Isla Verde ( Spanish for ''green island'') is an urbanized, beachfront

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs. This includes food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel ...

and residential district with various upscale hotels and condominiums in the

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 Carolina, where the main airport 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 ...

, the

Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Aeropuerto Internacional Luis Muñoz Marín'') , previously known as Isla Verde International Airport (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Aeropuerto Internacional de Isla Verde''), ...

, is located. Named after a small cay and

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral, or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic component, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition (geol ...

near the shoreline, Isla Verde is about east of the Hato Rey business center, Condado resort area, and

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 in the adjacent capital municipality of

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

, between the Los Corozos and San José Lagoon to the west and the La Torrecilla Lagoon to the east, which lies next to the

state forest A state forest or national forest is a forest that is administered or protected by a sovereign state, sovereign or federated state, or territory (country subdivision), territory. Background State forests are forests that are Administration (gov ...

, beaches, and

street food Street food is food sold by a Hawker (trade), hawker or vendor on a street or at another public place, such as a market, fair, or park. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption ...

kiosks of the ''Piñones'' ("

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

nuts") Afro-Puerto Rican community in the municipality of Loíza. ISS047-E-804 - View of Earth

Geolocation

Isla Verde is named after a small cay surrounded by a

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in group ...

measuring 2,518 m² (0.6 acres) about 400 meters north of the shoreline at ''Punta del Medio'' (''middle point'') in the

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 Cangrejo Arriba in the

of Carolina. Isla Verde is bordered to the north by the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

, to the west by the

of Santurce in the capital municipality of

, to the east by the barrio of Torrecilla Baja in the municipality of Loíza, and to the south by the Luis Muñoz Internacional Airport in Carolina. The Teodoro Moscoso Bridge connects Isla Verde to Hato Rey, the financial and commercial center of the main metropolitan area of Puerto Rico. Along with the Condado resort and residential district, it is one of the main tourist areas in the metropolitan area, hosting popular restaurants, hotels, casinos, and resorts.

Neighborhood entanglements

The

, which is often mistakenly thought to be situated in the capital

, is located in Isla Verde, which is within the limits of the municipality of Carolina. Originally, the airport was given the unofficial title "Isla Verde International Airport", both by locals and visitors. Its residents tend to downplay the fact that the area is technically part of Carolina because Isla Verde shares the coastline with Ocean park and Condado, which are both nearby and part of Santurce, one of the capital's historic districts. Since the airport's creation and up until the

September 11, 2001 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

, aviation fans could enjoy a day at the beach, and at the same time, watch the aircraft land or take-off at a specially designed spot located near Piñones, Loíza. As a consequence of the attacks, the spot was closed to the general public because it might compromise airport security. Because of the airport's location in the Isla Verde area, some streets have had to be closed several times during visits by dignitaries and celebrities (most notably when a local has had overseas success in a competition). The area has a multitude of restaurants, hotels and high-priced homes as well as hotels and resorts. Many celebrities have lived in Isla Verde's affluent areas, including some former members of the boy band Menudo, including

Ricky Martin Enrique Martin Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography incorporati ...

. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, it was home to one of the world's more popular discos of the time: The Flying Sauce, owned by Charlie Garcia who had promoted the Muhammad Ali vs. Jean Pierre Coopman fight at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum. The Flying Saucer had a capacity of 800 people and over 10,000 were left outside opening night as DJ Orlando Torres del Pino had to force himself into the club. Isla Verde is home to a large Cuban exile community centered on Casa Cuba, which is Puerto Rico's main Cuban social club.

Public Transportation

The Isla Verde bus terminal has routes to various other parts of San Juan: * 50 to Luis Muñoz Marín Airport * 45 to Luis Muñoz Marín Airport and Piñero * 40 to Piñero * 5 to Santurce and Old San Juan * 53 to Condado and Old San Juan There are two bus systems serving the Isla Verde bus terminal: AMA, the main public transportation system and SITRAC which travels in the Isla Verde Hotel district. The public bus 5 and 53 which will take you from the Bus Terminal to Old San Juan (e.g. to El Morro) in roughly 1 hour. The SITRAC bus is free but only stays in Isla Verde. The public bus costs 75 cents to ride. Available at all times, taxis charge about $20 for a ride to the Condado and Old San Juan areas.

Subareas

Isla Verde is near the largest public housing project in Puerto Rico, the Luis Llorens Torres Residential Complex, which is within the limits of the municipality of San Juan. In March 2021, a higher police presence was planned for Isla Verde.

References

{{Reflist, 2 Carolina, Puerto Rico Neighborhoods in Puerto Rico

Geolocation

Neighborhood entanglements

Public Transportation

Subareas

See also

References