Río Grande, Puerto Rico

"Galateo" redirects here. For "Il Galateo," the 16th century book of manners, see Il Galateo.
Río Grande, Puerto Rico
Municipality

Flag
Nickname(s): La Ciudad del Yunque
Anthem: "Entre las ondas que juguetean"

Location of Río Grande in Puerto Rico
Coordinates: 18°22′49″N 65°49′53″W / 18.38028°N 65.83139°W / 18.38028; -65.83139Coordinates: 18°22′49″N 65°49′53″W / 18.38028°N 65.83139°W / 18.38028; -65.83139
Country United States
Territory Puerto Rico
Founded July 25, 1840
Government
 • Mayor Hon. Angel "Bori" González (PPD)
 • Senatorial dist. 8 - Carolina
 • Representative dist. 36,37
Area
 • Total 89.6 sq mi (232.11 km2)
 • Land 60.7 sq mi (157.28 km2)
 • Water 28.9 sq mi (74.83 km2)
Population (2010)
 • Total 54,304
 • Density 610/sq mi (230/km2)
Demonym(s) Riograndeños
Time zone AST (UTC-4)
Zip code 00721, 00745

Río Grande (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈri.o ˈɣɾande], Big River) is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Northern Coastal Valley, north of Las Piedras, Naguabo and Ceiba; east of Loíza and Canóvanas and west of Luquillo. Río Grande is spread over eight wards and Río Grande Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Río Grande was founded on July 16, 1840, by Desiderio and Quilimaco Escobar, with the approbation of governor Miguel López. It was named after the Río Grande and is located where the Río Grande and the Río Espíritu Santo (Holy Spirit) join.

Cityscape

Barrios

  • Ciénaga Alta[1] - 4,606
  • Ciénaga Baja - 18,220
  • Guzmán Abajo - 6,614
  • Guzmán Arriba - 928
  • Herreras - 839
  • Jiménez - 2,903
  • Mameyes II - 2,919
  • Río Grande Pueblo
  • Zarzal - 13,385

Tourism

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 include Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Resort and Gran Melia Puerto Rico Resort. Every March, the Trump International Golf Club plays host to the PGA Tour's Puerto Rico Open.

Within a ten-minute drive is El Yunque National Forest, the only tropical rain forest within the United States National Forest System and a finalist in the New 7 Wonders of Nature receiving thousands of votes from around the globe at www.n7w.com.

Hotels


Landmarks and places of interest

Economy

Agriculture

Fruits, ornamental plants, vegetables, and cattle.

Business

Local retail stores are aside highway PR-3. Large shopping centers were not present mainly due to the closeness of the Canóvanas shopping district area. However, there is one large shopping mall located on 65th Infantry expressway and 956th street. Because it is relatively new, many of its spaces are not leased yet. Together both cities are growing economically very fast and becoming the eastern economic bloc of the northeastern area of Puerto Rico attracting hotels, shopping malls, sport venues among others. Another thing that is making Río Grande more attractive to tourists and businesses alike is the newly constructed and opened Route 66 (or Ruta 66), which makes it a lot more accessible and more appealing to home buyers.

Industry

Manufacture of textiles.

Culture

Festivals and events

Sports

Baseball, basketball and handball are popular sports in Río Grande. Also many play tennis.

Government

Like all municipalities in Puerto Rico, Río Grande is administered by a mayor. The current mayor is Angel "Bori" González, who was elected in a special election on September 14, 2014. González is replacing Eduard Rivera Correa, who was elected at the 2004 general election. However, Rivera Correa stepped down from office after being indicted on federal charges.[2]

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VIII, which is represented by two senators. In 2012, Pedro A. Rodríguez and Luis Daniel Rivera were elected as District Senators.[3]

Flag

The Río Grande flag consists of two horizontal stripes of equal size united by a white triangle placed on the side of the mast. On the white triangle is a Puerto Rican parrot.

Coat of arms

In a silver field, two Puerto 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.

Books

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://welcome.topuertorico.org/maps/riogrande.pdf
  2. ↑ Criollo Oquero, Agustín (September 14, 2014). "Ángel "Bori" González es el nuevo alcalde de Río Grande". El Nuevo Día. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  3. ↑ Elecciones Generales 2012: Escrutinio General on CEEPUR
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