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List of barrios of Ponce, Puerto Rico facts for kids

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Ponce barrios map labeled
Map of the 31 barrios of Ponce
Barrio San Anton, Ponce, Puerto Rico (IMG 2741A)
Entrance to Barrio San Antón, one of Ponce's urban neighborhoods

This article is about the 31 barrios (neighborhoods) in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Ponce has more barrios than any other city in Puerto Rico.

What is a Barrio?

In Puerto Rico, the word "barrio" can mean two different things.

  • Official Barrios: These are the 31 main areas that the local and federal governments recognize as official parts of Ponce. They have clear boundaries.
  • Local Communities: Sometimes, people use "barrio" to talk about smaller communities or parts of an official barrio. These are like neighborhoods within a larger neighborhood. For example, Barrio Mameyes is a community inside the official Barrio Portugués Urbano. These local communities don't have official borders. They are often known for sharing similar types of homes or people.

Ponce's Neighborhoods: A Closer Look

The barrios in Ponce started to form in the 1700s. The first ones were Cana, Montones, Capitanejo, Quebrada Limón, and Bucana. Over time, Ponce grew, and by the 1900s, it had 31 barrios.

These 31 barrios are divided into two main types:

  • Urban Barrios: 13 of them are in the city area.
  • Rural Barrios: 18 of them are outside the main city area.

In 1999, seven of the rural barrios started to be considered suburban (meaning they are between the city and the countryside). These were Canas, Magueyes, Portugués, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, Coto Laurel, and Cerrillos. The other 11 rural barrios are completely in the countryside.

According to a 2000 report, Montes Llanos was the barrio with the fewest people. Barrio Canas had the most people because it is very large. San Patricio was the least crowded, with only 68 people per square mile. On the other hand, Barrio Cuarto was the most crowded, with 18,819 people per square mile!

Here is a full list of all 31 barrios in Ponce, with their population and size from the 2000 Census:

No. Barrio Population
(Census 2000)		 Density
(/sq mi)		 Total Area
(sq mi)		 Land Area
(sq mi)		 Water Area
(sq mi)
1 Anón 1669 129.9 12.85 12.85 0.00
2 Bucaná 3963 2957.5 2.16 1.34 0.81
3 Canas 34065 2349.3 22.82 14.50 8.32
4 Canas Urbano 21482 9299.6 2.31 2.31 0.00
5 Capitanejo 1401 355.4 4.82 3.95 0.88
6 Cerrillos 4284 1377.5 3.31 3.11 0.20
7 Coto Laurel 5285 1492.9 3.60 3.54 0.06
8 Cuarto 3011 18818.8 0.17 0.16 0.00
9 Guaraguao 1017 247.4 4.11 4.11 0.00
10 Machuelo Abajo 13302 7515.3 1.86 1.77 0.90
11 Machuelo Arriba 13727 2124.9 6.61 6.46 0.15
12 Magueyes 6134 1345.2 4.56 4.56 0.00
13 Magueyes Urbano 1332 1074.2 1.24 1.24 0.00
14 Maragüez 754 142.0 6.42 5.31 1.11
15 Marueño 1474 350.1 4.21 4.21 0.00
16 Montes Llanos 462 214.9 2.15 2.15 0.00
17 Playa 16926 3864.4 14.98 4.38 10.60
18 Portugués Rural 4882 1386.9 3.56 3.52 0.04
19 Portugués Urbano 5886 5163.2 1.14 1.14 0.00
20 Primero 3550 14200.0 0.25 0.25 0.00
21 Quebrada Limón 804 301.1 2.67 2.67 0.00
22 Quinto 724 6581.8 0.11 0.11 0.00
23 Real 3139 595.6 5.28 5.27 0.01
24 Sabanetas 6420 2351.6 2.79 2.73 0.06
25 San Antón 11271 10063.4 1.17 1.12 0.04
26 San Patricio 465 67.8 6.86 6.86 0.00
27 Segundo 11321 17416.9 0.65 0.65 0.00
28 Sexto 4745 18250.0 0.27 0.26 0.01
29 Tercero 773 9662.5 0.08 0.08 0.00
30 Tibes 866 123.5 7.01 7.01 0.00
31 Vayas 1338 187.9 10.47 7.12 3.35
  Ponce 186475 1625.5 193.6 114.7 78.9

Urban Barrios

There are 13 barrios located within the city limits of Ponce. These include the original six city barrios, plus seven others that have become part of the urban area over time. The historic center of Ponce is found within these original six barrios.

The 13 urban barrios are:

Original Urban Barrios

Una calle en el Barrio Segundo, Zona Historica de Ponce, Ponce, PR (DSC05640)
A street in Barrio Segundo, one of Ponce's original urban barrios

When barrios were first created around 1831, the city area of Ponce was divided into four main barrios. By 1878, Barrio Quinto was added, and by 1898, Cantera was renamed Barrio Sexto. These six barrios formed the original urban zone of Ponce:

Rural Barrios

Un sector rural del Barrio Capitanejo, Ponce, Puerto Rico, al costado de la Carretera PR-510, mirando al sur (DSC05626)
Barrio Capitanejo, one of Ponce's rural barrios

Ponce has 18 rural barrios, which are located outside the main city area.

Suburban Barrios

Escena en el Barrio Magueyes, Ponce, PR (DSC01804)
A scene in Barrio Magueyes, one of Ponce's suburban barrios

Seven of the rural barrios are considered suburban. This means they are not quite in the city, but they are not completely rural either. They are:

Bordering Barrios

Escena en el Barrio Quebrada Limon (PR-502 en el Km 2.0), Ponce, PR (DSC02305A)
A road in Barrio Quebrada Limón near the border with Peñuelas

Nine of Ponce's barrios share a border with other towns (municipalities). These are:

Coastal Barrios

Isla Ratones (vista desde el Hotel Ponce Holiday Inn), Ponce, PR (DSC05629)
A view of Isla Ratones from coastal Barrio Canas

Ponce has five barrios that are located along the Caribbean Sea. These are:

Two of these, Canas and Capitanejo, are also bordering barrios.

Interior Barrios

PR-139 in Barrio Cerrillos in Ponce, PR, heading NB (IMG 3769)
Route PR-139 in interior Barrio Cerrillos

Eight barrios in Ponce are located completely in the middle of the municipality. This means they are not in the urban zone, they don't touch the Caribbean Sea, and they don't border any other towns. These are:

See also

  • List of communities in Puerto Rico
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