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Luquillo

Municipio de Luquillo
High rise buildings in Luquillo.
High rise buildings in Luquillo.
Flag of Luquillo
Flag
Coat of arms of Luquillo
Coat of arms
Nicknames: 
"Capital del Sol", "La Riviera de Puerto Rico", "Los Come Cocos"
Anthem: "Junto a las costas del mar Atlántico"
Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Luquillo Municipality
Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Luquillo Municipality
Sovereign state  United States
Commonwealth  Puerto Rico
Founded 1797
Barrios
Area
 • Total 34.26 sq mi (88.73 km2)
 • Land 26 sq mi (68 km2)
 • Water 8.00 sq mi (20.73 km2)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 17,781
 • Rank 64th in Puerto Rico
 • Density 519.02/sq mi (200.394/km2)
Demonym(s) Luquillenses or Luquillanos
Time zone UTC−4 (AST)
ZIP Code
00773
Area code(s) 787/939
Major routes PR primary 3.svg Ellipse sign 193.svg

Luquillo (Spanish pronunciation: [luˈkiʎo]) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northeast coast, northwest of Fajardo; and east of Rio Grande. Luquillo is spread over 5 barrios and Luquillo Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It lends its name to the Sierra de Luquillo, where El Yunque National Forest is located. It is part of the Fajardo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The city of Luquillo is 26 square miles and it sits on 12 miles of Atlantic coastline. It is nestled between the blue waters of the Atlantic and the El Yunque National Forest, a rainforest, giving it a diverse and unique ecology. Luquillo marks the beginning of the Northeast Ecological Corridor Nature Reserve which runs down the coast from downtown Luquillo all the way down to the Seven Seas Beach in Fajardo. During certain times of the year, it is not unusual to encounter rare or endangered species of fauna (like the leatherback turtle) while visiting in Luquillo.

History

Luquillo was founded in 1797 and is known as "La Capital del Sol" (Capital of the Sun), "La Riviera de Puerto Rico" (the Puerto Rican Riviera), and "Los Come Cocos" (the coconut eaters). Legend says that the town was named after the Indian cacique Loquillo, who died a few years after the last Indian rebellion in 1513. However, the word Luquillo most likely originates from Yukiyu, the Taino name for El Yunque, most likely meaning "white mountain" (i.e. foggy mountain).

On September 20, 2017 Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico. In Luquillo, rivers were breached, there were landslides, the electrical power collapsed, and 1100 homes were destroyed or damaged. Incidents of looting and assaults were reported in the aftermath of the storm.

Geography

Luquillo is located on the northeast coast.

Barrios

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

  1. Juan Martín
  2. Luquillo barrio-pueblo
  3. Mameyes I has a Playa Fortuna Community
  4. Mata de Plátano has a Playa Fortuna Community
  5. Pitahaya
  6. Sabana

Sectors

Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions) and subbarrios, are further subdivided into smaller areas 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

Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. 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 Luquillo: Barrio Pitahaya, Sector Santo Domingo, Mata de Plátano, Río Chiquito, and Sector Fortuna Playa.

Tourism

Beach in Luquillo, Puerto Rico
A view of Luquillo Beach

There are 14 beaches in Luquillo including La Pared. La Pared, which translates to "The Wall", is considered a dangerous beach. If you stay on the coastal highway going east from San Juan, you'll soon reach Luquillo Beach, officially known as La Monserrate Beach (Balneario de la Monserrate). This huge plantation of majestic coconut palms shades more than a mile of fine and shimmering sand. It is one of the most popular and nicest public beaches in the San Juan metropolitan area. It offers cafeterias, public bathrooms with showers, access for disabled people, and an ample parking lot. La Monserrate Beach is one of the public beaches most frequented by the locals. La Selva, is a small cove on the east coast. It is arguably one of the best surf spots on the east coast. The only way to get to it is about a 2-mile walk through a cow farm, but it's worth the trip if you can talk someone into telling you how to get there.

Landmarks and places of interest

Buildings on the coast of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
View of Luquillo
  • Chief Loquillo Monument
  • La Fortuna Hacienda
  • La Bandera Beach
  • La Monserrate Beach, also known as Luquillo Beach
  • La Pared Beach
  • Las Pailas Beach
  • Mameyes Beach
  • Ocean View Boulevard
  • Fortuna Beach
  • The Recreational Park
  • The Kiosks at Luquillo Beach
  • La Selva Reef Break

Economy

Culture

Festivals and events

Luquillo celebrates its patron saint festival in March. The Fiestas Patronales de San Jose 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 Luquillo include:

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1920 6,251
1930 7,799 24.8%
1940 8,851 13.5%
1950 9,967 12.6%
1960 8,582 −13.9%
1970 10,390 21.1%
1980 14,895 43.4%
1990 18,100 21.5%
2000 19,817 9.5%
2010 20,068 1.3%
2020 17,781 −11.4%
U.S. Decennial Census
1920-1930
1930-1950 1960-2000 2010 2020
Ethnicity - Luquillo, Puerto Rico - 2005
Race Population  % of Total
White 10,112 57.4%
Black/African American 4,345 23.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native 120 0.6%
Asian 62 0.3%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 3 0.0%
Some other race 2,933 14.8%
Two or more races 610 3.1%

Transportation

Entrada a Barrio Sabana, Luquillo, Puerto Rico
Entrance sign for Sabana barrio and PR-983

There is no public transportation in Luquillo, and residents and visitors rely on Uber or Luquillo Taxi™️ & Tours Puerto Rico LLC Luquillo Taxi for service.

There are 20 bridges in Luquillo.

PR-3 is the main road through Luquillo. Other municipality roads include PR-983, PR-988, PR-991 and PR-940.

Symbols

The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag

It consists of three horizontal stripes, the blue top and green bottom are double of width of the yellow central stripe. Blue makes reference to the sky and the sea; yellow represents the sand of its beaches and green represents the vegetation of the mountains. In the center stripe resides the coat of arms of the municipality superimposed and surrounded by two palm tree leaves crossed at the bottom.

Coat of arms

In a gold background a centered mountain range with three green mountains is accompanied at the bottom by a bay with blue and silver waves; the top portion of the shield in blue, has three iris branches. Above the shield resides a three tower gold crown. Surrounding the shield by its flanks are two palms trees leaves crossed at the bottom.

Gallery

See also

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