Manatí () 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 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 ...

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 ...

on the northern coast, north of

Morovis Morovis (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central region of the island, north of Orocovis, south of Manatí, Vega Baja and Vega Alta; east of Ciales, and west of Corozal. Morovis is spread over 13 barrios and Mor ...

and

Ciales Ciales (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico, located on the Central Mountain Range, northwest of Orocovis; south of Florida and Manatí; east of Utuado and Jayuya; and west of Morovis. Ciales is spread over eight barrios and Ciales P ...

; east of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and Barceloneta; and west of

Vega Baja Vega Baja (, ) is a town and municipality located on the coast of north central Puerto Rico. It is north of Morovis, east of Manatí, and west of Vega Alta. Vega Baja is spread over 13 barrios. The population of the municipality was 54,414 at ...

. Manatí is spread over 8 barrios and

Manatí barrio-pueblo Manatí barrio-pueblo is a Barrios of Puerto Rico, barrio and the administrative center (Seat of government, seat) of Manatí, Puerto Rico, Manatí, a municipality of Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 5,746. Manatí barrio-pueblo is where ...

(the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Manati, Puerto Rico Atenas de Puerto Rico

Manatí was founded in 1799 by Don Pedro Menendez Valdes. The Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria church was built in the seventeenth century and is still standing in its original spot. Manati is known as ''La Ciudad Metropolitana'' (The Metropolitan City), and also as ''Las Atenas de Puerto Rico,'' (The Athens of Puerto Rico).Rivera, Magaly. "Manati" Welcome to Puerto Rico! 7 Dec 2011. . It is named after a sea mammal, the

manatee 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 ...

(the sea cow). During those early years, the mayor of the town was Jose Aulet. Juan Ponce de León picked the Manatí leg of the Manuatabón River as the first area to pan for gold. The Aulet family owned lands rich in pineapples, sugar cane, and green bananas. The Aulets sold the land to the government in 1985. In 1853, the region shifted from mining to an expansion of agriculture, particularly cultivation and processing of sugar cane. The demand for and price of sugar remained high in international markets. The main commodity crop was sugar cane. Carpentry also became popular. During that year, the town consisted of 280 homes, 2 squares, 8 streets and a school with 50 pupils. 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 = (clock ...

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. 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, a ...

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 incl ...

of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Manatí was 13,989. On September 20, 2017

Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria was a deadly Saffir–Simpson scale#Category 5, Category 5 Tropical cyclone, hurricane that devastated the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly Dominica, Saint Croix, and Puerto Rico. It is regarded as the wo ...

struck Puerto Rico. In Manatí, the hurricane caused major destruction with around 1500 residences destroyed or damaged. Highways were covered in debris and water, leaving communities incommunicado. The breaching of the

Río Grande de Manatí The Manatí River (Spanish: Río Grande de Manatí) is a river in Puerto Rico, which flows through several northern municipalities of the island. The river is named after the municipality of Manatí where the river mouth is located. Description ...

caused the destruction of many structures including around 70 residences.

Geography

Manatí is on the northern central coast and the Northern Karst.

Barrios

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

Coto Norte Coto Norte is a rural barrio with an urban zone in the municipality of Manatí, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 11,250. History Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treat ...

Coto Sur Coto Sur is a barrio in the municipality of Manatí, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 8,184. 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 becam ...

# Río Arriba Poniente #

Río Arriba Saliente Río Arriba Saliente is a rural barrio in the municipality of Manatí, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 3,592. History Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris o ...

# Tierras Nuevas Poniente # Tierras Nuevas Saliente

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 ...

) and subbarrios, 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 Manatí: Cerro Gandía, Cerro Quiñones and El Horno.

Demographics

Tourism

In 2014, Manati welcomed its first hotel, the Hyatt Place Hotel and Casino, located next to Casino Atlántico and a LongHorn Steakhouse, which opened in April 2014. The hotel has an outdoor swimming pool, 3 meeting rooms and a fitness center. The official name was Hyatt Place Manati & Casino. Manati is popular for its beaches and is part of the Porta Altantico tourism district. In 2019, Manatí began offering free tours of its city, beaches, historic places and eateries.

Landmarks and places of interest

Some of the places of interest in Manatí include: La Plaza de la Historia de Manatí en Puerto Rico

*The Acropolis Sports Complex *"Manatí, PR - The Athens of Puerto Rico." Eye Tour. 2011. Web. 7 Dec 2011.. * * Historic Zone * Beach * Beach and Hacienda Azucarera la Esperanza *, where visitors have been cited for public indecency. (Puerto Rico does not have nudist beaches.) * Beach, which is considered a dangerous beach. * Ruins * * The New Manati Arena * Manati Baseball Stadium * , which is considered a dangerous beach.

Economy

Agriculture

Isidoro Colón established the "Candelaria" sugar mill in the years between 1860 and 1870, located between Manatí and Barceloneta. Manatí is the pineapple center of Puerto Rico. In addition in Manatí, there is cultivation of fruits, sugar cane, and coffee. is a farming company in Manatí that provides local fruit and vegetables to local chefs.

Industry

The industry of Manatí is shoes, woodwork, and a pineapple cannery as well as pharmaceuticals: *

Bristol-Myers Squibb The Bristol Myers Squibb Company (BMS) is an American multinational pharmaceutical company. Headquartered in New York City, BMS is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and consistently ranks on the ''Fortune'' 500 list of the lar ...

Warner Chilcott Warner Chilcott (formerly Galen) was a company in the pharmaceutical industry based in Rockaway, New Jersey. It was primarily focused on women’s healthcare and dermatology. On October 1, 2013, the company was acquired by Actavis (now Allergan). ...

DuPont DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...

Patheon Patheon is a service brand within Thermo Fisher Scientific’s brand portfolio. Contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) services offered under the Patheon brand include small molecule API, biologics, viral vectors, cGMP plasmids ...

*Actavis (inside W.C) *Janssen Ortho LLC

Retailers

*Burlington store

Symbols

The has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag

This municipality has a flag.

Coat of arms

This municipality has a coat of arms.

Healthcare

Manati has two large, private hospitals, Doctor's Center Hospital, and Manati Medical Center Dr. Otero Lopez (formerly the government owned Hospital de Area). There is also the smaller Municipal Hospital. The area surrounding

PR-2 Puerto Rico Highway 2 (PR-2) is a road in Puerto Rico that connects the cities of San Juan and Ponce. At 156 miles (230 km) long, it is Puerto Rico's longest singled-signed highway. The road runs counter-clockwise from San Juan to Ponce. ...

is known for having many medical offices.

Education

Manati has 3 high schools: Petra Corretjer de O'neill High School, Fernando Callejo High School, and the Escuela Instituto Tecnologico Recinto De Manati, the latter also serving as a

technical institute An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

. Private Schools: *Colegio Marista "El Salvador" Manati *Colegio De La Inmaculada *Piaget Bilingual Academy *Academia Discipulos de Cristo *Colegio Hispano Americano *La Reine Christian Bilingual School Manati's only university is the American University of Puerto Rico, Manati Campus. There are several technical institutes, such as Instituto de Banca y Comercio, Atenas' College, EDC college and Dewey University.

Transportation

There are 15 bridges in Manatí.

Culture

Festivals and events

Manatí 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 February. 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 Manatí include: *Los Tubos beach festival – June/July *Mar Chiquita festival – June *Christmas festival – December

Radio stations

* WMNT (AM) - Radio Atenas 1500 AM * WNRT FM - Triunfo 96.9 FM

Notable natives and residents

Notable people from Manatí include: *

Cecilia Callejo Cecilia Lucila Callejo Correa (October 31, 1907 – August 18, 2003), known as Cecilia Callejo, was an American actress and dancer, born in Puerto Rico. She appeared in films, including '' It's a Wonderful World'' (1939), '' Passport to Alcatraz ...

, dancer and actress *

José Miguel Class José Miguel Class Ponce (September 26, 1935 – April 13, 2017) was a Puerto Rican singer who garnered international fame during the 1960s and 1970s. Biography Nicknamed "El Gallito de Manatí" ("Manati's Bantam"), Class achieved fame in Puer ...

, singer *

Noel Cuevas Noel A. Cuevas (born October 2, 1991) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies. Career Los Angeles Dodgers Cuevas was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in th ...

, professional baseball player *

Manuel Ramos Otero Manuel Ramos Otero (July 20, 1948 – October 7, 1990) was a Puerto Rican literature, Puerto Rican writer. He is widely considered to be the most important coming out, openly gay twentieth-century Puerto Rican writer who wrote in Spanish, an ...

, poet and LGBT activist * Carlos Santana Becerra, judge * Yara Sofia, drag queen *

Antonio Vélez Alvarado Antonio Vélez Alvarado a.k.a. "The Father of the Puerto Rican Flag" (June 12, 1864 – January 16, 1948) was a Puerto Rican journalist, politician and revolutionary who was an advocate of Puerto Rican independence. A close friend of Cuban pat ...

, father of the Puerto Rican flag *

Carlos Beltrán Carlos Iván Beltrán (; born April 24, 1977) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1998 to 2017 for the Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, New York Mets, San Fra ...

, Professional Baseball Outfielder *

Iván Rodríguez Iván Rodríguez Torres (born November 27, 1971), nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball catcher. He played for the Texas Rangers (in two separate stints, comprising the majority of his career), Florida ...

, Professional Baseball Player *

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 ...

, actor and politician

Gallery

Playa, Manatí, 00674, Puerto Rico - panoramio (1).jpg, Mar Chiquita beach and bay in Manatí Cueva de las golondrinas, Manati - panoramio.jpg, Cueva de las Golondrinas Buildings in Manatí barrio-pueblo.jpg, Buildings in Manatí barrio-pueblo Hidden beach, Manati, PR - panoramio.jpg, Beach in Manatí

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Manati, Puerto Rico Municipalities of Puerto Rico Populated places established in 1738 San Juan–Caguas–Guaynabo metropolitan area 1738 establishments in the Spanish Empire