Santa Isabel () 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 southern coast of the island, south of

Coamo Coamo (, ) is a town and municipality founded in 1579 in the south-central region of Puerto Rico, located north of Santa Isabel; south of Orocovis and Barranquitas; east of Villalba and Juana Díaz; and west of Aibonito and Salinas. Coamo ...

; east of Juana Díaz; and west of Salinas. Santa Isabel is spread over 7 barrios and Santa Isabel Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center). It is the principal city of the Santa Isabel Micropolitan Statistical Area and is part of the Ponce-Yauco-Coamo Combined Statistical Area. Santa Isabel is known as ''The Capital of Agriculture'', ''La Ciudad de los Potros'' ("City of Colts") due to the number of ''potreros'' (or

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

stud farms) in the area.

History

Central Cortada in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico

Before being founded, the area where Santa Isabel is located today was part of the boundary between the '' cacicazgos'' (or

Taíno The Taíno were a historic Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in the ...

regions) of Guaynia and

Guayama Guayama (, ), officially the Autonomous Municipality of Guayama ( es, Municipio Autónomo de Guayama) is a city and municipality on the Caribbean coast of Puerto Rico. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 36,614. It is the ce ...

. During the

Spanish conquest The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its predece ...

and settlement of

Borinquen 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 ...

, the area became key to the

settlement Settlement may refer to: * Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building *Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction *Settlement (fin ...

and agriculture of

which at the time was the second town to be founded in the southern part of the island. Numerous '' estancias'' were established in the region during the time to cultivate "''frutos menores''" or small crops for local use such as rice, corn, beans and root vegetables. The area where Central Cortada is located was originally called ''Estancia Descalabrado,'' and was owned by

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 ...

settler Juan de Quintana from 1737. The municipality of Santa Isabel was officially founded on October 5, 1842, by Antonio Vélez. Vélez led a group of residents to obtain independence from the municipality of Coamo, which Santa Isabel was originally a part of. Puerto Rico was ceded by

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") , ...

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 Santa Isabel was 4,858. On September 20, 2017

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 the island of Puerto Rico. In Santa Isabel, close to 500 people had to be rescued, the agriculture was leveled. The strong winds, 15 inches of rain, and rivers that crested, caused an estimated 12,000 homes to be completely or partially destroyed.

Geography

Santa Isabel is on the southern coast. *

Aguirre State Forest The Aguirre State Forest (in es, Bosque Estatal de Aguirre) is a nature reserve on the south coast of Puerto Rico and one of the commonwealth's 20 state forests. It mainly consists of mangroves and floodplain forests, and it borders the Jobos ...

(Punta Petrona Nature Reserve) *Rivers: Cayures,

, Descalabrado and Jueyes.

Barrios

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Santa Isabel is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as . #

Boca Velázquez Boca Velázquez is a barrio in the municipality of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 2,705. History Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 a ...

# Descalabrado # Felicia 1 # Felicia 2 #

Jauca 1 Jauca 1 is a barrio in the municipality of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 2,177. History Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and be ...

# Jauca 2 # Playa #

Santa Isabel barrio-pueblo Santa Isabel barrio-pueblo is a barrio and the administrative center (seat) of Santa Isabel, a municipality of Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 5,133. As was customary in Spain, in Puerto Rico, the municipality has a barrio called ''pue ...

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 Santa Isabel: Playita Cortada, Sector Islote, Sector Canta Sapo, Sector Descalabrado, Sector El Río, Sector Florida, Sector la Pica, Sector Villa Pote, and Sector Villa Pulga (Villa del Mar).

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States Decennial Census, Santa Isabel had a population of 20,281 residents, a decrease from the 2010 Census when the population was of 23,274 residents. In 2020, the racial makeup of the municipality was 50.2% White, 33.3% Black, 13.4% two or more races, and 0.1% Native American. The majority of the population, 99.8%, are Hispanic or Latino of any race, and 0.2% are non-Hispanic White residents.

Tourism

Landmarks and places of interest

There are 29 beaches in Santa Isabel. Some of the main attractions of Santa Isabel are: *''El Malecón'' (boardwalk) *Indian Museum *Jauca Beach *Hacienda Alomar Ruins * Central Cortada (Cortada Sugarcane Refinery) Santa Isabel has two listings in the

United States National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

: * Dr. Martin G. Brumbaugh Graded School * Las Tres Haciendas irrigation system

Economy

Agriculture

The surrounding areas produces fruits and vegetables such as mango,

guineo Guineos (pronounced ) usually refers to an unripe banana. The term guineo is sometimes used in reference to its ripened counterpart: the yellow (ripened) banana. The word ''Guineo'' comes from Guinea, a country in West Africa, as it is one of th ...

and avocado. Campo Fresco, a Puerto Rican company, owns a plant in Santa Isabel, from where they produce Jugos Lotus juice and other drink brands.

Industry

Aerospace, electrical and electronic, metal products and nutritional products.

Culture

Festivals and Events

Santa Isabel 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. Other festivals and events celebrated in Santa Isabel include: *''Agroferia'' Santa Isabel - April *''Carnaval de Baloncesto'' Barrio Ollas - July *City Foundation Anniversary - October *''Encendido Navideño Barriada Felicia, Calle Elifaz Ostolaza'' - November

Schools

Elementary

*Escuela Martín G. Brumbaugh *Escuela John F. Kennedy *Escuela Esther Rivera *Escuela Ana L. Rosa Tricoche *Escuela Apolonia Valentín *Escuela Ana Valldejuly *Escuela Emilio Casas

Middle school

*Escuela Manuel Martín Monserrate

High school

*Escuela Elvira M. Colón

Second Units

*Escuela S.U. Pedro Meléndez (Playita Cortada)

Private Education

*Colegio Evangélico Fuente De Sabiduría (K-6) *Colegio LOGOS

Sports

Santa Isabel is known as ''Tierra de Campeones'' (Land of Champions) because of its rich sports tradition (especially in

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

). The city is home to the Santa Isabel Potros baseball team. The Potros won the 1992 National Championship of the

Federación de Béisbol Aficionado de Puerto Rico ' ("Double-A Baseball"), governed by the ' (Puerto Rico Amateur Baseball Federation), is a Puerto Rican amateur baseball spring and summer baseball league, founded in 1940 and based in San Juan. The season normally starts in mid to late Februa ...

. The team plays its home games at Estadio Municipal Luis Guillermo Moreno. * Class A Baseball Teams (Wild Passages of Paso Seco, Marlins de Felicia and Jueueros de Jauca) * Double A Baseball Team (Ponies of Santa Isabel) * Basketball Carnival (Ollas neighborhood) - July * Interbarrio Children's Basketball League - August–November * Sporting Goods Store (BBB Sports) * Double A Youth Baseball Team (Potritos U19) * Soccer Teams (Santa Isabel Soccer Club) * Collegiate Volleyball (UAGM Santa Isabel)

Government

All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. Enrique "Quique" Questell (of the New Progressive Party) was elected at the 2004 general election and served from 2005. Questell lost to Rafael "Billy" Burgos Santiago in the November 2020 elections. The city belongs to the

Puerto Rico Senatorial district VI Puerto Rico Senatorial District VI, also known as the Senatorial District of Guayama, is one of the eight senatorial districts of Puerto Rico. It is currently represented by Miguel Pereira Castillo and Angel M. Rodríguez (from the Popular Demo ...

, which is represented by two senators. In 2012,

Miguel Pereira Castillo Miguel A. Pereira Castillo (born September 26, 1947) is a Puerto Rican politician, attorney, and public servant. Throughout his career, he has served in various government positions like Director of the Puerto Rico Ports Authority, Superintenden ...

and

Angel M. Rodríguez In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

were elected as district senators.

Transportation

There are 12 bridges in Santa Isabel.

Symbols

The has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag

The flag is divided horizontally into three stripes; white at the top, yellow in the center and red at the bottom, and may be decorated with

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 ...

stems.

Coat of arms

The crown stands for Saint-Queen

Elizabeth of Hungary Elizabeth of Hungary (german: Heilige Elisabeth von Thüringen, hu, Árpád-házi Szent Erzsébet, sk, Svätá Alžbeta Uhorská; 7 July 1207 – 17 November 1231), also known as Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, or Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia, ...

(''Isabel'' in

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 ...

), patroness of the

Third Order of Saint Francis The Third Order of Saint Francis is a third order in the Franciscan tradition of Christianity, founded by the medieval Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi. The preaching of Francis and his disciples caused many married men and women to w ...

. The shells are a symbol of St. James the patron saint of the town, as well as for the many shells found in the beaches near the town.

Notable ''Santaisabelinos''

* Adolfo L. Monserrate Anselmi - former member

Puerto Rico House of Representatives The House of Representatives of Puerto Rico ( es, Cámara de Representantes de Puerto Rico) is the lower house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the bicameral state legislature (United States), territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. ...

* Carmelo Colón Rivera - Educator, Spanish Language Doctor, Poet. * Hiram Vega Cruz - Educator and composer. * Denny Agosto Vega - Musician, drummer, band member (Polyesnso). * César Miranda Rodríguez *

Benito Santiago Benito Santiago Rivera (born March 9, 1965), is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1986 to 2005, most prominently as a member of the San Diego Padres, with whom he was a fou ...

- Baseball player; won unanimously the 1986 the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

Rookie of the Year Award A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

with the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

. * Elvira M. Colón - Teacher. * Carlos Muñoz - Student from Escuela Superior Elvira M. Colón, the first from Santa Isabel to win Premios

El Nuevo Día ''El Nuevo Día'' (English: ''The New Day'') is the newspaper with the largest circulation in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1909 in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and today it is a subsidiary of GFR Media. Its headquarters are in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. ...

Educador * Melwin Cedeño - Actor, comedian, kids host, Merengue musician, and singer. * Carlos Colón Sr. -

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

known as ''El Acróbata de Puerto Rico''. Co-owner (vice-president) of the

World Wrestling Council The World Wrestling Council (WWC) (Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha"), is a Puerto-Rican professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón Sr., Victor J ...

(WWC), formerly known as Capital Sports Promotions. Former WWE wrestler when he entered the 1993 WWF

Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events, event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named afte ...

. Inducted into the

WWE Hall Of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when André the Giant was posthumously i ...

in 2014. * Mario Ortiz - Accomplished trumpet player, arranger and band leader of the 60's. * Elvin F. Torres Serrant - Musical Director of

Limi-T 21 Limi-T 21 (sometimes spelled as Limi-T XXI) is a popular merengue group from Puerto Rico. The group was formed in 1990. The group consists of three members: Angel Ramiro Matos, Javier Bermúdez, and Elvin F. Torres Serrant. They released their fi ...

. Released their first album in 1990 breaking new grounds in the genre of Merengue. * Javier Bermúdez - Lead singer of Limi-T 21. * Luigi Texidor - Singer for

La Sonora Ponceña La Sonora Ponceña is a Puerto Rican salsa band, founded in 1954 by Enrique "Quique" Lucca Caraballo. Today Quique's son, Papo Lucca, directs the band. The band has stayed active for a remarkable amount of time, recording dozens of albums, inclu ...

El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, commonly known as El Gran Combo, is a Puerto Rican salsa orchestra based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2012, it was often considered Puerto Rico's most successful musical group. The ...

, Puerto Rican All-Stars and Fania All-Stars. * Pedro María Descartes - Legislator, mayor and leader of the Autonomist Movement during the 18th century. * Melvin Rivera Velázquez - Journalist, historian and head of Global Bible Publishing of the United Bible Societies. Editor of the Santa Isabel history blog www.santaisabelpr.com. *

Carlos Correa Carlos Javier Correa Oppenheimer Jr. (born September 22, 1994) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball shortstop who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, who selected him first overall in ...

- Baseball player; First Overall Pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, 2015

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league b ...

Rookie Of The Year, Shortstop for the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

. Formerly played for the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...

where he won an MLB World Series championship for the team in 2017. *

José Guzmán José Alberto Guzmán Mirabal (born April 9, 1963) is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from to . Career Guzmán was signed by the Texas Rangers as an amateur free agent on February 10, . He made his majo ...

- Former professional Baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers. * Carlos Irrizarry - Painteret the Certi Hi * Mariano Civico - Salsa Singer. * Roque Delpín Reyes - Former Mayor 1993–1997. * Dr. José D. Quiles Rosas - Current president of

, former Santa Isabel Potros team owner. * George Nenadich - On-air personality on Sirius XM. The only Latino on air personality on 2 channels on Sirius XM. La Jungla de Rumbon ch767 Fri 7-10pm and on Caliente ch158 with Salsa Nation Sat 10-12pm. Born and raised in Paterson NJ from Puerto Rican parents. Mother from Santa Isabel, Playita Cortada Sector PR and Father from Fajardo, PR. * Raúl Cintrón Velázquez - narrator, journalist and analyst in Puerto Rican sports.

Gallery

File:Irrigation method seen in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico.jpg, Irrigation method in Santa Isabel File:Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico.jpg, View of Caribbean Sea from Santa Isabel File:2022generalsantaisabel1.jpg, Cattle in

Jauca Jauca is a barrio in the municipality of Jayuya, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 116. In 1948, Jauca was established from part of what was Jayuya Arriba (Jayuya barrio-pueblo). See also * List of communities in Puerto Rico In Puerto ...