City and municipality in Puerto Rico
Municipality in Puerto Rico, United States
Aguadilla
(
Spanish pronunciation:
[a?wa?ði?a]
,
locally
[awa?ði?a]
), founded in 1775 by Luis de Cordova, is a
city
and
municipality
located in the northwestern tip of
Puerto Rico
, bordered by the
Atlantic Ocean
to the north and west, north of
Aguada
, and
Moca
and west of
Isabela
. Aguadilla is spread over 15
barrios
and
Aguadilla Pueblo
(the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is a principal city and core of the
Aguadilla-Isabela-San Sebastian Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
Etymology and nicknames
[
edit
]
Aguadilla is a shortening of the town's original name
San Carlos de La Aguadilla
. The name
Aguadilla
is a diminutive of
Aguada
, which is the name of the
town
and municipality located to the south. Some of the municipality's nicknames are:
Jardin del Atlantico
("Garden of the
Atlantic
"),
Pueblo de los Tiburones
("
Shark
Town") and
La Villa del
Ojo de Agua
("Villa of the
Water Spring
") after the natural water spring that was used by early settlers and Spanish soldiers as a water source which is now located in
El Parterre Square
in
Aguadilla Pueblo
.
[3]
History
[
edit
]
According to sources, a
Taino
settlement called
Aymamon
was located close to the
Culebrinas River
.
[4]
The present territory of Aguadilla was originally part of the territory of
Aguada
. In 1775, the foundation of Aguadilla by Don Luis de Cordova was approved.
[5]
But it was not until 1780 that the territory was properly segregated, making the founding of the town official. Originally, Aguadilla was constituted by the
Victoria
and Higuey barrios.
[6]
This region was already inhabited and known as Aguadilla before 1770. In 1776,
Fray Inigo Abbad y Lasierra
in his description of the towns of the island, mentioned it as the "new Town of
San Carlos de La Aguadilla
." Nevertheless, according to Dr.
Agustin Stahl
in his
Foundation of Aguadilla
, it was not until 1780 that the town was officially founded. The construction of a new church and the proceedings to become an independent village began in 1775.
[7]
The population in the Village of Aguadilla continued to increase constantly mainly due to its excellent port and strategic location in the route of the boats. In 1776, when
Santo Domingo
became independent for the first time, the loyalists of
Spanish descent
emigrated to Puerto Rico, mainly to Aguadilla, which caused the population to continue increasing significantly. In 1831, according to Don Pedro Tomas de Cordova, the area or "party" of Aguadilla belonged to Aguada. At this time, the territorial organization of Aguadilla was as follows: Pueblo Norte (North Town), Pueblo Sur (South Town), Ceiba Alta, Ceiba Baja, Montana, Malezas, Aguacate, Dos Palmas, Camaseyes, Plainela, Borinquen, Arenales, Higuey, Corrales, Victoria, and Mangual.
[
citation needed
]
Don Pedro Tomas de Cordova mentions the road of Aguadilla formed by
Punta Borinquen
and San Francisco, as the "anchorage of the ships that travel from Europe to
Havana
and
Mexico
". He adds that its "port is the most frequented in the Island due to the proportions that it offers to refresh all class of ship."
[
citation needed
]
In 1860, Aguadilla was officially declared a village.
[6]
Several years later, when the island was territorially organized into seven departments, Aguadilla became the head of the third department that included the municipalities of Aguada,
Isabela
,
Lares
,
Moca
,
Rincon
, and
San Sebastian
. In January 1841 a Royal Order transferred the judicial party from Aguada to Aguadilla. In 1878, according to Don Manuel Ebeda y Delgado, the territorial organization of Aguadilla had varied a little. At this time Plainela, Higuey, and Mangual barrios are not mentioned. The Dos Palmas barrio appears as Palmar. Also at this time, three new barrios are mentioned: Guerrero, Caimital Alto, and Caimital Bajo. In 1898, even with the change of sovereignty in the island, the territorial organization of Aguadilla is the same to that of 1878. Nevertheless, in the Census of 1899, downtown Aguadilla appears constituted by Higuey, Iglesia, Nueva, Santa Barbara, and Tamarindo barrios. Malezas barrio appears subdivided into Maleza Alta and Maleza Baja. From that time, the territorial organization of Aguadilla did not change, until 1948, when the Puerto Rico Department of Planning prepared the map of the city and its barrios, and following instructions of city authorities, Higuey and parts of Caimital Alto barrios are annexed to
Downtown Aguadilla
.
[
citation needed
]
Ramey Air Force Base
[
edit
]
Aguadilla was the site of the U.S. military's
Ramey Air Force Base
for almost five decades. During this period, Aguadilla was home to the
Strategic Air Command
, equipped with
RB-36s
and
72d Bombardment Wing, Heavy
equipped with
B-52s
, an important strategic facility during the
Cold War
.
Activated in June 1952 as a Strategic Air Command very long-range reconnaissance unit at Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico, but not operational until October 1952. Redesignated as 72d Strategic Reconnaissance Wing and received 3 (60th, 73rd and 301st) squadrons of RB-36D/E/F/H Peacemaker bombers. Also, the 915th Air Rescue Squadron. Conducted global strategic reconnaissance 1953?1955, gradually shifting to a bombardment training mission beginning in 1954, being upgraded to B-36J and B-36J(III) Featherweights by 1955. Redesignated 72d Bombardment Wing in 1958.
With the phaseout of the B-36s in 1958, received B-52G Stratofortress intercontinental strategic bombers.
Though the infrastructure still exists, the airport was handed over to the
Government of Puerto Rico
in 1973. The aerial facilities are now controlled by the
Puerto Rico Ports Authority
and comprise the
Rafael Hernandez International Airport
. The barracks now host the Faro Inn Suites, a 79-room hotel. The Officer's Club now hosts the Faro Conference Center, a 22,000-square-foot (2,000 m
2
) meeting facility. The hospital is now the Courtyard by
Marriott
Punta Borinquen Resort & Casino,
[8]
a 150-room hotel with a casino and the first Marriott in Puerto Rico outside of the
San Juan
Metropolitan Area.
Ramey also hosts the
University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla
and the Friedrich Froebel Bilingual School (K-9).
[9]
The high school became Ramey Job Corps Campus
[10]
and the elementary school became the Esther Feliciano Mendoza Middle School. Centro de Adiestramiento y Bellas Artes (CABA) since 1979 has been the only public school of arts in Puerto Rico (7?12). Ramey is also the site of the new Ramey Skating Park and a new
mariposario
(butterfly farm) and the Ramey Shopping Center.
There is still an active part of the base that hosts the
Coast Guard
Borinquen Air Station. There are also other government agencies based at Ramey, including the United States
Department of Homeland Security
,
U.S. Customs & Border Protection's
Office of Air and Marine
and
Office of Border Patrol
, the
Fuerzas Unidas de Rapida Accion
(United Forces for Rapid Action) of the
Puerto Rico Police Department
and the
Puerto Rico National Guard
.
There is also a post office, the
Centro de Servicios al Conductor
(Driver's Services Center), a bakery, and a
Banco Popular de Puerto Rico
location.
San Antonio
[
edit
]
San Antonio village was established in the mid-19th century. It was populated by 60 families. Originally the place where these families were located was known as
Bajura de Vadi
, the place later to become known as San Antonio.
In 1918, as a consequence of the
1918 San Fermin earthquake
, the village was completely destroyed by a
tsunami
. The families suffered the struggles caused by this natural disaster due by the proximity of the village to the shore.
The residents of the village decided re-localize the village in a higher area further from shore. The new location was what today is known as
Ramey
.
The village's infrastructure started its evolution. Luis R. Esteves and Juan Garcia established the first two theaters in the area. A new was social club form, known as "Luz del Porvenir" (Light of the Future). A new school system was the pride of the village because it offered them the opportunity to give their children an education without having to go 9 miles (14 km) south downtown. There was also a new bakery and a post office, among other facilities. At this time, the village also began its Patron Festival.
The clothing industry was a major source of employment.
In September 1939, some 3,796 acres (15.4 km
2
) covered by sugar cane, was expropriated for the military at the cost of $1,215,000, in order to build an air base that came to be known as
Ramey Air Force Base
.
Since the foundation, the village has suffered three expropriations as a result of expansions to
Ramey Air Force Base
. These expropriations delayed and ended the plans to turn San Antonio into a town.
Today, the population of San Antonio consists of approximately ten thousand people. It has a modern square, a
Puerto Rico State Police
Station, a coliseum, an industrial park, public housing, a baseball park, a public school system, shops, and many other characteristics of a small town. The town also has a flag and an emblem. Roberto Roman Acevedo designed the town flag and emblem.
Tragedy on election day in 1944
[
edit
]
On the early morning hours of November 7, 1944, Puerto Rico suffered the worst railroad accident in its history.
[11]
Train No. 3 was traveling from
San Juan
to
Ponce
carrying passengers to their different hometowns for the island general elections to be held that same day. It stopped at the Jimenez Station in Aguadilla for a routine
engineer
and
boilerman
exchange with Train No. 4 which was heading to San Juan. The engineer assigned to Train No. 3's ride from Jimenez Station to Ponce was Jose Antonio Roman, an experienced freight train engineer who had never worked in passenger travel.
[11]
When the train left the station at 2:00 am, it was carrying 6 passenger cars with hundreds of commuters and two freight cars.
At 2:20 a.m. the train started to descend a hill section known as
Cuesta Vieja
(Old Hill) in Aguadilla at, what some witnesses described as, an exaggerated speed. When the train reached the leveling-off point at the bottom of the hill it
derailed
. The steam locomotive crashed into a ditch where it exploded and one of the freight cars crashed into one of the passenger cars, killing many inside. Witnesses described the scene as horrendous, with some accounts stating that parents were throwing their children out the windows to save them from the wreckage.
[11]
Chief of Police Guillermo Arroyo stated that the locomotive (No. 72), the express car, and three second class passenger cars were completely destroyed. Oscar Valle, an Aguadilla correspondent to
El Mundo
newspaper, summarized the scene with: "The locomotive suffered a terrible explosion as it derailed, and the impact was so strong that 3 passenger cars were converted into a fantastic mound of wreckage".
[11]
In the end, 16 passengers lost their lives, including the engineer and the boilerman, and 50 were injured in the crash.
[12]
Hurricane Maria
[
edit
]
Hurricane Maria
struck Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, causing large-scale damage and destruction to infrastructure.
[13]
[14]
In Aguadilla 10 inches of rain were recorded and its more than 54,000 residents were left with no electrical power.
[15]
The four radar systems used by the
Federal Aviation Administration
for flights in and around Puerto Rico were damaged by
Hurricane Maria
, and it took nearly two weeks to fix them. One of the radar systems is located in Aguadilla.
[16]
Geography
[
edit
]
Aguadilla is located in the northwest coast of the island of
Puerto Rico
, in the Western Coastal Plains. It is bordered by the
Atlantic Ocean
in the north, the municipalities of
Isabela
on the east, and
Moca
and
Aguada
in the south.
[17]
The area of the municipality is 35.5 square miles. It is mostly plain, with some notable hills being Jimenez (728 feet) and Vinet (689 feet). It has only one river, the
Culebrinas
, which separates Aguadilla from Aguada. Also, Cedro Creek which separates Aguadilla from Isabela in the north.
[17]
Barrios
[
edit
]
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Aguadilla is subdivided into
barrios
(
wards
). The municipal government buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in barrio Pueblo.
[18]
[19]
Sectors
[
edit
]
Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to
minor civil divisions
)
[20]
in turn are further subdivided into smaller local populated place areas/units called
sectores
(which means
sectors
in English). The types of
sectores
may vary, from normally
sector
to
urbanizacion
to
reparto
to
barriada
to
residencial
, among others.
[21]
Special Communities
[
edit
]
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 Aguadilla:
El Palmar, Cerro Calero, Cerro Visbal, Cuesta Vieja, La Via
, and
Poblado San Antonio
.
[22]
Temperature of sea
[
edit
]
Aguadilla
[23]
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
77 °F (25 °C)
|
75 °F (24 °C)
|
77 °F (25 °C)
|
77 °F (25 °C)
|
79 °F (26 °C)
|
81 °F (27 °C)
|
84 °F (29 °C)
|
84 °F (29 °C)
|
86 °F (30 °C)
|
84 °F (29 °C)
|
82 °F (28 °C)
|
79 °F (26 °C)
|
78.8 °F (26.0 °C)
|
Economy
[
edit
]
The city is currently home to a variety of industrial and pharmaceutical plants such sa
LifeScan
, Symmetricom,
Honeywell
, and
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
. Most of them are located at San Antonio Technological Park. The airport has
Lufthansa Technik
,
[24]
while others like Suiza Dairy,
Lockheed Martin
and Productos La Aguadillana are located in Camaseyes Industrial Park. Other industries that are based in Aguadilla are rubber, plastics, leather, textiles, steel, wood, machinery, and food processing.
[25]
[17]
The retail sector is another source of economy in Aguadilla. Shopping malls like Aguadilla Mall, Aguadilla Shopping Center, Aguadilla Town Center, and others are some of the main commercial and retail centers of the city.
[
citation needed
]
In 2018,
Suiza Dairy
, a milk brand, opened a plant in Aguadilla at the cost of $40,000,000
United States dollars
. The plant is expected to earn $160,000,000 US dollars in the period form 2018 to 2038.
[26]
In 2019, Aguadilla received the City Livability Award from the
United States Conference of Mayors
and honored the efforts spearheaded by Carlos Mendez Martinez. Specifically mentioned was "Pintalto", a project where Cerro Cabrero area, in the
downtown
area of Aguadilla was painted in rich, lively colors.
[27]
Tourism
[
edit
]
Aguadilla is part of the
Porta del Sol
touristic region in Puerto Rico. The Porta del Sol website highlights Aguadilla's beaches for
surfing
.
[28]
According to the
Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources
, Aguadilla has the most beaches on the island, with nineteen in total.
[29]
Some of the beaches are considered among the best for
surfing
, like Surfer's Beach,
Gas Chambers
,
Crash Boat
, Wilderness, among others.
[30]
[31]
Because of this, Aguadilla has served as host to surfing competitions, like the
ISA World Championship
in 1988.
[32]
Other attractions of the town are
Las Cascadas Water Park
and the
Aguadilla Ice Skating Arena
, which is the only
ice skating
complex in the
Caribbean
.
Landmarks and places of interest
[
edit
]
There are nine places in Aguadilla listed on the US
National Register of Historic Places
:
[33]
Other places of interest in Aguadilla include:
- Aguadilla City Hall
? originally built in 1918. Reconstructed after the
1918 earthquake
.
- Banyan Treehouse ? wooden house around a
banyan
tree (none of its parts touch the tree)
- Campanitas de Cristal
, a fountain
- Christopher Columbus Monument
? a monument which consists of a cross originally made of marble, and had to be rebuilt after the earthquake.
- Parque Cristobal Colon
, a park
- El Merendero
- Fisherman's Monument
- Jardin del Atlantico
, a square
- Las Cascadas
(The Waterfalls) Water Park (Closed after Hurricane Maria in 2017)
- Old Sugar Pier of Aguadilla
- Paseo Miguel Garcia Mendez
- Punta Borinquen Golf Course ? an 18-hole golf course, originally built for President
Dwight D. Eisenhower
.
- Punta Borinquen Lighthouse
and ruins
- Rafael Hernandez Monument
- Rafael Hernandez Square
- Ramey Skate Park, a skatepark at the Ramey Military Base
- Youth Fountain at
Juan Ponce de Leon
Park
To stimulate local tourism during the
COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico
, the
Puerto Rico Tourism Company
launched the
Voy Turistiendo
("I'm Touring") campaign in 2021. The campaign featured a passport book with a page for each municipality. The
Voy Turisteando
Aguadilla passport page lists Crash Boat Beach, Survival Beach, Rompeolas Beach, and Pena Blanca Beach as places of interest for locals.
[34]
Beaches
[
edit
]
There are 32 beaches in Aguadilla.
[35]
Some of the more well-known beaches include:
Culture
[
edit
]
Festivals and events
[
edit
]
Aguadilla celebrates its
patron saint
festival in October. The
Fiestas Patronales de San Carlos Borromeo
is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.
[17]
Other festivals and events celebrated in Aguadilla include:
- Velorio de
Reyes
? Celebrated mostly in January, they are a religious ceremony held as gratitude to the
Three Kings
for some answered prayer. They usually consist of hymns, prayers, and other religious expressions.
[41]
- Kite Festival ? Held in April, it includes kiosks, music, and kite flying.
[42]
- Fiestas San Antonio ? April
- Verbena de Corrales ? May
- Beach Festival ? June
[43]
- Festival del
Atun
? Celebrated in July, it is a festival dedicated to the fishing of the
tuna
.
- Festival de la Musica ? July
Sports
[
edit
]
Aguadilla is home to several professional and amateur sports teams. The most notable are the Aguadilla Divas of the
Female Superior Volleyball League
, and the Aguadilla Sharks of the
Superior Baseball League
(Double-A). The Divas play their home games in the
Luis T. Diaz Coliseum
in Downtown Aguadilla from January to March, while the Sharks play their home games at
Luis A. Canena Marquez Stadium
from February to May.
Aguadilla also had a professional basketball team called the Aguadilla Sharks, that played for the
BSN
league. This team was merged into the
Cangrejeros de Santurce
in 1998.
Aguadilla is also a place where many famous baseball players originate from. There are plans for a future
ECHL
Minor League Hockey franchise for the city.
Communication
[
edit
]
Radio
[
edit
]
- WABA
WABA La Grande 850AM is located in Aguadilla.
- WWNA
better known as Radio Una 1340AM is located in Aguadilla.
- WVOZ
WAPA Radio frequency 1580AM is located in Aguadilla.
Television
[
edit
]
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
Census
| Pop.
| Note
| %±
|
1900
| 17,830
| | ?
|
---|
1910
| 21,419
| | 20.1%
|
---|
1920
| 24,287
| | 13.4%
|
---|
1930
| 28,319
| | 16.6%
|
---|
1940
| 34,956
| | 23.4%
|
---|
1950
| 44,357
| | 26.9%
|
---|
1960
| 47,864
| | 7.9%
|
---|
1970
| 51,355
| | 7.3%
|
---|
1980
| 54,606
| | 6.3%
|
---|
1990
| 59,335
| | 8.7%
|
---|
2000
| 64,685
| | 9.0%
|
---|
2010
| 60,949
| | ?5.8%
|
---|
2020
| 55,101
| | ?9.6%
|
---|
The 1887 census conducted by Spain showed Aguadilla had a population of 16,140.
[50]
According to the US 2010 Census, there were 60,949 people in the city. This represents a decrease of more than 3,000 from the 2000 Census.
[51]
[52]
The
population density
was 1,668.5 inhabitants per square mile (644.2/km
2
). The 2020 Census indicated the municipality has 55,101 residents representing a decline of over 5,000 residents.
[53]
As a whole, Puerto Rico is populated mainly by people from
Creole
or Spanish and European descent. Statistics taken from the 2000 census shows that 83.6% of Aguadillanos identify as having
Spanish
or
white
origin, 5.0% are
black
, 0.2% are
Amerindian
, 0.2%
Asian
, 0.1%
Native Hawaiian
/
Pacific Islander
, 8.2% were some other race, and 2.8% two or more races.
In March 2012, unemployment was at 16.2%, which is the same percent it was in November 2010.
[54]
Religion
[
edit
]
Most Aguadillanos are
Christian
with a majority being
Roman Catholic
. Like most cities in Puerto Rico Aguadilla has their Catholic church located on the main square in their downtown. There is also a significant community of
Protestants
including
Pentecostals
,
Adventists
and
Jehovah's Witnesses
. Aguadilla has an
Islamic
community with and Islamic Center located on
PR-111
in
Palmar
barrio.
Government
[
edit
]
City
[
edit
]
All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. The current mayor of Aguadilla is Julio Roldan Concepcion, of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD).
[55]
State
[
edit
]
Most state agencies are based at the Government Center Building with the exception of the
Corporacion del Seguro del Estado
(State Insurance Agency) and the
Centro de Servicios al Conductor
(Driver's Services Center). Most state agencies left their offices after the Senatorial District was taken away from Aguadilla.
Public safety
[
edit
]
Aguadilla has its own police department,
Policia Municipal Aguadilla
(Aguadilla City Police Department), located in
Aguadilla Pueblo
. The A.C.P.D. only has jurisdiction in the municipality of Aguadilla and provide service and protection to local citizens and travelers alike.
Aguadilla also hosts the
Puerto Rico Police Department
Command for its Region. This region covers Aguada, Aguadilla,
Isabela
,
Moca
,
Rincon
and
San Sebastian
. It also hosts the PRPD Highway Patrol Division for its region, the FURA Division of the PRPD, the
US Army Reserve
Center, PR National Guard,
U.S. Coast Guard
, and the Border Patrol. It is also served by another PRPD station in San Antonio Village (Precinct 203 Ramey-San Antonio).
The city has a single correctional facility,
Guerrero Correctional Institution
, operated by the
Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
.
In recent years, Aguadilla has seen an increase in Type I crimes, which include
murder
,
burglary
, and
theft
.
[54]
FBI satellite office
[
edit
]
There is an
FBI
satellite office located in Aguadilla.
[56]
Mayors
[
edit
]
#
|
Mayor
|
Term
|
Party
|
Notes
|
1st
|
Adrian del Valle
|
1899?1903
|
None
|
|
2nd
|
Jose Monserrate Deliz
|
1903?1905
|
None
|
|
3rd
|
Luis A. Torregrosa
|
1905?1907
|
None
|
|
4th
|
Jose Francisco Estevez
|
1907?1911
|
None
|
|
5th
|
Ramon Aneses Morell
|
1911?1933
|
None
|
|
6th
|
Wenceslao Herrera Alfonso
|
1933?1941
|
None
|
|
7th
|
Jose Badillo Nieves
|
1941?1945
|
None
|
|
8th
|
Rodolfo Acevedo
|
1945
|
None
|
|
9th
|
Fernando Milan
|
1945?1949
|
None
|
|
10th
|
Rafael Caban Pena
|
1949?1953
|
None
|
|
11th
|
Rafael A. Guntin Lopez
|
1953?1957
|
None
|
|
12th
|
Herminio Blas
|
1957
|
None
|
|
13th
|
Jose Acevedo Alvarez
|
1957?1969
|
None
|
|
14th
|
Emilio Cerezo Munoz
|
1969?1973
|
PNP
|
|
15th
|
Conchita Igartua de Suarez
|
1973?1977
|
PPD
|
|
16th
|
Joaquin Acevedo Moreno
|
1977?1981
|
PNP
|
|
17th
|
Alfredo Gonzalez Perez
|
1981?1987
|
PPD
|
|
18th
|
Gustavo Herrera Lopez
|
1987?1989
|
PPD
|
Interim
|
19th
|
Ramon Calero Bermudez
|
1989?1996
|
PNP
|
Died in 1996 while in office
|
20th
|
Agnes Bermudez Acevedo
|
1996?1997
|
PNP
|
Interim
|
21st
|
Carlos Mendez Martinez
|
1997?2020
|
PNP
|
Resigned on January 27, 2020
|
22nd
|
Yanitsia Irizarry Mendez
|
2020?2021
|
PNP
|
|
23rd
|
Julio Roldan Concepcion
|
2021?present
|
PPD
|
Incumbent
|
Senate
[
edit
]
The city belongs to the
Puerto Rico Senatorial district IV
, which is represented by two Senators. In 2016, Evelyn Vazquez and Luis Daniel Muniz were elected as District Senators.
Symbols
[
edit
]
The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.
[57]
Flag
[
edit
]
The flag consists of two horizontal stripes of equal size. The upper one is blue and the lower gold, which are the predominant colors in the shield, which is placed in the center of it.
[58]
Coat of arms
[
edit
]
Based on a design by Alberto Vadi, the coat of arms was organized by Herman Reichard Esteves and Jose J. Santa-Pinter under the direction of the Aguadilla municipal administration and was approved by the municipal assembly on June 29, 1972.
[58]
Education
[
edit
]
Public schools
[
edit
]
In all of the island's municipalities, public education is overseen by the
Puerto Rico Department of Education
. Aguadilla hosts the
Head Start
Program for Aguadilla,
Aguada
,
Moca
,
Rincon
, and
San Sebastian
and a number of private institutions.
As of 2018-2019 the following public schools were operational in Aguadilla:
[59]
[60]
- Ana M. Javariz is a rural elementary school located in Urb. El Prado offering grades K-6 with about 215 students.
- Antonio Badillo Hernandez is a rural, elementary school located in Montana offering grades K?6 with about 327 students.
- Homero Rivera Sola is a rural elementary school located in Corrales barrio offering grades K?6 with about 153 students.
- Jose de Diego is a rural elementary school located in Res. Jose de Diego offering grades K?6 with about 242 students.
- Luis Munoz Rivera is a rural elementary school located in Camaseyes barrio offering grades K?6 with about 206 students.
- Antonio Badillo Hernandez is a rural intermediate school located in Montana barrio offering grades 7?9 with about 336 students.
- Ester Feliciano Mendoza is a rural intermediate school offering grades 6?8 with about 416 students.
- Benito Cerezo Vazquez is a rural high school located in Borinquen barrio offering grades 10?12 with about 435 students.
- Juan Suarez Pelegrina is a rural high school located in Montana barrio offering grades 10?12 with about 715 students.
- Salvador Fuentes is a rural high school located in Ramey base offering grades 10?12 with about 288 students.
- Centro de Adiestramiento y Bellas Artes (CABA) is a school that specializes in the arts located in Ramey base. In 2016, it served about 500 students.
[61]
- Su Conchita Igartua de Suarez is a rural elementary school offering grades PreK?8, with about 768 students.
Higher education
[
edit
]
Aguadilla hosts the following universities:
Aguadilla Library System
[
edit
]
There is a digital library in San Antonio Village and another in
downtown Aguadilla
(Aguadilla barrio-pueblo).
Health
[
edit
]
There are two major medical facilities in Aguadilla.
- Hospital Buen Samaritano (Good Samaritan Hospital)
[66]
- Aguadilla Medical Services
[67]
- Sala de Urgencias San Francisco (road#2)
- Metro Pavia Clinic Aguadilla
[68]
Transportation
[
edit
]
Rafael Hernandez Airport
is located in the city of Aguadilla. In recent years, it has seen a resurgence as an international airport in the island, with several airlines planning flights to the
US
from Aguadilla.
[
citation needed
]
Roads
[
edit
]
Interstate
PR-2
(Rafael Henandez Highway). Plans are underway for a new expressway, an expansion to existing
Puerto Rico Highway 22
(Jose de Diego Expressway) from
Hatillo
and it will probably end at
Puerto Rico Highway 111
.
There are 13 bridges in Aguadilla.
[69]
Notable people from Aguadilla
[
edit
]
Gallery
[
edit
]
-
Near Schoolyards Beach
-
Aguadilla City Hall
-
Banyan Treehouse
-
Campanitas de Cristal Fountain
-
Roman Catholic Parish Church San Carlos Borromeo
-
Columbus Cross
-
El Merendero
-
El Parterre
-
Fisherman's Monument
-
Jardin del Atlantico Sq.
-
Paseo Miguel Garcia Mendez
-
Punta Borinquen Golf Course
-
Punta Borinquen Lighthouse
-
Punta Borinquen Lighthouse Ruins
-
Rafael Hernandez Monument
-
Old Courthouse
-
Boardwalk
-
Crash Boat Beach
-
Cerro Echevarria Sector, Aguadilla barrio-pueblo
-
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
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.
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{{
cite web
}}
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.
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.
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.
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Further reading
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
Places adjacent to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
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