Ceiba () is both a small

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 ori ...

and a

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 go ...

in northeast

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 ...

. It is named after the famous

Ceiba ''Ceiba'' is a genus of trees in the family Malvaceae, native to tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas (from Mexico and the Caribbean to N Argentina) and tropical West Africa. Some species can grow to tall or more, with a straight, la ...

tree. Ceiba is located in the north-east coast of the island, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, south of

Fajardo Fajardo (, ) is a town and municipality -Fajardo Combined Statistical Area. Fajardo is the hub of much of the recreational boating in Puerto Rico and a popular launching port to Culebra, Vieques, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. It is ...

, north of Naguabo and southeast of

Río Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio ...

. Located about one hour's driving distance from San Juan, Ceiba is spread over 7 barrios and Ceiba Pueblo (the downtown area and administrative center). It is part of the

Fajardo Metropolitan Statistical Area The Fajardo Metropolitan Statistical Area was a United States Census Bureau defined Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in northeastern Puerto Rico. A July 1, 2009 Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 80,707, a 2.77% increase over the ...

History

Ceiba was founded on April 7, 1838 by Luis de la Cruz. Ceiba derives its name from an Indian word Seyba, which is the name for a famous tree that grows in the island, the ''

Ceiba pentandra ''Ceiba pentandra'' is a tropical tree of the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae (previously emplaced in the family Bombacaceae), native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, and (as the variety ''C. pentandr ...

'' ( Kapok tree). 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") , i ...

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 = (cloc ...

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 The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. In 1899, the

United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, ...

conducted a

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 in ...

of Puerto Rico and the population numbers of Ceiba were consolidated with the population numbers of Fajardo. Ceiba, situated near Fajardo, used to be home of an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

military Naval base, the

Roosevelt Roads Naval Station Roosevelt Roads Naval Station is a former United States Navy base in the town of Ceiba, Puerto Rico. The site operates today as José Aponte de la Torre Airport, a public use airport. History In 1919, future US President Franklin D. Roosev ...

. Most of the units were relocated and the base was closed in 2004. Ex-governor

Sila María Calderón Sila María Calderón Serra (born September 23, 1942) is a Puerto Rican politician, businesswoman, and philanthropist who was the governor of Puerto Rico from 2001 to 2005. She is the first woman elected to that office. Prior to her term as gov ...

suggested turning the property into a major international airport, to serve as a relief to

Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport ( es, link=no, Aeropuerto Internacional Luis Muñoz Marín) is a joint civil-military international airport located in suburban Carolina, Puerto Rico, southeast of San Juan. It is named for Luis Muñoz ...

in San Juan, and to increase the number of international airlines that operate into Puerto Rico. She was met with skepticism about these plans from such groups as environmentalists, economists and others, but in 2008,

José Aponte de la Torre Airport José Aponte de la Torre Airport is a public use airport owned by Puerto Rico Ports Authority and located from Ceiba, a coastal town in Puerto Rico. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which ca ...

was inaugurated at the base's former site. Locals are commonly known as "''Los Come Sopa''" (

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 ...

for 'the soup-eaters'). Even though there is no official reason as to why they are called this, a few stories have been suggested. Among the tales is the belief that since the town did not have a local meat market people had to travel long distances in order to buy some meat and therefore mostly ate soup.

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 ...

on September 20, 2017 triggered numerous landslides in Ceiba. Forty-nine structures in Punta Figuera were destroyed completely. In July 2018, some residents received monies via FEMA to rebuild their homes. 170927-M-GQ832-0048 (36686716504).jpg, National Guard working in Ceiba after the hurricane

Geography

The ''Reserva Natural Medio Mundo y Daguao'' (Nature Reserve Medio Mundo and Daguao) extends along the coastline between Ceiba and

. 95% of the forest is classified as

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...

. Various species of birds can be seen as well as turtles and

manatees Manatees (family Trichechidae, genus ''Trichechus'') are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. There are three accepted living species of Trichechidae, representing three of the four living species ...

. Its rivers includes; Río Daguao, Río Demajagua and Río Fajardo. The municipality extends northwest into the seas between

and Culebra and thereby includes the reefs and islets named Arrecifes Hermanos and Arrecifes Barriles. The reef are closest to the coastal ''barrio'' of Machos, but barrio boundaries are not defined in that area. The highest point in the municipality is Pico del Oeste in the

Sierra de Luquillo The Sierra de Luquillo is a mountain range located in the northeastern part of Puerto Rico. Also known as the Luquillo Mountains, these are steep-sided, densely-forested mountains rising to elevations of around , the highest point being the summit ...

at 3,346 feet (1,020 m) of elevation.

Barrios

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

Ceiba barrio-pueblo Ceiba barrio-pueblo is a Barrios of Puerto Rico, barrio and the administrative center (Seat of government, seat) of Ceiba, Puerto Rico, Ceiba, a municipality of Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 3,677. As was customary in Spain, in Puerto Ri ...

# Chupacallos # Daguao #

Guayacán ''Guaiacum'' (''OED'' 2nd edition, 1989.Entry "guaiacum"
in
Machos Machos ( el, Μάχος, ) is a community in the municipal unit of Vartholomio, northwestern Elis, Greece. The population was 470 in 2001. It is situated in a rural plain, 2 km west of Dimitra, 3 km southwest of Neochori and 2 k ...

Quebrada Seca The Quebrada Seca River is a river in Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal ...

Río Abajo Río Abajo is a corregimiento within Panama City, in Panamá District, Panamá Province, Panama with a population of 26,607 as of 2010. Its population as of 1990 was 33,155; its population as of 2000 was 28,714. It is a West Indian neighborhoo ...

# Saco

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 ...

) 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 Ceiba: Saco, Las Calderonas, Parcelas Aguas Claras, Parcelas Nuevas, Prado Hermoso, and Quebrada Seca.

Climate

Demographics

Tourism

Landmarks and places of interest

PR-971 Puente entre Fajardo y Ceiba en Puerto Rico

There are 60 beaches in Ceiba, including Beach. Other places of interest include: * Ceiba Historic Mural * Ensenada Honda * Medio Mundo Beach * Roosevelt Roads Base (a former United States Navy installation which is now closed) * The cellist Pablo Casals lived in Ceiba.

Culture

Festivals and events

Ceiba 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 June. 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 Ceiba include: * - February * - March * or Marlin Festival- May or June * - October * - November

Sports

Former

IBF The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...

world Jr. Middleweight

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

champion Carlos Santos hails from Ceiba. Ceiba also has an amateur AAA baseball team Los Marlins de Ceiba. Chi-Chi Rodriguez, Pro golfer is from Ceiba.

Economy

Manufacturing (plywood, apparel, hardware products).

Transportation

offers commercial (mostly domestic) flights on four airlines; it also houses an

MD-82 The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a series of five-abreast single-aisle airliners developed by McDonnell Douglas. It was produced by the developer company until August 1997 and then by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The MD-80 was the second gener ...

jet donated by

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

to local air mechanics students. There are 29 bridges in Ceiba.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Ceiba include: * Carlos Santos - former IBF Junior Middleweight Champion of the World. *

Luis Vigoreaux Luis Vigoreaux Rivera (April 12, 1928 – January 17, 1983) was a Puerto Rican radio and television show host, announcer, comedian and producer. Vigoreaux was considered a pioneer in the television business in Puerto Rico, and enjoyed success ...

- radio and television show host, announcer, comedian and producer. Luis Vigoreaux was found murdered on January 17, 1983. His wife Lydia Echevarria arranged his murder. *

Domingo Quiñones Domingo Quiñones is a singer of salsa music. He is also a composer, producer and actor. Domingo Quinones was born on August 9, 1963, in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. When he was four years old he moved to Puerto Rico with his parents and lived in C ...

- although born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey; Domingo Quiñones moved to Ceiba at the early age of 4 and lived there until the age of 14. * Pablo Casals - built his home in Ceiba at the age of 80; the place was known as "El Pesebre". * Rogelio Figueroa Garcia - was born in Naguabo, Puerto Rico; however, was raised in Parcelas Aguas Claras (Barrio El Corcho) in Ceiba. He is a Puerto Rican engineer, a politician, and the co-founder of the Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico (PPR) political party. *

McJoe Arroyo McJoe Arroyo Acevedo (born December 5, 1985) is a Puerto Rican professional boxer who held the IBF junior bantamweight title from 2015 to 2016. As an amateur, he represented Puerto Rico in international competition, winning a bronze medal at ...

- IBF Super Flyweight world boxing champion *

Jaron Brown Jaron Brown (born January 8, 1990) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football for Clemson. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2013. High school career Brown attende ...

- is a wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks. He was born in Ceiba, PR. * Isabel Rosado Morales - was born in Barrio Chupacallo in Ceiba, Puerto Rico. She studied in La Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Rico Piedras and obtained a bachellor's degree in Education and Social Work. During the 1930s she was a rural teacher, position she held during 14 years. Alongside Blanca Canales, Carmen Rivera de Alvarado and other women, she was a founding member of La Sociedad Insular de Trabajadores Sociales, known today as Colegio de Trabajadores Sociales de Puerto Rico. She was a member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and activist for the Puerto Rican Independence Movement. She lived until reaching the age of 107.

Government

All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

, elected every four years. The current mayor of Ceiba is Angelo Cruz Ramos, of the New Progressive Party (PNP). He was elected at the 2012 general elections. The city belongs to the

Puerto Rico Senatorial district VIII Puerto Rico Senatorial District VIII, also known as the Senatorial District of Carolina, is one of the eight senatorial districts of Puerto Rico. It is currently represented by Henry Neumann and Nitza Morán (both from the New Progressive Party) ...

, which is represented by two Senators. In 2012, Pedro A. Rodríguez and

Luis Daniel Rivera Luis Daniel Rivera Filomeno is a Puerto Rican politician from the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). Rivera was elected to the Senate of Puerto Rico in 2012. Rivera was born in Carolina. He has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science. Rivera h ...

were elected as District Senators.

Symbols

The has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag

Ceiba's flag derives its design and colors from the municipal coat of arms. This maintains the same symbolism given to the coat of arms. It is made of two vertical lines of the same width, red in the left side and green on the right. The red side depicts a yellow cross.

Coat of arms

The Ceiba coat of arms depicts a shield with a Ceiba tree. In the upper part of the shield is a red horizontal space with a golden cross in the middle and a golden fleur-de-lis on either side. The cross symbolizes the Christian faith as well recognizing Luis de la Cruz as Ceiba's founder. Around the shield are sugar cane stalks. Above the shield there is a golden Spanish fort.

References

External links

News out of Ceiba on Presencia PR
{{Subject bar, auto=y, d=y Municipalities of Puerto Rico Populated places established in 1838 Fajardo metropolitan area 1838 establishments in Puerto Rico