Barceloneta, Puerto Rico
Flag
Nickname(s): La Ciudad de las Piñas", "La Ciudad Industrial," "El Pueblo de los Indios", "El Pueblo de Sixto Escobar", "Tomás Dávila Martínez
Location within the island of Puerto Rico
Country	United States
Territory	Puerto Rico
Founded	July 1, 1881
Government
- Mayor	Hon. Sol Luis Fontanes Olivo (PPD)
- Senatorial dist.	3 - Arecibo
- Representative dist.	13
Area
- Total	36.4 sq mi (94.24 km2)
- Land	31.7 sq mi (82 km2)
- Water	4.7 sq mi (12.24 km2)
Population (2000)
- Total	22,322
- Density	932.4/sq mi (360/km2)
- Gentilic	Barcelonetences
Time zone	AST (UTC-4)
Anthem – "Querido Barceloneta"

Barceloneta is a municipality in Puerto Rico and is located in the north region, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Florida, east of Arecibo and west of Manati. Barceloneta is spread over 3 wards 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.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Flag 1.2 Coat of Arms 2 Barrios 2.1 Barrios (Districts/Wards)[1] 2.2 Geo/Topography 3 Economy 3.1 Business 3.1.1 Landmarks and places of interest 3.1.2 Festivals and events 3.1.3 Transportation 4 References 5 External links

[edit] History

Barceloneta was founded by Don Bonocio Llenza Feliú on July 1, 1881. It was one of the first municipalities created by the Spanish government in Puerto Rico. Barceloneta was named in honor of Barceloneta, a neighborhood in Barcelona, Spain where the founder was born.

Both Barceloneta and Florida were originally part of Manati. Because of its location next to the Manati River, and its natural iguanas in Palmas Altas, Barceloneta was for a while site of an important port activity, not only in the shipment of sugar and salt from the first Sugar Cane Mill (La Catalana, or "the Catalan"), but also as a passenger route to New York and Barcelona. Don Bonocio's son was the owner of a sail ship that made those routes.

Barceloneta is also known as the Industrial City, the Pineapple City, The Indian City or/and Sixto Escobar's City

[edit] Flag

The flag is a rectangular adaptation of the former Coat of Arms, as are its colors, with the variation of omitting the flowers of "guajana" (sugar cane flower) and that the blazon's gold and silver are substituted by yellow and white, respectively. The flag contains elements of St George's Cross to honor the patron saint of Catalonia, Saint George and the stripes of the Catalonian national flag, the Senyera, since the town was founded by a Catalan immigrant.

[edit] Coat of Arms

The sugar cane flowers (guajanas) symbolize the source of life of the old agricultural economy of Barceloneta. The blue symbolizes the beaches and marine ports of great importance for industry and commerce. Its crown consists of three towers.

[edit] Barrios

[edit] Barrios (Districts/Wards)^[1]

• Barceloneta Pueblo
• Florida Afuera
• Garrochales
• Palmas Altas
• Abra del Pimiento
• Tiburon
• Magueyes
• Seboruco
• Catalana

[edit] Geo/Topography

• Cambalache Reserve
• Río Grande de Manatí

[edit] Economy

[edit] Business

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 manufacture of pharmaceutical products.

Barceloneta is also famous for its blue sand beaches, due to the high iron content found in the sand.

[edit] Landmarks and places of interest

• Antiguo Muelle (Old Seaport)
• Cambalache Reserve
• Caño Tiburones Marshland
• La Monserrate Refinery Ruins
• Las Criollas Beach
• Marqués de la Esperanza Hacienda Ruins
• Palmas Altas Beach
• Sixto Escobar Museum
• Centro Cultural de Barceloneta:Located in the heart of the city, the museum provides the cultural and historical about Barceloneta. Also features a collection of Arqueological artifacts and Taino pieces. Open Mon-Fri 8:30am-4pm.

[edit] Festivals and events

• Plácido Acevedo Tribute - June
• Las Criollas Beach Festival - June
• Typical Musical Festival - June
• Virgen del Carmen Festivities(Fiestas Patronales)-July 16th
• Bomba & Plena Festival - October

[edit] Transportation

Barceloneta has recently added the use of trolly cars free of charge for local transport within the town itself. If your looking to go further than the town limits, there is a station for "carros publicos" or public car transportation. These work like a kind of taxi and, for a small fee, will take you to the next town, for example, Manati.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Welcome to Puerto Rico Barceloneta
• BarcelonetaPR.com, Spanish website by Santiago A. Villanueva

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Coordinates: 18°27′02″N 66°32′19″W / 18.45056°N 66.53861°W / 18.45056; -66.53861