Río Piedras | |
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.jpg) Nuestra Señora del Pilar Parish  La Convalecencia Public Square  Institute of Tropical Forestry inSan Juan Botanical Garden | |
 Map of former municipality of Río Piedras | |
 Interactive map of Río Piedras | |
| Coordinates:18°23′44″N66°02′45″W / 18.39556°N 66.04583°W /18.39556; -66.04583 | |
| Commonwealth |  Puerto Rico |
| Municipality |  San Juan |
| Barrio | Pueblo,Universidad,Hato Rey Sur,El Cinco, andMonacillo Urbano |
Río Piedras (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈrioˈpjeðɾas]) (Spanish for ''stones river'') is a highly urbanized commercial and residential district inSan Juan, the capitalmunicipality ofPuerto Rico. Adjacent to theHato Rey business center and concentrated in thebarrios ofPueblo,Universidad,Hato Rey Sur,El Cinco, andMonacillo Urbano, it is about 4 to 7miles (6.4 to 11.3 km) from theOld San Juan historic quarter,Condado andIsla Verde resort areas, andSJU airport. It has been the home of themain campus of theUniversity of Puerto Rico since 1903,[1] earning the popular name ofCiudad Universitaria (college town).[2] The largest health institution in thearchipelago, theCentro Médico de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Medical Center), is also located within its limits. Named after the river that flows through it, theRío Piedras (''stones river''), the district was thedowntown center of a former municipality with the same name that was merged into San Juan in 1951.
The district is namedRío Piedras (''stones river'') after thePiedras River, which is within its territorial limits.Río Piedras was also the name of the formermunicipality (1823–1950)[2] for which the district was the downtown and historic center before it was merged with the adjacent municipality ofSan Juan in 1951.
The area where Río Piedras is located today was previously settled by theTaíno, and archaeological sites have been uncovered nearby inCarolina.[3] The town was founded asEl Roble and was officially recognized by Spanish Governor Juan de Rivera in 1714. It was settled on the intersection of thePiedras River and the Juan Méndez Creek (part of thePuerto Nuevo River basin).[4] The town eventually adopted the name of that river,Pueblo de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Río Piedras, and was proclaimed a municipality in 1823, when the city hall andplaza (main town square) were built.
During the nineteenth century, most of its territory was used for agricultural and livestock-raising purposes.Sugar cane, cotton and coffee were some of the goods produced during this era at the municipality. A road connecting Río Piedras toSan Juan was built during this time, along with the first church,Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Pilar, at the site of the modern townplaza. TheCamino Real, precursor to the Carretera Central, connected Río Piedras with Caguas and to southern Puerto Rico, was also built before the end of the century.[2] Its location along theCamino Real between the walled city of San Juan and the rest of the island turned Río Piedras into a commercial hub and junction between the Spanish colonial government and the rest of Puerto Rico.[2]
TheUniversity of Puerto Rico was founded in Río Piedras on May 12, 1903[5] with funds diverted from the formerEscuela Normal Industrial (Normal Industrial School). TheUniversity of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus today one of the largest universities in Puerto Rico. The university was a central part of the commercial and residential development of Río Piedras.[6][2] TheUniversity Botanical Gardens are also located in Río Piedras.[7]
The municipality of Río Piedras became part of the capital city of San Juan on July 1, 1951, after the approval ofProject 177 by theHouse of Representatives of Puerto Rico.[8] Following the annexation of Río Piedras, the city ofSan Juan, quadrupled its former size, becoming the largest city in Puerto Rico.[9] With a population of 143,989 in 1950, Río Piedras was the most populous municipality in Puerto Rico before its consolidation with San Juan. The last mayor of the municipality of Río Piedras was Ángeles Méndez de López Corver.[2] The former downtown area of the municipality is today part of thebarrio (district) ofPueblo inSan Juan, more popularly known asRío Piedras Antiguo (Old Río Piedras) andRío Piedras Pueblo (downtown Río Piedras), and it still preserves its former city hall, town square or plaza, and its cathedral,Catedral de San Juan Bautista.[2]
In July 1980, it was revealed by then Mayor Hernán Padilla, that Calle De Diego, one of the roads with the greatest commercial movement and traffic congestion in Río Piedras, would be converted into a Pedestrian Walkway in the following year. Padilla indicated that the construction of the Pedestrian Walkway, which would extend from the street Ferrocarril to Ponce de Leon Avenue, including a portion of Calle del Carmen, would cost around $1.5 million.[10]
On December 5, 1981, the first phase of Paseo De Diego, built by Redondo Construction at a cost of $1,100,000, would be delivered to the Mayor of San Juan before December 18, the date of its official inauguration, four months before the original expected completion time. This would be possible despite the fact that the project had been carried out with the public passing through and shops open. It would have two ornamental fountains, four clocks, attractive light fixtures, and 42 trees that would complement the appearance of Paseo De Diego, which had all the details of a mall, but outdoors.[11] It would officially inaugurate on December 18, of that year.[12]
On November 5, 1983, located on the Paseo de Diego, a 90,000 square foot shopping centerPlaza de Diego Mall, would inaugurate with three levels. The first two levels would count with 13 stores, and the third would count with 13 food establishments. It would be developed by Plaza de Diego Shopping Center, Inc., and designed by Huyke, Colón y Asociados.[13][14]
The flag of Río Piedras consists of a yellow cloth with a wavy blue stripe. The stripe has small white stones crossing it, and symbolizes theriver that gave its name to the former town. The yellow background represents the sun, progress, and the future.
The region is mostly flat due to its location in the Northern Coastal Plains of the island. The highest regions are located at the south, mainly in theCaimito andCupey barrios. TheRío Piedras (or Piedras River) which gives name to the area crosses the region.
| Climate data for Río Piedras, Puerto Rico (San Juan Botanical Garden) 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1959–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 94 (34) | 95 (35) | 95 (35) | 97 (36) | 97 (36) | 97 (36) | 98 (37) | 98 (37) | 99 (37) | 98 (37) | 95 (35) | 92 (33) | 99 (37) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 84.8 (29.3) | 85.5 (29.7) | 86.0 (30.0) | 87.1 (30.6) | 88.5 (31.4) | 90.2 (32.3) | 89.9 (32.2) | 90.4 (32.4) | 90.2 (32.3) | 89.6 (32.0) | 86.8 (30.4) | 85.6 (29.8) | 87.9 (31.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 75.4 (24.1) | 75.3 (24.1) | 76.0 (24.4) | 77.7 (25.4) | 79.7 (26.5) | 81.0 (27.2) | 81.1 (27.3) | 81.9 (27.7) | 81.4 (27.4) | 80.7 (27.1) | 78.0 (25.6) | 76.6 (24.8) | 78.7 (25.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 66.0 (18.9) | 65.1 (18.4) | 65.9 (18.8) | 68.3 (20.2) | 70.8 (21.6) | 71.8 (22.1) | 72.3 (22.4) | 73.3 (22.9) | 72.6 (22.6) | 71.8 (22.1) | 69.2 (20.7) | 67.6 (19.8) | 69.6 (20.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 50 (10) | 49 (9) | 50 (10) | 60 (16) | 59 (15) | 60 (16) | 60 (16) | 62 (17) | 62 (17) | 60 (16) | 55 (13) | 55 (13) | 49 (9) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 5.47 (139) | 3.42 (87) | 3.95 (100) | 5.55 (141) | 7.52 (191) | 4.59 (117) | 8.02 (204) | 6.92 (176) | 8.30 (211) | 7.04 (179) | 9.72 (247) | 5.39 (137) | 75.89 (1,928) |
| Source:NOAA[15][16][17] | |||||||||||||
By 1948, Río Piedras had the following 12 urban barrios:[18]
Buen Consejo, Capetillo, and Río Piedras Antiguo made up the original urban area of the municipality of Río Piedras.
The rural zone, 42% of Río Piedras in 1948, were the following six barrios:
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 13,760 | — | |
| 1910 | 18,880 | 37.2% | |
| 1920 | 23,035 | 22.0% | |
| 1930 | 40,853 | 77.4% | |
| 1940 | 68,290 | 67.2% | |
| 1950 | 143,989 | 110.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[19] 1899 (shown as 1900)[20] 1910–1930[21] 1930–1950[22] 1960–2000[23] 2010[24] | |||
Tourism spots in Río Piedras include:[26]
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Río Piedras first mayor was Juan de la Cruz in 1814. The last mayor of the municipality of Río Piedras was Ángeles Méndez de López Corver.
ThePuerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation operates the Hogar Intermedio para Mujeres inRío Piedras, which opened in 1996.[27]
Río Piedras is perhaps more known for being the site of the main campus of theUniversity of Puerto Rico. Located indowntown Río Piedras, the university has more than 20,000 students enrolled and a faculty of more than 1,000.[citation needed]
Other universities located in what was known as Río Piedras are thePolytechnic University of Puerto Rico and theInteramerican University of Puerto Rico, Metropolitan Campus.
Río Piedras also has several public and private schools distributed through several regions. Public education is handled by thePuerto Rico Department of Education.
Río Piedras is served by theTren Urbanometro system with stations at theUniversity of Puerto Rico andRío Piedras in downtown Río Piedras. Even though these two stations are considered the current stations at Río Piedras, most of the stops of the train in the municipality of San Juan are located in areas that were part of the municipality of Río Piedras prior to 1951.[28]
At the heart of Río Piedras lies theAvenida José de Diego, a one-kilometerpedestrianized street with stores and shops. TheRío Piedras Plaza del Mercado (the oldmarketplace) is the largest of its kind on the island and features a series of shops that offer goods and services, and it is also popular with students of the university.
Ponce de León Avenue is popular with bookstores and small theaters and with students, faculty, and intellectuals in the community.
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City ofSan Juan,Puerto Rico | ||
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