Barceloneta (, ) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

located in the north region, bordering the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, north of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

(city and municipality in Puerto Rico), east of Arecibo, and west of Manatí. Barceloneta is spread over 3 barrios and Barceloneta Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology and nicknames

The name of ''Barceloneta'' ("Little

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

") is derived from the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

city, from where the town's founder originated. '' Barceloneta'' is also the name of a beach and neighborhood of Barcelona.

History

Barceloneta was founded on July 1, 1881 by Bonocio Llenza Feliú, an immigrant from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. Barceloneta was one of the last municipalities created by the

Spanish Government gl, Goberno de España eu, Espainiako Gobernua , image = , caption = Logo of the Government of Spain , headerstyle = background-color: #efefef , label1 = Role , data1 = Executive power , label2 = Established , d ...

in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico was ceded by

in the aftermath of the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

under the terms of the

Treaty of Paris of 1898 The Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, commonly known as the Treaty of Paris of 1898 ( fil, Kasunduan sa Paris ng 1898; es, Tratado de París de 1898), was a treaty signed by Spain and the United Stat ...

and became a territory of the United States. In 1899, the United States conducted its first

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

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 by

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

and industry. By 1894, there were three

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus '' Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalk ...

estates, 93 sugar mills, and the production of other fruits. Because of its location next to the

Río Grande de Manatí The Manatí River (Spanish: Río Grande de Manatí) is a river in Puerto Rico, which flows through several northern municipalities of the island. The river is named after the municipality of Manatí where the river mouth is located. Description ...

, Barceloneta was known for many years as a site of important port activity, for shipment of

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or do ...

and

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

, as well as passengers to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and

. Bonocio's son was the owner of a

sail ship A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing square-rigged or fore-and-aft sails. Some ships car ...

that made those routes. In 1899, Barceloneta requested to be annexed to the town of Manatí. An election was scheduled for August 14, 1899 to decide the matter. However, on August 8, the island suffered the effects of Hurricane San Ciriaco, which prevented the elections from being held. The following year, Governor

George Whitefield Davis George Whitefield Davis (July 26, 1839 – July 12, 1918) was an engineer and major general in the United States Army. He also served as a military governor of Puerto Rico and as the first military Governor of the Panama Canal Zone. Military c ...

ordered the annexation of Barceloneta into Manatí. The annexation was short-lived. Eleven years later, the government reinstated Barceloneta as a municipality. After Central Plazuela, a large sugar cane mill, closed in 1963, Barceloneta started reinforcing its agricultural economy with

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

s and other minor fruits. Efforts to revive the economy were not too successful, until pharmaceutical industries established themselves in the town during the 1970s. For a time, Barceloneta supplied all of the

Viagra Sildenafil, sold under the brand name Viagra, among others, is a medication used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension. It is unclear if it is effective for treating sexual dysfunction in women. It is taken by ...

for North America..

Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria was a deadly Category 5 hurricane that devastated the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly Dominica, Saint Croix, and Puerto Rico. It is regarded as the worst natural disaster in recorded history to affect ...

struck Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017 causing large-scale damage and destruction to infrastructure. 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.

Geography

The Municipality of Barceloneta sits on the Northern Karst region of Puerto Rico, on the shores of the

. It is bordered by the municipalities of Arecibo,

, and Manatí. 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). Barceloneta's terrain is predominantly plain. Since it is located in the karst region, it features hills,

ponor A ponor is a natural opening where surface water enters into underground passages; they may be found in karst landscapes where the geology and the geomorphology is typically dominated by porous limestone rock. Ponors can drain stream or lake wate ...

s, and caves. Near the coast, the terrain is occupied by the Caño Tiburones wetlands.Barceloneta, Puerto Rico
on BoricuaOnline.com Updated flood zone maps (as of 2019) show that Barceloneta is extremely vulnerable to

flooding A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...

, along with Humacao, Rincón, Toa Baja, and Corozal. For its many wetlands, Barceloneta ends up being extremely vulnerable when hit by a major hurricane.

Water features

The

travels across the municipalities of Manatí and Barceloneta and drains into the

. Barceloneta also features the Caño Tiburones, a natural reserve.

Barrios

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Barceloneta is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a small barrio referred to as , near the center of the municipality. #

Barceloneta barrio-pueblo Barceloneta barrio-pueblo is a Barrios of Puerto Rico, barrio and the administrative center (Seat of government, seat) of Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, Barceloneta, a municipality of Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 435. As was customary in Sp ...

# Florida Afuera # Garrochales # Palmas Altas

Sectors

Barrios (which are like

minor civil divisions A minor civil division (MCD) is a term used by the United States Census Bureau for primary governmental and/or administrative divisions of a county or county-equivalent, typically a municipal government such as a city, town, or civil township. MCD ...

) and subbarrios, in turn, are further subdivided into smaller local populated place areas/units called sectores (''sectors'' in English). The types of ''sectores'' may vary, from normally ''sector'' to ''urbanización'' to ''reparto'' to ''barriada'' to ''residencial'', among others.

Special Communities

(Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of

social exclusion Social exclusion or social marginalisation is the social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of society. It is a term that has been used widely in Europe and was first used in France in the late 20th century. It is used across discipline ...

. 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.

Tourism

Landmarks and places of interest

There are six beaches in Barceloneta including a

black sand beach Black sand is sand that is black in color. One type of black sand is a heavy, glossy, partly magnetic mixture of usually fine sands containing minerals such as magnetite, found as part of a placer deposit. Another type of black sand, found on ...

called . Barceloneta has many places of interest. *''Antiguo Muelle'' (the old seaport) *

Cambalache Forest Reserve Cambalache State Forest and Reserve (Spanish: ''Bosque estatal de Cambalache'', also referred to as ''Parque nacional de Cambalache'') is a nature reserve and one of the 20 state forests in the territory of Puerto Rico. The Cambalache State For ...

* Caño Tiburones marshland *La Monserrate Refinery Ruins *Las Criollas Beach *Marqués de la Esperanza Hacienda Ruins *Palmas Altas Beach *

Sixto Escobar Sixto Escobar (March 23, 1913 – November 17, 1979) was a Puerto Rican professional boxer. Competing in the bantamweight division, he became Puerto Rico's first world champion. Escobar was born in Barceloneta and raised in San Juan. There he ...

Museum *Centro Cultural de Barceloneta: Located in the heart of the city, the museum is dedicated to the culture and history of Barceloneta. Also features a collection of archaeological artifacts and Taino pieces. To stimulate local tourism during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico The COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is part of the ongoing COVID-19 pand ...

, the

Puerto Rico Tourism Company The Puerto Rico Tourism Company ( es, Compañía de Turismo de Puerto Rico, or simply ''Turismo'') is the government-owned corporation in charge of tourism matters and regulations in Puerto Rico. The company was created during Governor Luis A. F ...

launched the ''Voy Turistiendo'' (I'm Touring) campaign in 2021. The campaign featured a passport book with a page for each municipality. The Barceloneta passport page lists , , , (for

agritourism Agritourism or agrotourism involves any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. Types A 2018 article published in the ''Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development'' classified a ...

), and , as places of interest.

Culture

Sports

Festivals

Barceloneta celebrates its

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

festival in July. The is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

Economy

Barceloneta has the biggest pharmaceutical complex in the world (14 industries). It is known that these companies have chosen Barceloneta to establish their facilities for its underground water reservoirs. The water in Barceloneta is so pure that it requires very little treatment for use in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical products. 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, conveniently placed near the expressway, have made the town into a favorite destination for shopping and consuming, and consequently a prime 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 looking at a future with tourism. Barceloneta is also famous for its blue sand beaches, due to the high iron content found in the sand.

Demographics

Government

Barceloneta is known for its political stability. Mayor Sol Luis Fontánes held the mayor's seat for the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) from 1986 until 2012. She assumed the role after the sudden death of elected mayor Héctor 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 the 2008 general elections, Fontánes received more than 70% of the votes and his margin of victory was one of the biggest of that election. However, on 2012, Fontánes was arrested on charges of

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...

, after 24 years as mayor. He resigned on March 1, 2012 while in prison. In 2012, Wanda Soler was elected as Fontánes replacement. She was reelected in 2020 for her third term with 75% of the vote. The city belongs to the

Puerto Rico Senatorial district III Puerto Rico Senatorial District III, also known as the Senatorial District of Arecibo, is one of the eight senatorial districts of Puerto Rico. It is currently represented by José Pérez Rosa and Angel Martínez (both from the New Progressive ...

, which is represented by two senators. In 2008, José Emilio González and Angel Martínez were elected as district senators.

Names and symbols

The has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag

The flag of Barceloneta is a variation of the flag of

, from where the town borrows its name. It features four fields, two of them bearing the cross of Saint George (in Catalan, ''Sant Jordi''), with five red and yellow bars in vertical direction to the right of each cross. These are all symbols pertaining to the city of

, and the community of

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...

, where it is located, since the town was founded by a

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

immigrant. The remaining two fields in the flag are blue, representing the

, which lies to the north of Barceloneta.

Coat of arms

Barceloneta's coat of arms is similar to the flag, since it features the same

symbols. However, it features three sugarcane flowers (''guajanas'') on top of the blue fields. The sugarcane flowers symbolize the source of life of the old

agricultural economy Agricultural economics is an applied field of economics concerned with the application of economic theory in optimizing the production and distribution of food and fiber products. Agricultural economics began as a branch of economics that speci ...

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.

Nicknames

Barceloneta is referred to as ''"La Ciudad de las Piñas"'' (Pineapple City) for its many

plantations. It is also known as ''"La Ciudad Industrial"'' (Industrial City) for its many industries, mainly

pharmaceutical A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and ...

. Other names are ''"Ciudad de los Indios"'' (City of the Indians) and ''"Pueblo de

"'' (Town of Sixto Escobar) for being the birthplace of the Puerto Rican boxer.

Education

Transportation

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 for ''carros publicos'' (public car transportation), which is a type of taxi. There are 9 bridges in Barceloneta.

Gallery

Places in Barceloneta: Coast scene at Barceloneta.jpg, The coast City Hall in Barceloneta barrio-pueblo (right side).jpg, City Hall in Barceloneta barrio-pueblo Statue of Sixto Escobar in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico.jpg, Statue of Sixto Escobar Welcome to Barceloneta, Puerto Rico.jpg, Welcome to Barceloneta sign Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, thank you for visiting message on rock wall.jpg, Thank you for visiting message on rock wall Signs for PR-140 and PR-684 in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico.jpg, Signs for PR-140 and PR-684

References

External links

BarcelonetaPR.com Spanish website by Santiago A. Villanueva
{{Authority control Municipalities of Puerto Rico Populated coastal places in Puerto Rico Populated places established in 1881 San Juan–Caguas–Guaynabo metropolitan area 1881 establishments in the Spanish Empire