Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
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Aguadilla (, ), founded in 1775 by Luis de Córdova, is a
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
and municipality located in the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, north of Aguada, and Moca and west of Isabela. Aguadilla is spread over 15 ''barrios'' and Aguadilla Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is a principal city and core of the Aguadilla-Isabela-San Sebastián Metropolitan Statistical Area.


Etymology and nicknames

Aguadilla is a shortening of the town's original name ''San Carlos de La Aguadilla''. The name ''Aguadilla'' is a diminutive of '' Aguada'', which is the name of the town and municipality located to the south. Some of the municipality's nicknames are: ''Jardín del Atlántico'' ("Garden of the Atlantic"), ''Pueblo de los Tiburones'' (" Shark Town") and ''La Villa del Ojo de Agua'' ("Villa of the
Water Spring A spring is a point of exit at which groundwater from an aquifer flows out on top of Earth's crust (pedosphere) and becomes surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere. Springs have long been important for humans as a source of fresh w ...
") after the natural water spring that was used by early settlers and Spanish soldiers as a water source which is now located in El Parterre Square in Aguadilla Pueblo.


History

According to sources, a Taíno settlement called ''Aymamón'' was located close to the
Culebrinas River The Culebrinas River ( es, Río Culebrinas; pron. koo-le-BREE-nahs), is a river in northwest Puerto Rico. It originates in southwestern Lares for till it empties into the Mona Passage south of downtown Aguadilla. It goes through Lares, San Seba ...
. The present territory of Aguadilla was originally part of the territory of Aguada. In 1775, the foundation of Aguadilla by Don Luis de Córdova was approved. But it was not until 1780 that the territory was properly segregated, making the founding of the town official. Originally, Aguadilla was constituted by the Victoria and Higüey barrios.Aguadilla: Fundación e historia
on Enciclopedia de Puerto Rico
This region was already inhabited and known as Aguadilla before 1770. In 1776, Fray Íñigo Abbad y Lasierra in his description of the towns of the island, mentioned it as the "new Town of San Carlos de La Aguadilla." Nevertheless, according to Dr. Agustín Stahl in his ''Foundation of Aguadilla'', it was not until 1780 that the town was officially founded. The construction of a new church and the proceedings to become an independent village began in 1775. The population in the Village of Aguadilla continued to increase constantly mainly due to its excellent port and strategic location in the route of the boats. In 1776, when Santo Domingo became independent for the first time, the loyalists of Spanish descent emigrated to Puerto Rico, mainly to Aguadilla, which caused the population to continue increasing significantly. In 1831, according to Don Pedro Tomás de Córdova, the area or "party" of Aguadilla belonged to Aguada. At this time, the territorial organization of Aguadilla was as follows: Pueblo Norte (North Town), Pueblo Sur (South Town), Ceiba Alta, Ceiba Baja, Montaña, Malezas, Aguacate, Dos Palmas, Camaseyes, Plainela, Borinquen, Arenales, Higüey, Corrales, Victoria, and Mangual. Don Pedro Tomás de Córdova mentions the road of Aguadilla formed by Punta Borinquen and San Francisco, as the "anchorage of the ships that travel from Europe to Havana and Mexico". He adds that its "port is the most frequented in the Island due to the proportions that it offers to refresh all class of ship." In 1860, Aguadilla was officially declared a village. Several years later, when the island was territorially organized into seven departments, Aguadilla became the head of the third department that included the municipalities of Aguada, Isabela, Lares, Moca, Rincón, and
San Sebastián San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Basque Country (autonomous community), B ...
. In January 1841 a Royal Order transferred the judicial party from Aguada to Aguadilla. In 1878, according to Don Manuel Ebeda y Delgado, the territorial organization of Aguadilla had varied a little. At this time Plainela, Higüey, and Mangual barrios are not mentioned. The Dos Palmas barrio appears as Palmar. Also at this time, three new barrios are mentioned: Guerrero, Caimital Alto, and Caimital Bajo. In 1898, even with the change of sovereignty in the island, the territorial organization of Aguadilla is the same to that of 1878. Nevertheless, in the Census of 1899, downtown Aguadilla appears constituted by Higüey, Iglesia, Nueva, Santa Barbara, and Tamarindo barrios. Malezas barrio appears subdivided into Maleza Alta and Maleza Baja. From that time, the territorial organization of Aguadilla did not change, until 1948, when the Puerto Rico Department of Planning prepared the map of the city and its barrios, and following instructions of city authorities, Higüey and parts of Caimital Alto barrios are annexed to Downtown Aguadilla.


Ramey Air Force Base

Aguadilla was the site of the U.S. military's
Ramey Air Force Base Ramey Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It was named after United States Army Air Forces Brigadier General Howard Knox Ramey. Following its closure, it was redeveloped into Rafael Hernandez Airpo ...
for almost five decades. During this period, Aguadilla was home to the
Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
, equipped with
RB-36 The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" is a strategic bomber that was built by Convair and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 is the largest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft ever built. It had the longest wing ...
s and
72d Bombardment Wing, Heavy The 72nd Air Base Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Sustainment Center at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It has been the host unit at Tinker since activating there on 1 October 1994. The first predecessor of th ...
equipped with B-52s, an important strategic facility during the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
. Activated in June 1952 as a Strategic Air Command very long-range reconnaissance unit at Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico, but not operational until October 1952. Redesignated as 72d Strategic Reconnaissance Wing and received 3 (60th, 73rd and 301st) squadrons of RB-36D/E/F/H Peacemaker bombers. Also, the 915th Air Rescue Squadron. Conducted global strategic reconnaissance 1953–1955, gradually shifting to a bombardment training mission beginning in 1954, being upgraded to B-36J and B-36J(III) Featherweights by 1955. Redesignated 72d Bombardment Wing in 1958. With the phaseout of the B-36s in 1958, received B-52G Stratofortress intercontinental strategic bombers. Though the infrastructure still exists, the airport was handed over to the Government of Puerto Rico in 1973. The aerial facilities are now controlled by the Puerto Rico Ports Authority and comprise the
Rafael Hernández International Airport Rafael may refer to: * Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin * Rafael, California * Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israeli manufacturer of weapons and military technology * Hurricane Rafael, a 2012 hurricane Fiction * Rafa ...
. The barracks now host the Faro Inn Suites, a 79-room hotel. The Officer's Club now hosts the Faro Conference Center, a meeting facility. The hospital is now the Courtyard by Marriott Punta Borinquen Resort & Casino, a 150-room hotel with a casino and the first Marriott in Puerto Rico outside of the
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
Metropolitan Area. Ramey also hosts the
University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla The University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla (UPRAG or UPR-Aguadilla) is a public university campus in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It is part of the University of Puerto Rico. In 2010 the campus went on strike as part of the  2010–2011 University ...
and the Friedrich Froebel Bilingual School (K-9). The high school became Ramey Job Corps Campus and the elementary school became the Esther Feliciano Mendoza Middle School. Centro de Adiestramiento y Bellas Artes (CABA) since 1979 has been the only public school of arts in Puerto Rico (7–12). Ramey is also the site of the new Ramey Skating Park and a new ''mariposario'' (butterfly farm) and the Ramey Shopping Center. There is still an active part of the base that hosts the Coast Guard Borinquen Air Station. There are also other government agencies based at Ramey, including the United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs & Border Protection's
Office of Air and Marine Air and Marine Operations (AMO) is a federal law enforcement component within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). AMO's mission is to protect the American people and nat ...
and
Office of Border Patrol The United States Border Patrol (USBP) is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States' Customs and Border Protection and is responsible for securing the borders of the United States. According to its web site in 2022, its mission ...
, the ''Fuerzas Unidas de Rápida Acción'' (United Forces for Rapid Action) of the Puerto Rico Police Department and the Puerto Rico National Guard. There is also a post office, the ''Centro de Servicios al Conductor'' (Driver's Services Center), a bakery, and a
Banco Popular de Puerto Rico Popular, Inc., doing business as Banco Popular in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and as Popular Bank in the mainland United States, is a financial services conglomerate that has operated in Puerto Rico for over 125 years and in the mainland ...
location.


San Antonio

San Antonio village was established in the mid-19th century. It was populated by 60 families. Originally the place where these families were located was known as ''Bajura de Vadi'', the place later to become known as San Antonio. In 1918, as a consequence of the
1918 San Fermín earthquake The 1918 San Fermín earthquake, also known as the Puerto Rico earthquake of 1918, struck the island of Puerto Rico at on October 11. The earthquake measured 7.1 on the moment magnitude scale and IX (''Violent'') on the Mercalli intensity scale ...
, the village was completely destroyed by a tsunami. The families suffered the struggles caused by this natural disaster due by the proximity of the village to the shore. The residents of the village decided re-localize the village in a higher area further from shore. The new location was what today is known as Ramey. The village's infrastructure started its evolution. Luis R. Esteves and Juan Garcia established the first two theaters in the area. A new was social club form, known as "Luz del Porvenir" (Light of the Future). A new school system was the pride of the village because it offered them the opportunity to give their children an education without having to go south downtown. There was also a new bakery and a post office, among other facilities. At this time, the village also began its Patron Festival. The clothing industry was a major source of employment. In September 1939, some covered by sugar cane, was expropriated for the military at the cost of $1,215,000, in order to build an air base that came to be known as
Ramey Air Force Base Ramey Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It was named after United States Army Air Forces Brigadier General Howard Knox Ramey. Following its closure, it was redeveloped into Rafael Hernandez Airpo ...
. Since the foundation, the village has suffered three expropriations as a result of expansions to
Ramey Air Force Base Ramey Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It was named after United States Army Air Forces Brigadier General Howard Knox Ramey. Following its closure, it was redeveloped into Rafael Hernandez Airpo ...
. These expropriations delayed and ended the plans to turn San Antonio into a town. Today, the population of San Antonio consists of approximately ten thousand people. It has a modern square, a Puerto Rico State Police Station, a coliseum, an industrial park, public housing, a baseball park, a public school system, shops, and many other characteristics of a small town. The town also has a flag and an emblem. Roberto Román Acevedo designed the town flag and emblem.


Tragedy on election day in 1944

On the early morning hours of November 7, 1944, Puerto Rico suffered the worst railroad accident in its history.''La Tragedia del 7 de noviembre de 1944'' (The Tragedy of November 7, 1944) by Haydee E. Reichard de Cancio, El Nuevo Dia, Por Dentro Section, Pg. 116, December 7, 1996, retrieved on July 31, 2006 Train No. 3 was traveling from
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
to Ponce carrying passengers to their different hometowns for the island general elections to be held that same day. It stopped at the Jiménez Station in Aguadilla for a routine engineer and
boilerman A fireman, stoker or watertender is a person whose occupation it is to tend the fire for the running of a boiler, heating a building, or powering a steam engine. Much of the job is hard physical labor, such as shoveling fuel, typically coal, into ...
exchange with Train No. 4 which was heading to San Juan. The engineer assigned to Train No. 3's ride from Jiménez Station to Ponce was José Antonio Román, an experienced freight train engineer who had never worked in passenger travel. When the train left the station at 2:00 am, it was carrying 6 passenger cars with hundreds of commuters and two freight cars. At 2:20 a.m. the train started to descend a hill section known as ''Cuesta Vieja'' (Old Hill) in Aguadilla at, what some witnesses described as, an exaggerated speed. When the train reached the leveling-off point at the bottom of the hill it derailed. The steam locomotive crashed into a ditch where it exploded and one of the freight cars crashed into one of the passenger cars, killing many inside. Witnesses described the scene as horrendous, with some accounts stating that parents were throwing their children out the windows to save them from the wreckage. Chief of Police Guillermo Arroyo stated that the locomotive (No. 72), the express car, and three second class passenger cars were completely destroyed. Oscar Valle, an Aguadilla correspondent to '' El Mundo'' newspaper, summarized the scene with: "The locomotive suffered a terrible explosion as it derailed, and the impact was so strong that 3 passenger cars were converted into a fantastic mound of wreckage". In the end, 16 passengers lost their lives, including the engineer and the boilerman, and 50 were injured in the crash.


Hurricane Maria

Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, causing large-scale damage and destruction to infrastructure. In Aguadilla 10 inches of rain were recorded and its more than 54,000 residents were left with no electrical power. The four radar systems used by the Federal Aviation Administration for flights in and around Puerto Rico were damaged by Hurricane Maria, and it took nearly two weeks to fix them. One of the radar systems is located in Aguadilla.


Geography

Aguadilla is located in the northwest coast of the island of Puerto Rico, in the Western Coastal Plains. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the north, the municipalities of Isabela on the east, and Moca and Aguada in the south. The area of the municipality is 35.5 square miles. It is mostly plain, with some notable hills being Jiménez (728 feet) and Viñet (689 feet). It has only one river, the
Culebrinas Culebrinas is a Barrios of Puerto Rico, barrio in the municipality of San Sebastián, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 3,787. History Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Trea ...
, which separates Aguadilla from Aguada. Also, Cedro Creek which separates Aguadilla from Isabela in the north.


Barrios

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Aguadilla is subdivided into
barrios Barrios is a Spanish surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Agustín Barrios (1885–1944), Paraguayan guitarist and composer *Ángel Barrios (1882–1964), Spanish guitarist and composer *Arturo Barrios (born 1962), Mexican athlet ...
(
wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...
). The municipal government buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in barrio Pueblo. # Aguacate #
Aguadilla barrio-pueblo Aguadilla barrio-pueblo is an urban Barrios of Puerto Rico, barrio and the administrative center (Seat of government, seat) of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, Aguadilla, a municipality of Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 3,627. As was customary i ...
# Arenales #
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 ...
# Caimital Alto # Caimital Bajo # Camaceyes #
Ceiba Alta Ceiba Alta is a rural barrio in the municipality of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 667. 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 b ...
#
Ceiba Baja Ceiba Baja is a rural barrio in the municipality of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 2,356. 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 ...
# Corrales # Guerrero #
Maleza Alta Maleza Alta is a rural barrio in the municipality of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 1,800. 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 an ...
# Maleza Baja #
Montaña Montana or Montaña is the surname of: * Allison Montana (1922–2005), New Orleans cultural icon who acted as the Mardi Gras Indian "chief of chiefs" * Amber Montana (born 1998), American actress * Billy Montana (born 1959), American country mu ...
#
Palmar Palmar may refer to: Anatomy, relating to the palm of the hand * Palmar aponeurosis, deep fascia connecting and within the muscles of the palm * Palmar arches (disambiguation), various combinations of arteries in the hand and arm * Palmar art ...
# Victoria


Sectors

Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to
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 ...
) in turn are further subdivided into smaller local populated place areas/units called sectores (which means ''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. 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 Aguadilla: , and .


Temperature of sea


Economy

The city is currently home to a variety of industrial and pharmaceutical plants such sa
LifeScan LifeScan, Inc., is a diagnostic systems manufacturer with products focusing on the diabetes market, specifically blood glucose monitoring systems. History LifeScan was a Johnson & Johnson (J&J) company. It was acquired by J&J in 1986, and in Ju ...
, Symmetricom, Honeywell, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Most of them are located at San Antonio Technological Park. The airport has Lufthansa Technik, while others like Suiza Dairy,
Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...
and Productos La Aguadillana are located in Camaseyes Industrial Park. Other industries that are based in Aguadilla are rubber, plastics, leather, textiles, steel, wood, machinery, and food processing. The retail sector is another source of economy in Aguadilla. Shopping malls like Aguadilla Mall, Aguadilla Shopping Center, Aguadilla Town Center, and others are some of the main commercial and retail centers of the city. In 2018,
Suiza Dairy ; rm, citad federala, links=no). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzon ...
, a milk brand, opened a plant in Aguadilla at the cost of $40,000,000 United States dollars. The plant is expected to earn $160,000,000 US dollars in the period form 2018 to 2038. In 2019, Aguadilla received the City Livability Award from the United States Conference of Mayors and honored the efforts spearheaded by Carlos Méndez Martínez. Specifically mentioned was "Pintalto", a project where Cerro Cabrero area, in the
downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...
area of Aguadilla was painted in rich, lively colors.


Tourism

Aguadilla is part of the Porta del Sol touristic region in Puerto Rico. The Porta del Sol website highlights Aguadilla's beaches for
surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...
. According to the
Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PRDNER) is the executive department of the government of Puerto Rico tasked with protecting, conserving, developing, and managing the natural and environmental resources in Puert ...
, Aguadilla has the most beaches on the island, with nineteen in total. Some of the beaches are considered among the best for
surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...
, like Surfer's Beach, Gas Chambers,
Crash Boat Crash Rescue Boat is a name used in the United States to describe military high-speed offshore rescue boats, similar in size and performance to motor torpedo boats, used to rescue pilots and aircrews of crashed aircraft. During World War II th ...
, Wilderness, among others. Because of this, Aguadilla has served as host to surfing competitions, like the ISA World Championship in 1988. Other attractions of the town are
Las Cascadas Water Park Las Cascadas Water Park is a water park, in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The park is one of the largest water parks in the Caribbean region. The park is owned and administered by Aguadilla's municipal government. ''Las Cascadas'' opened its doors in ...
and the
Aguadilla Ice Skating Arena Aguadilla Ice Skating Arena, A.I.S.A., is a multi-use facility in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The arena was the only ice skating facility in the Caribbean region. The facility is owned and administered by the city. The Ice Skating rink has been clos ...
, which is the only ice skating complex in the
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
.


Landmarks and places of interest

There are nine places in Aguadilla listed on the US National Register of Historic Places: *
Old Urban Cemetery Old Urban Cemetery, also known as Cementerio Municipal, in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, is a cemetery with burials dating back to 1813 or 1814. Near the town of Aguadilla's north entrance, it spreads between the beach and the foot of the mountain, and ...
* *
District Courthouse (Aguadilla, Puerto Rico) District Courthouse, also known as Museo de Arte de Aguadilla, in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, was built in 1925. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. It was designed by architect Rafael Carmoega Rafael Carmoega Mora ...
* *
Punta Borinquen Light Punta Borinquen Light (''Faro de Punta Borinquen'') is a lighthouse located in the old Ramey Air Force Base in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The station was established in 1889 by the Spanish government. With the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, the ...
* * – Church San Carlos Borromeo *
Cardona Residence The Cardona Residence () is a historic house in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It was built in 1913. It is "one of the most interesting and best preserved" houses in Aguadilla from its era.. The house was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic ...
*
López Residence __NOTOC__ The López Residence ( es, Residencia López) is a historic house in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Built in 1914, this one-story, Neoclassical structure is architecturally significant as a typical urban residence for a well-to-do Puerto Ric ...
Other places of interest in Aguadilla include: * Aguadilla City Hall – originally built in 1918. Reconstructed after the 1918 earthquake. * Banyan Treehouse – wooden house around a banyan tree (none of its parts touch the tree) * , a fountain * Christopher Columbus Monument – a monument which consists of a cross originally made of marble, and had to be rebuilt after the earthquake. * , a park * * Fisherman's Monument * , a square * (The Waterfalls) Water Park (Closed after Hurricane Maria in 2017) * Old Sugar Pier of Aguadilla * * Punta Borinquen Golf Course – an 18-hole golf course, originally built for President Dwight D. Eisenhower. *
Punta Borinquen Light Punta Borinquen Light (''Faro de Punta Borinquen'') is a lighthouse located in the old Ramey Air Force Base in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The station was established in 1889 by the Spanish government. With the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, the ...
house and ruins * Rafael Hernández Monument * Rafael Hernández Square * Ramey Skate Park, a skatepark at the Ramey Military Base * Youth Fountain at Park 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 Aguadilla passport page lists Crash Boat Beach, Survival Beach, Rompeolas Beach, and Peña Blanca Beach as places of interest for locals.


Beaches

There are 32 beaches in Aguadilla. Some of the more well-known beaches include: * Balneario Municipal de Aguadilla (GNIS ID 1990599) * Playa La Ruina (GNIS ID 1991881) also called Wilderness Beach or ''Las Ruinas'' ("The Ruins" in English) * Playa Punta Borinquen (GNIS ID 1991891) *
Crash Boat Beach Crash Boat Beach or Crashboat Beach () on the northwestern coast of Puerto Rico is situated in the municipality of Aguadilla. Description Crash Boat Beach is halfway between the former Ramey Air Force Base (today's Aguadilla Airport) and Agua ...
* Survival Beach * Surfer's Beach * Rompeolas Beach / Rompeolas Beach North also known as


Culture


Festivals and events

Aguadilla celebrates its patron saint festival in October. 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 Aguadilla include: * Velorio de Reyes – Celebrated mostly in January, they are a religious ceremony held as gratitude to the Three Kings for some answered prayer. They usually consist of hymns, prayers, and other religious expressions. * Kite Festival – Held in April, it includes kiosks, music, and kite flying. * Fiestas San Antonio – April * Verbena de Corrales – May * Beach Festival – June * Festival del Atún – Celebrated in July, it is a festival dedicated to the fishing of the tuna. * Festival de la Música – July


Sports

Aguadilla is home to several professional and amateur sports teams. The most notable are the Aguadilla Divas of the
Female Superior Volleyball League The Liga de Voleibol Superior Femenino (LVSF) is a professional volleyball league in Puerto Rico. The competitions are organized by the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation (Federación Puertorriqueña de Voleibol, FPV). Current teams League c ...
, and the Aguadilla Sharks of the
Superior Baseball League Superior may refer to: *Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind Places *Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state *Lake ...
(Double-A). The Divas play their home games in the Luis T. Díaz Coliseum in Downtown Aguadilla from January to March, while the Sharks play their home games at Luis A. Canena Márquez Stadium from February to May. Aguadilla also had a professional basketball team called the Aguadilla Sharks, that played for the BSN league. This team was merged into the Cangrejeros de Santurce in 1998. Aguadilla is also a place where many famous baseball players originate from. There are plans for a future ECHL Minor League Hockey franchise for the city.


Communication


Radio

* WABA WABA La Grande 850AM is located in Aguadilla. *
WWNA WWNA (1340 AM, "Una 98.3") is a radio station licensed to serve Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The station is owned by Dominga Barreto Santiago, through licensee DBS Radio, Inc. It airs a Spanish Variety format. The station was assigned the WWNA call ...
better known as Radio Una 1340AM is located in Aguadilla. * WVOZ WAPA Radio frequency 1580AM is located in Aguadilla.


Television

*
WOLE-TV WOLE-DT (channel 12) is a television station licensed to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, serving Mayagüez and the western part of the island as an affiliate of Univision and UniMás. It is a full-time satellite of San Juan–based WLII-DT (channel 11, ...
12. *
WELU WELU (channel 34), branded on-air as CTNi Puerto Rico, is a CTN- affiliated television station licensed to Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. The station is owned by Senda Educational Broadcasting. The station shares transmitter facilities with WSJN-CD (chan ...
is a religious
broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...
company. * WSJP-LD CW 18 is a
CW Television Network CW may stand for: Science and technology * centiwatt (cW), one hundredth of a watt * Cω, a programming language * CW complex, a type of topological space * Carrier wave, in radio communications * CodeWarrior, an integrated development environme ...
affiliated station.


Demographics

The 1887 census conducted by Spain showed Aguadilla had a population of 16,140. According to the US 2010 Census, there were 60,949 people in the city. This represents a decrease of more than 3,000 from the 2000 Census. The population density was . The 2020 Census indicated the municipality has 55,101 residents representing a decline of over 5,000 residents. As a whole, Puerto Rico is populated mainly by people from Creole or Spanish and European descent. Statistics taken from the 2000 census shows that 83.6% of Aguadillanos identify as having Spanish or white origin, 5.0% are black, 0.2% are Amerindian, 0.2%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.1% Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander, 8.2% were some other race, and 2.8% two or more races. In March 2012, unemployment was at 16.2%, which is the same percent it was in November 2010.


Religion

Most Aguadillanos are
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
with a majority being Roman Catholic. Like most cities in Puerto Rico Aguadilla has their Catholic church located on the main square in their downtown. There is also a significant community of
Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
including Pentecostals,
Adventists Adventism is a branch of Protestant Christianity that believes in the imminent Second Coming (or the "Second Advent") of Jesus Christ. It originated in the 1830s in the United States during the Second Great Awakening when Baptist preacher Wil ...
and
Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...
. Aguadilla has an
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic community with and Islamic Center located on
PR-111 Puerto Rico Highway 111 (PR-111) is a highway connecting Aguadilla, Puerto Rico at Puerto Rico Highway 2 and Puerto Rico Highway 115 to Utuado, Puerto Rico at Puerto Rico Highway 140. Route description It is the main highway to Moca and San Seb ...
in
Palmar Palmar may refer to: Anatomy, relating to the palm of the hand * Palmar aponeurosis, deep fascia connecting and within the muscles of the palm * Palmar arches (disambiguation), various combinations of arteries in the hand and arm * Palmar art ...
barrio.


Government


City

All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. The current mayor of Aguadilla is Julio Roldán Concepción, of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD).


State

Most state agencies are based at the Government Center Building with the exception of the ''Corporación del Seguro del Estado'' (State Insurance Agency) and the ''Centro de Servicios al Conductor'' (Driver's Services Center). Most state agencies left their offices after the Senatorial District was taken away from Aguadilla.


Public safety

Aguadilla has its own police department, '' Policía Municipal Aguadilla'' (Aguadilla City Police Department), located in Aguadilla Pueblo. The A.C.P.D. only has jurisdiction in the municipality of Aguadilla and provide service and protection to local citizens and travelers alike. Aguadilla also hosts the Puerto Rico Police Department Command for its Region. This region covers Aguada, Aguadilla, Isabela, Moca, Rincón and
San Sebastián San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Basque Country (autonomous community), B ...
. It also hosts the PRPD Highway Patrol Division for its region, the FURA Division of the PRPD, the US Army Reserve Center, PR National Guard,
U.S. Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, multi ...
, and the Border Patrol. It is also served by another PRPD station in San Antonio Village (Precinct 203 Ramey-San Antonio). The city has a single correctional facility,
Guerrero Correctional Institution The Guerrero Correctional Institution (''Institución Correccional Guerrero'') is a prison for men located in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, owned and operated by the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. With a stated capacity of 9 ...
, operated by the
Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation The Puerto Rico Department of Correction and Rehabilitation () is the law enforcement executive department of the government responsible for structuring, developing, and coordinating the public policies in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territ ...
. In recent years, Aguadilla has seen an increase in Type I crimes, which include
murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...
,
burglary Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murder ...
, and theft.


FBI satellite office

There is an FBI satellite office located in Aguadilla.


Mayors


Senate

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district IV, which is represented by two Senators. In 2016, Evelyn Vázquez and Luis Daniel Muñiz were elected as District Senators.


Symbols

The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.


Flag

The flag consists of two horizontal stripes of equal size. The upper one is blue and the lower gold, which are the predominant colors in the shield, which is placed in the center of it.


Coat of arms

Based on a design by Alberto Vadi, the coat of arms was organized by Herman Reichard Esteves and José J. Santa-Pinter under the direction of the Aguadilla municipal administration and was approved by the municipal assembly on June 29, 1972.


Education


Public schools

In all of the island's municipalities, public education is overseen by the Puerto Rico Department of Education. Aguadilla hosts the Head Start Program for Aguadilla, Aguada, Moca, Rincón, and
San Sebastián San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Basque Country (autonomous community), B ...
and a number of private institutions. As of 2018-2019 the following public schools were operational in Aguadilla: # Ana M. Javariz is a rural elementary school located in Urb. El Prado offering grades K-6 with about 215 students. # Antonio Badillo Hernández is a rural, elementary school located in Montaña offering grades K–6 with about 327 students. # Homero Rivera Sola is a rural elementary school located in Corrales barrio offering grades K–6 with about 153 students. # José de Diego is a rural elementary school located in Res. José de Diego offering grades K–6 with about 242 students. # Luis Muñoz Rivera is a rural elementary school located in Camaseyes barrio offering grades K–6 with about 206 students. # Antonio Badillo Hernandez is a rural intermediate school located in Montaña barrio offering grades 7–9 with about 336 students. # Ester Feliciano Mendoza is a rural intermediate school offering grades 6–8 with about 416 students. # Benito Cerezo Vázquez is a rural high school located in Borinquen barrio offering grades 10–12 with about 435 students. # Juan Suárez Pelegrina is a rural high school located in Montaña barrio offering grades 10–12 with about 715 students. # Salvador Fuentes is a rural high school located in Ramey base offering grades 10–12 with about 288 students. # Centro de Adiestramiento y Bellas Artes (CABA) is a school that specializes in the arts located in Ramey base. In 2016, it served about 500 students. # Su Conchita Igartua de Suárez is a rural elementary school offering grades PreK–8, with about 768 students.


Higher education

Aguadilla hosts the following universities: * Puerto Rico Aviation Maintenance Institute * Aeronautical and Aerospace Institute of Puerto Rico (AAIPR) *
University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla The University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla (UPRAG or UPR-Aguadilla) is a public university campus in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It is part of the University of Puerto Rico. In 2010 the campus went on strike as part of the  2010–2011 University ...
* Metropolitan University, Aguadilla Campus * Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, Aguadilla Campus * Automeca Technical College * Puerto Rico Criminal Justice College, Aguadilla Campus (Puerto Rico Police Academy) Ramey Job Corps also serves those who want to attain a higher education.


Aguadilla Library System

There is a digital library in San Antonio Village and another in downtown Aguadilla (Aguadilla barrio-pueblo).


Health

There are two major medical facilities in Aguadilla. * Hospital Buen Samaritano (Good Samaritan Hospital) * Aguadilla Medical Services * Sala de Urgencias San Francisco (road#2) * Metro Pavia Clinic Aguadilla


Transportation


Air

Rafael Hernández Airport is located in the city of Aguadilla. In recent years, it has seen a resurgence as an international airport in the island, with several airlines planning flights to the US from Aguadilla.


Roads

Interstate PR-2 (Rafael Henández Highway). Plans are underway for a new expressway, an expansion to existing
Puerto Rico Highway 22 PR-22 (also part of unsigned Interstate PR2) is an long toll road in the north coast of Puerto Rico that connects the cities of San Juan and Hatillo. The road is also known as the ''José de Diego Expressway'' (Spanish: ''Expreso José de Dieg ...
(José de Diego Expressway) from Hatillo and it will probably end at
Puerto Rico Highway 111 Puerto Rico Highway 111 (PR-111) is a highway connecting Aguadilla, Puerto Rico at Puerto Rico Highway 2 and Puerto Rico Highway 115 to Utuado, Puerto Rico at Puerto Rico Highway 140. Route description It is the main highway to Moca and San Seb ...
. There are 13 bridges in Aguadilla.


Notable people from Aguadilla


Gallery

Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, near Schoolyards Beach.jpg, Near Schoolyards Beach Aguadilla city hall.jpg, Aguadilla City Hall Aguadilla Banyan Treehouse.jpg, Banyan Treehouse Aguadilla Campanitas de Cristal Fountain.jpg, Campanitas de Cristal Fountain Aguadilla Cathedral San Carlos.jpg, Roman Catholic Parish Church San Carlos Borromeo Aguadilla Columbus Cross.jpg, Columbus Cross Aguadilla El Merendero.jpg, El Merendero Aguadilla El Parterre.jpg, El Parterre Aguadilla Fisherman's Monument.jpg, Fisherman's Monument Aguadilla Jardin del Atlántico Square.jpg, Jardín del Atlántico Sq. Aguadilla Paseo Miguel Garcia Mendez.jpg, Paseo Miguel García Méndez Aguadilla Punta Borinquen Golf Course.jpg, Punta Borinquen Golf Course Aguadilla Punta Borinquen Lighthouse.jpg, Punta Borinquen Lighthouse Aguadilla Punta Borinquen Lighthouse Ruins.jpg, Punta Borinquen Lighthouse Ruins Aguadilla Rafael Hernández Monument.jpg, Rafael Hernández Monument Aguadilla Old Courthouse.jpg, Old Courthouse Aguadilla Board Walk.jpg, Boardwalk Aguadilla Crash Boat Beach.jpg, Crash Boat Beach Cerro Echevarría Sector, Aguadilla barrio-pueblo.jpg, Cerro Echevarría Sector, Aguadilla barrio-pueblo Aguadilla Ice Skating Arena.jpg,
Aguadilla Ice Skating Arena Aguadilla Ice Skating Arena, A.I.S.A., is a multi-use facility in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The arena was the only ice skating facility in the Caribbean region. The facility is owned and administered by the city. The Ice Skating rink has been clos ...


See also

* History of Puerto Rico * List of Puerto Ricans * National Register of Historic Places listings in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico


References


Further reading

*


External links


Aguadilla and its barrios, United States Census Bureau

Official Government Page of Municipality of Aguadilla

Map of Aguadilla Puerto Rico

Porta del Sol: Aguadilla
{{Authority control * Municipalities of Puerto Rico Aguadilla–Isabela–San Sebastián metropolitan area Populated places established in 1775 1775 establishments in the Spanish West Indies 1770s establishments in Puerto Rico