Naranjito (, ) is a

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

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 ...

located in the central region of the island, south of Toa Alta; north of Barranquitas and Comerío; east of Corozal; and west of Bayamón. Naranjito is spread over 7 barrios and Naranjito Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The intention to form the municipality of Naranjito began in 1810. After a series of major incidents with powerful political interests of the time, on December 3, 1824, Don Braulio Morales successfully founded the town of Naranjito. The town was founded in the neighborhood of the same name, on a land donated by Doña Manuela Rivera and Don Braulio Morales. Morales was named "Captain Settler" and at the same time was appointed mayor of the town in development. The name "Naranjito" is derived from a small orange tree that served as a reference point for travelers looking for in the shortest way to the town of Toa Alta. At the time of its foundation, Naranjito consisted of five barrios/districts:

Lomas Lomas (Spanish for "hills"), also called fog oases and mist oases, are areas of fog-watered vegetation in the coastal desert of Peru and northern Chile. About 100 lomas near the Pacific Ocean are identified between 5°S and 30°S latitude, a nort ...

Guadiana The Guadiana River (, also , , ), or Odiana, is an international river defining a long stretch of the Portugal-Spain border, separating Extremadura and Andalusia (Spain) from Alentejo and Algarve (Portugal). The river's basin extends from the ...

Achiote ''Bixa orellana'', also known as achiote, is a shrub native to Central America. ''Bixa orellana'' is grown in many countries worldwide. The tree is best known as the source of annatto, a natural orange-red condiment (also called or ) obtained ...

, Nuevo and Cedro. Cedro was divided in 1853 in

Cedro Arriba Cedro Arriba is a barrio in the municipality of Naranjito, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 3,876. 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 bec ...

and

Cedro Abajo Cedro Abajo is a barrio in the municipality of Naranjito, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 4,627. 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 bec ...

. The municipality's main urban zone is composed by the San Miguel, San Antonio and San Cristobal districts. 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 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 territorie ...

. 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 Naranjito was 8,101. Puerto Rico and South Dakota National Guard (37608787606)

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. Naranjito was left in complete devastation and isolation, with no electrical power, no communication and no physical access due to destroyed highways. The

Guadiana River The Guadiana River (, also , , ), or Odiana, is an international river defining a long stretch of the Portugal-Spain border, separating Extremadura and Andalusia (Spain) from Alentejo and Algarve (Portugal). The river's basin extends from the e ...

caused severe flooding in the urban area of Naranjito. The storm triggered numerous landslides in Naranjito. Elderly, especially, struggled to recover.

Geography

Electric power pole placement in Naranjito, Puerto Rico

Naranjito is located in the central mountainous region.

Hydrography

Rivers and streams of Naranjito include Río Cañas,

Río Cibuco The Cibuco River ( es, Río Cibuco) is a river of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. Part of the river goes through Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, Vega Alta and Corozal, Puerto Rico, Corozal municipalities. It is 23.75 miles long. Cibuco River meets Indio River. ...

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 ...

, Río Guadiana and Río Mavilla.

Barrios

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

Anones Anones is a barrio in the municipality of Naranjito, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 4,976. Anones is located to the South of the urban center of the municipality. There are schools and shops here and it is the most mountainous area of t ...

# Nuevo #

, also known as Lomas Garcia #

Naranjito barrio-pueblo Naranjito barrio-pueblo is a Barrios of Puerto Rico, barrio and the administrative center (Seat of government, seat) of Naranjito, Puerto Rico, Naranjito, a municipality of Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 1,157. As was customary in Spain ...

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 Naranjito: La Pajona (Los Alvarado) in Cedro Arriba, Las Parcelas in Lomas García, Los Pampers (Sico Martínez) in Lomas García, Sector Benito Nieves/Los Quilés in Lomas García, Comunidad Lago La Plata, La Colina, San Antonio y San Cristóbal, Casco Urbano (Las Barriadas), Parcelas Hevia, Sector Mulitas, Comunidad Cayito Ríos, Lomas Jaguas, Los Pelusa in Cedro Abajo, Comunidades Riíto 1 y II in Cedro Arriba, Comunidad El Palmar, Los López in Cedro Abajo, Fondo del Saco in Achiote and La Sabana in Cedro Abajo.

Demographics

Tourism

Landmarks and places of interest

*Anones Park *Cancha Gelito Ortega *Cedro Abajo Falls (Las Lagrimas Falls) *La Marina Boardwalk *

La Plata Lake Lago La Plata is a lake located between the municipalities of Naranjito, Toa Alta, and Bayamón in Puerto Rico. The lake was created in 1973 and serves as a reservoir for potable water. The lake receives flow from the La Plata River and can b ...

*Las Avispas Hills *Municipal Swimming Pool *Trovador Plaza *Mirador de Anones * Puente Atirantado Jesús Izcoa Moure *El Cerro Community

Economy

Traditionally the main agricultural crops of Naranjito are coffee and the tobacco. In recent years have borne fruits such as bananas, oranges, papayas, and other tropical fruits; also in the town the poultry factory has been very popular, specifically the dairy cattle (fresh milk). Naranjito has many factories, most of these factories make garments (clothing).

Culture

Festivals and events

Naranjito 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 September. 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 Naranjito include: *

Mothers Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the ...

- May *San Antonio Day - June * Chango Festival - June *Anon Festival - June *Volleyball Tournament - February - June * Archangel Saint Michael Day - September * The Turkey Marathon - November

Sports

The Naranjito Changos, better known as Los Changos De Naranjito, are a professional male volleyball team based in Naranjito. The team is one of the most successful sports franchises in Puerto Rico.

Government

All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. On November 4, 2008, Orlando Ortíz Chevres (of the New Progressive Party), won the

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative ...

. The city belongs to the

Puerto Rico Senatorial district VI Puerto Rico Senatorial District VI, also known as the Senatorial District of Guayama, is one of the eight senatorial districts of Puerto Rico. It is currently represented by Miguel Pereira Castillo and Angel M. Rodríguez (from the Popular Democ ...

, which is represented by two senators. In 2012,

Miguel Pereira Castillo Miguel A. Pereira Castillo (born September 26, 1947) is a Puerto Rican politician, attorney, and public servant. Throughout his career, he has served in various government positions like Director of the Puerto Rico Ports Authority, Superintenden ...

and Angel M. Rodríguez were elected as District Senators.

Transportation

There are 19 bridges in Naranjito.

Symbols

The has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag

Naranjito's flag consists of an orange flag crossed by two narrow green stripes close to the superior and inferior edges. The orange color in the flag symbolizes the town of Naranjito (little orange tree), while the green symbolizes its green mountains.

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

is a red cross, the symbol of the angel

Saint Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

, patron of Naranjito. The globe with the cross symbolizes the power and sovereignty of God. The gold and red stripes that appear in the second and third quarters, constitute the primitive baton of the Guadiana lineage. The lily twigs are a tribute of Saint

Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua ( it, Antonio di Padova) or Anthony of Lisbon ( pt, António/Antônio de Lisboa; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese Catholic Church, Catholic priesthood (Cath ...

, confessor and doctor of the Church. The

orange tree Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

represents the small tree that gave the town's name, Naranjito. The crown is symbol of moral unit of the town.

Education

Naranjito includes several public and private schools distributed through several regions. Public education is handled by the

Puerto Rico Department of Education The Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDOE; ) is one of the statewide public education system in the United States, with (Hawaii being the other). The PRDOE is the state education agency in charge of managing public schools in Puerto Rico as ...

Elementary schools

*Bernarda Robles De Hevia *Don Manolo Rivera *Felipa Sanchez Cruzado *Jose Archilla Cabrera *Josefina Marrero *Francisco Roque Muñoz *Rosa Luz Zayas *Silvestre Martinez

Middle and junior high schools

*Coleen Vazquez Urrutia *Mercedes Rosado * S.U. Adolfo Garcia * S.U. Fidel G Padilla * S.U. Pedro Fernandez

High schools

*Francisco Morales *Vocacional Rubén Rodríguez Figueroa

Private schools

*Academia Santa Teresita (K-12)

Media

A foot pursuit of the movie

Fast & Furious 5 ''Fast Five'' (also known as ''Fast & Furious 5'' or ''Fast & Furious 5: Rio Heist'') is a 2011 American action film directed by Justin Lin and written by Chris Morgan. It is the sequel to ''Fast & Furious'' (2009) and the fifth i ...

in which Dominic Toretto (

Vin Diesel Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor. One of the world's highest-grossing actors, he is best known for playing Dominic Toretto in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise. Diesel began auditio ...

), Mia Toretto (

Jordana Brewster Jordana Brewster (born April 26, 1980) is a Panamanian-American actress. Best known for her role as Mia Toretto in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise, she made her acting debut in an episode of ''All My Children'' in 1995 and next took on the recu ...

) and Brian O'Connor (

Paul Walker Paul William Walker IV (September 12, 1973 – November 30, 2013) was an American actor. He was known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise. Walker began his career as a child actor in the 1980s, gaining recogniti ...

) are chased across favela rooftops by Luke Hobbs (

Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the developm ...

) and his team was filmed over the course of a week in Naranjito. The scene was considered difficult to shoot, as pathways were slippery from moist tropical heat and the scene involved actors and stunt doubles running while avoiding dogs, chickens and other stray animals loose in the area. To capture the scene, a 420-foot cable-camera rig was used to allow for a fast moving, birds-eye view of the action, and cameras on cranes were set up on rooftops and in alleyways. Walker and Brewster made multiple takes of the conclusion of the scene, requiring them to jump nearly 30 feet from a building onto a waiting safety mat. In total the production employed 236 technicians, 13,145 extras, and generated 16,824 room nights at hotels, contributing $27 million to the local community.

Notable people

* Francisco López Cruz, an important musicologist, musician, composer, and educator that dedicated his life to promote Puerto Rican Folk music. * Yazaira Lopez, the winner of Va por Ti co-production of

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and includes ...

and

Televisa Grupo Televisa is a Mexican multimedia mass media company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April 2021, Televisa and Univision Communications announce ...

2014 *

Christian Nieves ''Christian Nieves'' is a Puerto Rican cuatro player. Although having been playing with his father for most of his life, Nieves is mostly known for been a performer in the American reality television series Q'Viva!: The Chosen, where his perfor ...

, an internationally known

cuatro Cuatro is Spanish (and other Romance languages) for the number four. Cuatro may also refer to: * Cuatro (instrument), name for two distinct Latin American instruments, one from Puerto Rico (see Cuatro) and the other from Venezuela (see Cuatro) ...

player * Barbara Serrano, recognized writer and first runner-up of Miss World Puerto Rico 2001.

Books about Naranjito

*''El Chango.'' Apuntes Historicos del Pueblo de Naranjito-1824-1998, Author: Silvestre J. Morales 1999

References

External links

*
Puerto Rico Government Directory - Naranjito
* {{Authority control Municipalities of Puerto Rico Populated places established in 1824 San Juan–Caguas–Guaynabo metropolitan area 1824 establishments in North America