Luquillo, Puerto Rico

Luquillo Municipio de Luquillo
Town and Municipality
High rise buildings in Luquillo.
Flag Coat of arms
Nicknames:  "Capital del Sol", "La Riviera de Puerto Rico", "Los Come Cocos"
Anthem: "Junto a las costas del mar Atlántico"
Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Luquillo Municipality
Coordinates: 18°22′21″N 65°43′00″W
Sovereign state	United States
Commonwealth	Puerto Rico
Settled	1719
Founded	October 26, 1797
Barrios	6 barrios Juan Martín Luquillo barrio-pueblo Mameyes I Mata de Plátano Pitahaya Sabana
Government
• Mayor	Jesús Márquez Rodríguez (PPD)
• Senatorial dist.	8 - Carolina
• Representative dist.	36
Area
• Total	34.26 sq mi (88.73 km^2)
• Land	26 sq mi (68 km^2)
• Water	8.00 sq mi (20.73 km^2)
Population  (2020)[1]
• Total	17,781
• Rank	64th in Puerto Rico
• Density	520/sq mi (200/km^2)
Demonym	Luquillenses or Luquillanos
Time zone	UTC−4 (AST)
ZIP Code	00773
Area code	787/939
Major routes

Luquillo (Spanish pronunciation: [luˈkiʎo]) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northeast coast, northwest of Fajardo; and east of Rio Grande. Luquillo is spread over 5 barrios and Luquillo Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It lends its name to the Sierra de Luquillo, where El Yunque National Forest is located. It is part of the Fajardo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The city of Luquillo is 26 square miles and it sits on 12 miles of Atlantic coastline. It is nestled between the blue waters of the Atlantic and the El Yunque National Forest, a rainforest, giving it a diverse and unique ecology. Luquillo marks the beginning of the Northeast Ecological Corridor Nature Reserve which runs down the coast from downtown Luquillo all the way down to the Seven Seas Beach in Fajardo. During certain times of the year, it is not unusual to encounter rare or endangered species of fauna (like the leatherback turtle) while visiting in Luquillo.^[2]

History

Luquillo was founded in 1797 and is known as "La Capital del Sol" (Capital of the Sun), "La Riviera de Puerto Rico" (the Puerto Rican Riviera), and "Los Come Cocos" (the coconut eaters). Legend says that the town was named after the Indian cacique Loquillo, who died a few years after the last Indian rebellion in 1513. However, the word Luquillo most likely originates from Yukiyu, the Taino name for El Yunque, most likely meaning "white mountain" (i.e. foggy mountain).In 1989, Hurricane Hugo damaged the town.

On September 20, 2017 Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico. In Luquillo, rivers were breached, there were landslides, the electrical power collapsed, and 1100 homes were destroyed or damaged. Incidents of looting and assaults were reported in the aftermath of the storm.^[3][4][5]

Geography

Luquillo is located on the northeast coast.^[6]

Barrios

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Luquillo is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as "el pueblo".^{[7][8][9][10]}

1. Juan Martín
2. Luquillo barrio-pueblo^[11]
3. Mameyes I has a Playa Fortuna Community
4. Mata de Plátano has a Playa Fortuna Community
5. Pitahaya
6. Sabana

Sectors

Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions)^[11] and subbarrios,^[12] are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.^[13][14][15]

Special Communities

See also: Puerto Rico Office for Socioeconomic and Community Development

Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. 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 Luquillo: Barrio Pitahaya, Sector Santo Domingo, Mata de Plátano, Río Chiquito, and Sector Fortuna Playa.^[16][17]

Tourism

A view of Luquillo Beach

There are 14 beaches in Luquillo including La Pared.^[18] La Pared, which translates to "The Wall", is considered a dangerous beach.^[19] If you stay on the coastal highway going east from San Juan, you'll soon reach Luquillo Beach, officially known as La Monserrate Beach (Balneario de la Monserrate). This huge plantation of majestic coconut palms shades more than a mile of fine and shimmering sand. It is one of the most popular and nicest public beaches in the San Juan metropolitan area. It offers cafeterias, public bathrooms with showers, access for disabled people, and an ample parking lot. La Monserrate Beach is one of the public beaches most frequented by the locals. La Selva, is a small cove on the east coast. It is arguably one of the best surf spots on the east coast. The only way to get to it is about a 2-mile walk through a cow farm, but it's worth the trip if you can talk someone into telling you how to get there.

Landmarks and places of interest

View of Luquillo

• Chief Loquillo Monument
• La Fortuna Hacienda
• La Bandera Beach
• La Monserrate Beach, also known as Luquillo Beach
• La Pared Beach
• Las Pailas Beach
• Mameyes Beach
• Ocean View Boulevard
• Fortuna Beach
• The Recreational Park
• The Kiosks at Luquillo Beach
• La Selva Reef Break

Economy

Culture

Festivals and events

Luquillo celebrates its patron saint festival in March. The Fiestas Patronales de San Jose is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.^[6][20]

Other festivals and events celebrated in Luquillo include:

• Leatherback Turtle Festival - April^[21]
• Festival de Zangueros - June^[22]
• Coconut Festival- September
• Traditional Cooking Festival- December

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	6,251		—
1930	7,799		24.8%
1940	8,851		13.5%
1950	9,967		12.6%
1960	8,582		−13.9%
1970	10,390		21.1%
1980	14,895		43.4%
1990	18,100		21.5%
2000	19,817		9.5%
2010	20,068		1.3%
2020	17,781		−11.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[23] 1920-1930[24] 1930-1950[25] 1960-2000[26] 2010[9] 2020[27]

Ethnicity - Luquillo, Puerto Rico - 2005 [29]
Race	Population	% of Total
White	10,112	57.4%
Black/African American	4,345	23.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native	120	0.6%
Asian	62	0.3%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	3	0.0%
Some other race	2,933	14.8%
Two or more races	610	3.1%

Government

Main article: Mayoralty in Puerto Rico

Like all municipalities in Puerto Rico, Luquillo is administered by a mayor. The current mayor is Jesús Márquez Rodríguez, who was first elected at the 2012 general election.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VIII, which is represented by two Senators. In 2024, Marissa Jiménez and Héctor Joaquín Sánchez Álvarez were elected as District Senators.^[30]

Transportation

Entrance sign for Sabana barrio and PR-983

There is no public transportation in Luquillo, and residents and visitors rely on Uber or Luquillo Taxi™️ & Tours Puerto Rico LLC Luquillo Taxi for service.

There are 20 bridges in Luquillo.^[31]

PR-3 is the main road through Luquillo. Other municipality roads include PR-983, PR-988, PR-991 and PR-940.^[31]

Symbols

The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.^[32]

Flag

It consists of three horizontal stripes, the blue top and green bottom are double of width of the yellow central stripe. Blue makes reference to the sky and the sea; yellow represents the sand of its beaches and green represents the vegetation of the mountains. In the center stripe resides the coat of arms of the municipality superimposed and surrounded by two palm tree leaves crossed at the bottom.^[33]

Coat of arms

In a gold background a centered mountain range with three green mountains is accompanied at the bottom by a bay with blue and silver waves; the top portion of the shield in blue, has three iris branches. Above the shield resides a three tower gold crown. Surrounding the shield by its flanks are two palms trees leaves crossed at the bottom.^[33]

Gallery

• 
  Luquillo Beach
• 
  Mountain in Luquillo
• 
  Festival in Luquillo
• 
  Luquillo Beach, Luquillo
• 
  Aerial view of Luquillo

See also

• List of Puerto Ricans
• History of Puerto Rico
• Did you know-Puerto Rico?

References

1. "PUERTO RICO: 2020 Census". The United States Census Bureau. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
2. "Luquillo PR 2015: Everything You Need To Know About Luquillo". Archived from the original on October 19, 2018. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
3. "María, un nombre que no vamos a olvidar. En penumbra la "Capital del Sol"" [Maria, a name we will never forget. In darkness the "Capital of the Sun"]. El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). June 13, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
4. "Preliminary Locations of Landslide Impacts from Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico". USGS Landslide Hazards Program. USGS. Archived from the original on March 3, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
5. "Preliminary Locations of Landslide Impacts from Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico" (PDF). USGS Landslide Hazards Program. USGS. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 3, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
6. "Luquillo Municipality". enciclopediapr.org. Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades (FPH). Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
7. Picó, Rafael; Buitrago de Santiago, Zayda; Berrios, Hector H. Nueva geografía de Puerto Rico: física, económica, y social, por Rafael Picó. Con la colaboración de Zayda Buitrago de Santiago y Héctor H. Berrios. San Juan Editorial Universitaria, Universidad de Puerto Rico,1969. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
8. Gwillim Law (May 20, 2015). Administrative Subdivisions of Countries: A Comprehensive World Reference, 1900 through 1998. McFarland. p. 300. ISBN 978-1-4766-0447-3. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
9. Puerto Rico:2010:population and housing unit counts.pdf (PDF). U.S. Dept. of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration U.S. Census Bureau. 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 20, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
10. "Map of Luquillo at the Wayback Machine" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 24, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
11. "US Census Barrio-Pueblo definition". factfinder.com. US Census. Archived from the original on May 13, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
12. "P.L. 94-171 VTD/SLD Reference Map (2010 Census): Luquillo Municipio, PR" (PDF). www2.census.gov. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Economics and Statistics Administration U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
13. "Agencia: Oficina del Coordinador General para el Financiamiento Socioeconómico y la Autogestión (Proposed 2016 Budget)". Puerto Rico Budgets (in Spanish). Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
14. Rivera Quintero, Marcia (2014), El vuelo de la esperanza: Proyecto de las Comunidades Especiales Puerto Rico, 1997-2004 (first ed.), San Juan, Puerto Rico Fundación Sila M. Calderón, ISBN 978-0-9820806-1-0
15. "Leyes del 2001". Lex Juris Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Archived from the original on September 14, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
16. Rivera Quintero, Marcia (2014), El vuelo de la esperanza: Proyecto de las Comunidades Especiales Puerto Rico, 1997-2004 (1st ed.), San Juan, Puerto Rico Fundación Sila M. Calderón, p. 273, ISBN 978-0-9820806-1-0
17. "Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico" (in Spanish). August 8, 2011. Archived from the original on June 24, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
18. "Las 1,200 playas de Puerto Rico [The 1200 beaches of Puerto Rico]". Primera Hora (in Spanish). April 14, 2017. Archived from the original on December 12, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
19. "Conoce las 11 playas más peligrosas de Puerto Rico [Know the 11 most dangerous beaches in Puerto Rico]". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). July 4, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
20. J.D. (May 2, 2006). "Luquillo". Link To Puerto Rico.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on May 4, 2010. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
21. Admin (April 6, 2019). "Festival del Tinglar en Luquillo 2019". MiAgendaPR.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on July 18, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
22. "Festival De Zanqueros De Puerto Rico 2019: Luquillo, Puerto Rico". Puerto Rico Hoteles y Paradores (in Spanish). June 22, 2019. Archived from the original on June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
23. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
24. "Table 3-Population of Municipalities: 1930 1920 and 1910" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 17, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
25. "Table 4-Area and Population of Municipalities Urban and Rural: 1930 to 1950" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 30, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
26. "Table 2 Population and Housing Units: 1960 to 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 24, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
27. "PUERTO RICO: 2020 Census". The United States Census Bureau. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
28. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 27, 1996. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
29. "Ethnicity 2005" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 16, 2008. Retrieved January 16, 2008.
30. Elecciones Generales 2024: Escrutinio General Archived 2024-12-30 at elecciones2024.ceepur.org (Error: unknown archive URL) on CEEPUR
31. "Luquillo Bridges". National Bridge Inventory Data. US Dept. of Transportation. Archived from the original on February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
32. "Ley Núm. 70 de 2006 -Ley para disponer la oficialidad de la bandera y el escudo de los setenta y ocho (78) municipios". LexJuris de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved June 15, 2021.
33. "LUQUILLO". LexJuris (Leyes y Jurisprudencia) de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). February 19, 2020. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.

External links

• Puerto Rico Government Directory - Luquillo