
 High rise buildings in Luquillo | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Nicknames: "Capital del Sol", "La Riviera de Puerto Rico", "Los Come Cocos" | |
| Anthem:"Junto a las costas del mar Atlántico" | |
 Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Luquillo Municipality | |
| Coordinates:18°22′21″N65°43′00″W / 18.37250°N 65.71667°W /18.37250; -65.71667 | |
| Sovereign state |  United States |
| Commonwealth |  Puerto Rico |
| Settled | 1719 |
| Founded | October 26, 1797 |
| Barrios | |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jesús Márquez Rodríguez (PPD) |
| • Senatorial dist. | 8 - Carolina |
| • Representative dist. | 36 |
| Area | |
• Total | 34.26 sq mi (88.73 km2) |
| • Land | 26 sq mi (68 km2) |
| • Water | 8.00 sq mi (20.73 km2) |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
• Total | 17,781 |
| • Rank | 64th in Puerto Rico |
| • Density | 680/sq mi (260/km2) |
| Demonym | Luquillenses or Luquillanos |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (AST) |
| ZIP Code | 00773 |
| Area code | 787/939 |
| Major routes |   |
Luquillo (Spanish pronunciation:[luˈkiʎo]) is atown andmunicipality ofPuerto Rico located in the northeast coast, northwest ofFajardo; and east ofRio Grande. Luquillo is spread over 5 barrios andLuquillo Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It lends its name to theSierra de Luquillo, whereEl Yunque National Forest is located. It is part of theFajardo Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The city of Luquillo is 26 square miles and it sits on 12 miles ofAtlantic coastline. It is nestled between the blue waters of the Atlantic and theEl Yunque National Forest, arainforest, giving it a diverse and unique ecology. Luquillo marks the beginning of theNortheast Ecological Corridor Nature Reserve which runs down the coast from downtown Luquillo all the way down to the Seven Seas Beach inFajardo. During certain times of the year, it is not unusual to encounter rare orendangered species of fauna (like theleatherback turtle) while visiting in Luquillo.[2]
Luquillo was founded in 1797 and is known as "La Capital del Sol" (Capital of the Sun), "La Riviera de Puerto Rico" (the Puerto Rican Riviera), and "Los Come Cocos" (thecoconut eaters). Legend says that the town was named after the Indian caciqueLoquillo, who died a few years after the last Indian rebellion in 1513. However, the word Luquillo most likely originates fromYukiyu, the Taino name forEl Yunque, most likely meaning "white mountain" (i.e. foggy mountain).In 1989,Hurricane Hugo damaged the town.
On September 20, 2017Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico. In Luquillo, rivers were breached, there were landslides, the electrical power collapsed, and 1100 homes were destroyed or damaged. Incidents of looting and assaults were reported in the aftermath of the storm.[3][4][5]
Luquillo is located on the northeast coast.[6]
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Luquillo 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, in contemporary times, roughly comparable tominor 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 Luquillo: Barrio Pitahaya, Sector Santo Domingo, Mata de Plátano, Río Chiquito, and Sector Fortuna Playa.[16][17]
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(March 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
There are 14 beaches in Luquillo includingLa Pared.[18]La Pared, which translates to "The Wall", is considered a dangerous beach.[19] The coastal highway going east fromSan Juan, leads toLuquillo Beach, officially known as La Monserrate Beach (Balneario de la Monserrate). It spans a mile and contains a large plantation of coconut palms. It is equipped with various facilities, including a cafeteria and showers.
Luquillo celebrates itspatron saint festival in March. TheFiestas Patronales de San Jose is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.[6][20]
Other festivals and events celebrated in Luquillo include:
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 6,251 | — | |
| 1930 | 7,799 | 24.8% | |
| 1940 | 8,851 | 13.5% | |
| 1950 | 9,967 | 12.6% | |
| 1960 | 8,582 | −13.9% | |
| 1970 | 10,390 | 21.1% | |
| 1980 | 14,895 | 43.4% | |
| 1990 | 18,100 | 21.5% | |
| 2000 | 19,817 | 9.5% | |
| 2010 | 20,068 | 1.3% | |
| 2020 | 17,781 | −11.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[23] 1920-1930[24] 1930-1950[25] 1960-2000[26] 2010[9]2020[27] | |||
| Ethnicity - Luquillo, Puerto Rico - 2005[29] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Population | % of Total |
| White | 10,112 | 57.4% |
| Black/African American | 4,345 | 23.7% |
| American Indian andAlaska Native | 120 | 0.6% |
| Asian | 62 | 0.3% |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 3 | 0.0% |
| Some other race | 2,933 | 14.8% |
| Two or more races | 610 | 3.1% |
Like all municipalities in Puerto Rico, Luquillo is administered by a mayor. The current mayor isJesús Márquez Rodríguez, who was first elected at the2012 general election.
The city belongs to thePuerto Rico Senatorial district VIII, which is represented by two Senators. In 2024,Marissa Jiménez andHéctor Joaquín Sánchez Álvarez were elected as District Senators.[30]
There is no public transportation in Luquillo, and residents and visitors rely onUber or Luquillo Taxi & Tours Puerto Rico LLCLuquillo Taxi for service.
There are 20 bridges in Luquillo.[31]
PR-3 is the main road through Luquillo. Other municipality roads include PR-983, PR-988, PR-991 and PR-940.[31]
Themunicipio has an official flag and coat of arms.[32]
It consists of three horizontal stripes, the blue top and green bottom are double of width of the yellow central stripe. Blue makes reference to the sky and the sea; yellow represents the sand of its beaches and green represents the vegetation of themountains. In the center stripe resides the coat of arms of the municipality superimposed and surrounded by two palm tree leaves crossed at the bottom.[33]
In a gold background a centered mountain range with three green mountains is accompanied at the bottom by a bay with blue and silver waves; the top portion of the shield in blue, has three iris branches. Above the shield resides a three tower gold crown. Surrounding the shield by its flanks are two palms trees leaves crossed at the bottom.[33]
Places adjacent to Luquillo, Puerto Rico | |
|---|---|
Media from Commons
Travel guides from Wikivoyage
Data from Wikidata| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
