Ojo de Agua, water spring located in downtown (pueblo), which gives the municipality one of its nicknames
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: Jardín del Atlántico ("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
According to sources, a Taíno settlement called Aymamón 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 Córdova 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 Higüey barrios.[6] This region was already inhabited and known as Aguadilla before 1770. In 1776, Fray Íñigo 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. Agustín 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 Tomás de Córdova, 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, Montaña, Malezas, Aguacate, Dos Palmas, Camaseyes, Plainela, Borinquen, Arenales, Higüey, Corrales, Victoria, and Mangual.[citation needed]
Don Pedro Tomás de Córdova 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, Rincón, and San Sebastián. 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, Higüey, 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 Higüey, 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, Higüey and parts of Caimital Alto barrios are annexed to Downtown Aguadilla.[citation needed]
Ramey Air Force Base
FAA radar tower in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
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 Hernández 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 m2) 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.
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 Fermín 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 km2) 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 Román Acevedo designed the town flag and emblem.
Tragedy on election day in 1944
Sign at former train stop in Aguadilla
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 Jiménez 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 Jiménez Station to Ponce was José Antonio Román, 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.
Cuesta Vieja, a sector of Aguadilla, where the train derailed
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
Aerial view of Aguadilla a few days after Hurricane Maria
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
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 Jiménez (728 feet) and Viñet (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
Barrios of Aguadilla
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]
A structure is used for flood-control in Sector La Via, a Special Community in Aguadilla.
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 urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.[21]
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 Vía, and Poblado San Antonio.[22]
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]
"Pintalto" project in Cerro Cabrera
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 Méndez Martínez. Specifically mentioned was "Pintalto", a project where Cerro Cabrero area, in the downtown area of Aguadilla was painted in rich, lively colors.[27]
Tourism
Schoolyards Beach, surf spot in Aguadilla
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]
Ramey Skate Park, a skatepark at the Ramey Military Base
Youth Fountain at Juan Ponce de León 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 Peña Blanca Beach as places of interest for locals.[34]
Beaches
View from Rompeolas Bar and Grill, at Rompeolas Beach in Aguadilla
There are 32 beaches in Aguadilla.[35] Some of the more well-known beaches include:
Balneario Municipal de Aguadilla (GNIS ID 1990599)
Playa La Ruina (GNIS ID 1991881) also called Wilderness Beach or Las Ruinas ("The Ruins" in English)[36][37]
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]
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
Radio
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.
U.S. Decennial Census[44] 1899 (shown as 1900)[45] 1910–1930[46] 1930–1950[47] 1960–2000[48] 2010[49] 2020[1]
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/km2). 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]
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.
All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. The current mayor of Aguadilla is Julio Roldán Concepción, of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD).[55]
State
Most state agencies are based at the Government Center Building with the exception of the Corporación 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
Aguadilla has its own police department, Policía 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, Rincón and San Sebastián. 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 belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district IV, which is represented by two Senators. In 2016, Evelyn Vázquez and Luis Daniel Muñiz were elected as District Senators.
Symbols
The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.[57]
Flag
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
Based on a design by Alberto Vadi, the coat of arms was organized by Herman Reichard Esteves and José J. Santa-Pinter under the direction of the Aguadilla municipal administration and was approved by the municipal assembly on June 29, 1972.[58]
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 Hernández is a rural, elementary school located in Montaña 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.
José de Diego is a rural elementary school located in Res. José de Diego offering grades K–6 with about 242 students.
Luis Muñoz 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 Montaña 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 Vázquez is a rural high school located in Borinquen barrio offering grades 10–12 with about 435 students.
Juan Suárez Pelegrina is a rural high school located in Montaña 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 Suárez is a rural elementary school offering grades PreK–8, with about 768 students.
Higher education
Aguadilla hosts the following universities:
Puerto Rico Aviation Maintenance Institute
Aeronautical and Aerospace Institute of Puerto Rico (AAIPR)
Puerto Rico Criminal Justice College, Aguadilla Campus (Puerto Rico Police Academy) Ramey Job Corps[10] also serves those who want to attain a higher education.
Aguadilla Library System
There is a digital library in San Antonio Village and another in downtown Aguadilla (Aguadilla barrio-pueblo).
Health
There are two major medical facilities in Aguadilla.
Rafael Hernández 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
Interstate PR-2 (Rafael Henández Highway). Plans are underway for a new expressway, an expansion to existing Puerto Rico Highway 22 (José de Diego Expressway) from Hatillo and it will probably end at Puerto Rico Highway 111.
There are 13 bridges in Aguadilla.[69]
^ abcdLa Tragedia del 7 de noviembre de 1944 (The Tragedy of November 7, 1944) by Haydee E. Reichard de Cancio, El Nuevo Dia, Por Dentro Section, Pg. 116, December 7, 1996, retrieved on July 31, 2006 (in Spanish)
^ abcd"Aguadilla Municipality". Enciclopedia PR. Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades (FPH). Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
^"PRECINTO ELECTORAL LARES 053"(PDF). Comisión Estatal de Elecciones (in Spanish). PR Government. June 14, 2019. Archived from the original(PDF) on June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
^Rivera Quintero, Marcia (2014), El vuelo de la esperanza: Proyecto de las Comunidades Especiales Puerto Rico, 1997-2004 (First ed.), San Juan, Puerto Rico Fundación Sila M. Calderón, p. 273, ISBN978-0-9820806-1-0
^ ab"AGUADILLA". LexJuris (Leyes y Jurisprudencia) de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). February 19, 2020. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^"Search for Public Schools". National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a part of the U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
^"Aguadilla Bridges". National Bridge Inventory Data. US Dept. of Transportation. Archived from the original on February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.