Hato Rey (
Spanish for
''king’s cattle farm''), often considered the
central business district of
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
, is a highly urbanized financial, commercial, and residential district in
San Juan, the capital
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
of the
archipelago and island. Located in the center of the
San Juan metropolitan area and divided into the
barrios of
Hato Rey Norte,
Hato Rey Central, and
Hato Rey Sur, it is about from the
Old San Juan
Old San Juan () is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the San Juan Islet, islet of San Juan in San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Old San Juan, Ballajá, Catedral, Old San Juan, ...
historic quarter,
Condado and
Isla Verde resort areas, and
SJU airport. Hato Rey is home to the
Milla de Oro financial district,
José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum,
Hiram Bithrom Stadium,
Telumundo International television network headquarters, and
Plaza Las Américas shopping mall, among others. It was formerly a
barrio
''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...
of the dissolved municipality of
Río Piedras, which was merged into San Juan in 1951.
Urban landscape
Its name means "king's cattle farm" (''
hato''). In the 18th century, cattle would roam among the sugar cane fields in the area. Its proximity to residential areas such as
San Juan,
Río Piedras,
Miramar made it a perfect location from where to produce what its residents would eat. The area also used to be known as ''Las Monjas'' (the nuns) due to a convent that used to be located in the area in the 19th century.
The Northern portion of Hato Rey is a startling contrast between blight and poverty and ''
La Milla de Oro'' (The Golden Mile), a stretch that effectively covers only one mile but that is home to the headquarters of many large local and international banks. It is one of the most important centers of
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
and the
Caribbean
The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
's economy and many upper middle class condominiums are also located here.
Hato Rey is also home to a series of boutiques and restaurants (mostly along
Roosevelt Avenue). The
José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum and the ''
Tren Urbano'' metro system have also reshaped Hato Rey by bringing people and business into the area after work hours. The metro system is also helping to ease traffic woes in the area by decongesting the roads.
Phi Sigma Alpha fraternity's main headquarters are located in Mexico Street in Hato Rey.
The Hato Rey
Lions Club
Lions Clubs International, is an international service organization, currently headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. , it had over 46,000 local clubs and more than 1.4 million members (including the youth wing Leo clubs, Leo) in more than 200 ge ...
, founded in 1955, is located in Alhambra Street, across from the
Polytechnic University.
Because of its location, many commuters travelling to
Old San Juan
Old San Juan () is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the San Juan Islet, islet of San Juan in San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Old San Juan, Ballajá, Catedral, Old San Juan, ...
must drive through Hato Rey.
File:Milla-de-oro-min-2.jpg,
File:Coliseo de Puerto Rico.jpg, José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum
File:Roosevelt Station of the Tren Urbano (2).jpg, Tren Urbano Roosevelt station
Economy

Important buildings in Hato Rey include the
Banco Popular headquarters, which in 1965 was the tallest building in Hato Rey.
Plaza Las Américas, a large mall is located in Hato Rey, as is the
Roberto Clemente Coliseum
Roberto Clemente Coliseum (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Coliseo Roberto Clemente'') is a sports and concert arena located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was, for many years, Puerto Rico's largest indoor event facility, and remains one of the large ...
. Puerto Rico's
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
headquarters are also located in Hato Rey. Because of the area's closeness to the airport, major
airlines, such as
Avianca, have offices in Hato Rey.
Compaq
Compaq Computer Corporation was an American information technology, information technology company founded in 1982 that developed, sold, and supported computers and related products and services. Compaq produced some of the first IBM PC compati ...
at one point operated its Puerto Rico offices in Hato Rey.
Government and infrastructure
The Federal Office Building,
a U.S. Federal Courthouse, and the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
(FBI) San Juan
field office are in Hato Rey.
The
Puerto Rico Department of Education is headquartered in Hato Rey.
Home page
. Department of Education of Puerto Rico. Retrieved on May 6, 2017. "Dirección Física: Ave. Tnte. César González, esq. Calle Juan Calaf, Urb. Industrial Tres Monjitas, Hato Rey, P.R. 00917"
File:Hato Rey Norte Barrio.jpg, Hato Rey Norte
File:Hato Rey Central Barrio.jpg, Hato Rey Central
File:Hato Rey Sur Barrio-1.jpg, Hato Rey Sur
See also
*
References
External links
*
{{San Juan, Puerto Rico
Río Piedras, Puerto Rico