Río Grande Municipio de Río Grande | |
|---|---|
City andmunicipality | |
 Trees in Mameyes II, Río Grande | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Nickname: "La Ciudad de El Yunque" | |
| Anthem: "Entre las ondas que juguetean" | |
 Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Río Grande Municipality | |
| Coordinates:18°22′49″N65°49′53″W / 18.38028°N 65.83139°W /18.38028; -65.83139 | |
| Sovereign state |  United States |
| Commonwealth |  Puerto Rico |
| Settled | 1820 |
| Founded | July 16, 1840 |
| Founded by | Don Desiderio Escobar |
| Barrios | |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Hon. Angel "Bori" González (PPD) |
| • Senatorial dist. | 8 - Carolina |
| • Representative dist. | 36,37 |
| Area | |
• Total | 89.62 sq mi (232.11 km2) |
| • Land | 60.73 sq mi (157.28 km2) |
| • Water | 28.89 sq mi (74.83 km2) |
| Elevation | 23 ft (7.0 m) |
| Population (2020)[2] | |
• Total | 47,538 |
| • Rank | 16th in Puerto Rico |
| • Density | 782.83/sq mi (302.25/km2) |
| Demonym | Riograndeños |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (AST) |
| ZIP Codes | 00721, 00745 |
| Area code | 787/939 |
| Major routes |       |
Río Grande (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈri.oˈɣɾande]) is atown andmunicipality ofPuerto Rico located on the eastern edge of the Northern Coastal Valley, north ofLas Piedras,Naguabo andCeiba; east ofLoíza andCanóvanas and west ofLuquillo. Río Grande is spread over eight barrios andRío Grande Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of theSan Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area. A big portion ofEl Yunque National Forest, includingEl Yunque's peak, is located within the municipality.
Río Grande was founded on July 16, 1840, by Desiderio and Quilimaco Escobar, with the approval of Governor Miguel López. It was named after theRío Grande and is located where the Río Grande and theRío Espíritu Santo join.
In 1894, there were two sugar canehaciendas and 256estancias growing minor fruits.[3]
Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017, triggered numerous landslides in Río Grande with the significant amount of rainfall.[4][5] Infrastructure was destroyed, trees were ripped out of the ground, and rivers were breached causing property losses to approximately 5000 people. Of thePuerto Rican amazon, 230 in captivity did survive.[6]
Río Grande is on the northeastern coast of the island north of theSierra de Luquillo.[7] A large portion ofEl Yunque National Forest and some of the highest points of the Sierra de Luquillo are located within Río Grande includingEl Yunque andEl Toro, which at 3,474 feet (1,070 m) is the highest point in eastern Puerto Rico.
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Río Grande is subdivided intobarrios (which meanbarrios orboroughs orneighborhoods in Spanish). The municipal buildings, central square and a large Catholic church are located in a small, central barrio called barrio-pueblo or simplyPueblo.[8][9][10]
Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable tominor civil divisions)[11] are further subdivided into smaller areas calledsectores(sectors in English). The types ofsectores may vary, from normallysector tourbanización toreparto tobarriada toresidencial, among others.[12][13][14][15][16][17]
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 Río Grande: Sector Montebello and Sector El Hoyo in Malpica, Las Dolores, La Ponderosa, Villa Realidad, Estancias del Sol, and Hong Kong.[18][19]
In 1894, while aSpanish colony, the population of Río Grande was 6,237.[3] 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, the United States conducted its firstcensus of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Río Grande was 12,365.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 12,365 | — | |
| 1910 | 13,948 | 12.8% | |
| 1920 | 13,247 | −5.0% | |
| 1930 | 14,085 | 6.3% | |
| 1940 | 16,116 | 14.4% | |
| 1950 | 16,651 | 3.3% | |
| 1960 | 17,233 | 3.5% | |
| 1970 | 22,032 | 27.8% | |
| 1980 | 34,283 | 55.6% | |
| 1990 | 45,648 | 33.2% | |
| 2000 | 52,362 | 14.7% | |
| 2010 | 54,304 | 3.7% | |
| 2020 | 47,060 | −13.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[20] 1899 (shown as 1900)[21] 1910-1930[22] 1930-1950[23] 1960-2000[24] 2010[9]2020[25] | |||
Río Grande is home to one of the largest secluded areas with beach access (Coco Beach) on the entire island. Major hotels in the area includeWyndhamGrand Rio Mar Resort andHyatt Regency Grand Reserve. Every March, Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve plays host to thePGA Tour's Puerto Rico Open.[27]
Within a ten-minute drive isEl Yunque National Forest, the only tropical rain forest within theUnited States National Forest System.[28]
There are 27 beaches in Río Grande.[29]Main attractions of Río Grande are:
The municipality has agricultural activity that produces fruits, vegetables, ornamental plants, tobacco, and cattle.[30]
Local retail stores are aside highwayPR-3. There is one large shopping mall located on 65th Infantry expressway and 956th street. The northeastern area of Puerto Rico has attracted hotels, shopping malls, sport venues among others. In 2012 thePuerto Rico Highway 66, which provides easy access toSan Juan, was opened which runs along the municipality.
In 2019, volunteers and police who formed a group calledConsejo Comunitario de Seguridad de Río Piedras celebrated their 32nd year aiding local businesses with security issues. This group works to ensure the safety and security of business patrons in the downtown area of Río Piedras.[31]
Río Grande celebrates itspatron saint festival in July. TheFiestas Patronales de Nuestra Señora del Carmen is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.[7]
Other festivals and events celebrated in Río Grande include:
Baseball,basketball and handball are popular sports in Río Grande.
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Río Grande include:
Like all municipalities in Puerto Rico, Río Grande is administered by a mayor. The current mayor is Angel "Bori" González, who was first elected in a special election on September 14, 2014, and has since been re-elected three times, most recently at the2024 Puerto Rican general elections.[32]
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.[33]
There are 48 bridges in Río Grande.[34]
Themunicipio has an official flag and coat of arms.[35]
The Río Grande flag consists of two horizontal stripes of equal size, upper one is green with lower one been blue, and united by a white triangle placed on the side of the mast. On the white triangle is a Puerto Rican parrot.[36]
In a silver field, twoPuerto Rican parrot (Amazona vitatta), accompanied by a waving blue stripe, a green mountain with three peaks. The top portion of the shield is blue, with an opened silver book, accompanied on each side by five gold coins. Topped by a three tower gold crown outlined in black with green openings.[36]
Sites around Río Grande:
Places adjacent to Río Grande, Puerto Rico | |
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Media from Commons
Travel guides from Wikivoyage
Data from Wikidata| International | |
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