AGUADILLA,_PUERTO_RICO

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'Aguadilla' (ah-gwah-DEE-yah), founded in 1775 by Luis de Córdova, is a city 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 wards and Aguadilla Pueblo (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city).

History

The present territory of the City of Aguadilla, was originally part of the territory of Aguada, which segregated around 1780 to form an independent party.
Formerly, all the section of Aguada's territory that today contitutes the Victoria and Higüey wards was known as Aguadilla. Long before 1770 in Higüey existed a village, which in 1776 Fray Iñigo Abbot, in his description of the towns of the island, mentions as the "new Town of San Carlos of the 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 independent from Aguada and to constitute itself an independent party began in the 1775.
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 loyals to Spain emigrated to Puerto Rico, mainly to Aguadilla, which caused the population to continue increasing significally. In 1831, according to Don Pedro Tomás de Córdova, the 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.
Don Pedro Tomás de Córdova mentions the road of Aguadilla formed by the Point of Borinquen and the one of San Francisco, as the "fordeadero 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."
In 1860, Aguadilla was officially declared a Village. 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 of 1841 a Royal Order transferred the judicial party from Aguada to the new Town of 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 wards are not mentioned. The Dos Palmas ward appears as Palmar. Also at this time, three new wards 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 wards. Malezas ward 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 of Aguadilla and its wards and following instructions of city authorities, Higüey and parts of Caimital Alto wards are annexed to Downtown Aguadilla.
Today, the territorial organization of Aguadilla is as follows: Downtown (constituted by Higüey, Church, Nueva, Santa Barbara, and Tamarindo), Aguacate, Arenales, Borinquen, Caimital Alto, Caimital Bajo, Camaseyes, Ceiba Alta, Ceiba Baja, Corrales, Guerrero, Maleza Alta, Maleza Baja, Montaña, Palmar, and Victoria.
'''Note'': Ramey Village includes parts of Borinquen, Maleza Alta, and Maleza Baja wards. Also, San Antonio Village includes parts of Aguacate, Montaña, and Arenales wards.'

Ramey

''

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 72d Bombardment Wing, Heavy equipped with B-52s, a very strategical facility during the Cold War.
Though the infrastructure still exists, it was handed over to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in the 1973. The aerial facilities are now civilian controlled by the Puerto Rico Ports Authority. The facilities now make up 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 feet meeting facility. The hospital is being transformed to become the Courtyard by Marriott Punta Borinquen Resort & Casino. A 150 room hotel with a casino and the first Marriott in Puerto Rico out of the San Juan Metropolitan Area.
Ramey also hosts the University of Puerto Rico - Aguadilla Campus and the Friedrich Froebel Bilingual School (K-6). The High School became Ramey Job Corps Campus and the elementary school became the Esther Feliciano Mendoza Middle School.
Ramey is also the site of the new Ramey Skating Park and a new "mariposario"(butterfly farm).
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. They include the United States Department of Homeland Security Customs & Border Protection and the United States Border Patrol, Ramey Sector, the ''Fuerzas Unidas de Rápida Acción'' (United Forces for Rapid Action) of the Puerto Rico State Police and a branch of the Puerto Rico Air 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

The beginning of San Antonio Village was back in the mid-19th century. It was composed by 60 families. Originally the place where these families were located was known as Bajura de Vadi, place later to be known as San Antonio.
In 1918, as a consequence of the San Fermín earthquake, the village was totally destroyed by a tsunami. The families suffered the struggles cause 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.
At this new location prosperity was not to be delayed. Various leaders and commercial owners of the time, took a step to carry the village forward. Most of the poor houses disappear.
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 south downtown. There was also a new bakery, a postal office, among other facilities. At this time, the village also began its Patron Festival.
The clothing industry was a major source of employment.
Prosperity and happiness came to an end, when the news that the Federal Government needed the land to built 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. This expropriations delayed and ended the plans to turn San Antonio into a town.
Today, the population of San Antonio consists of approximately 10 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, charasteristics of a small town. Also, as a characteristic of a town, has a flag and an emblem. The creation of the flag and emblem was done by Roberto Román Acevedo.

Tragedy on election day in 1944

On the early morning hours of November 7, 1944, the Puerto Rico suffered its most violent railroad accident in its history in Aguadilla.^[1] 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 towards 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, but who had never worked in passenger travel. When the train left the station at 2:00am, it was hauling 6 passenger cars with hundreds of commuters and two freight cars.
At 2:20am 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. 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 the local El Mundo newspaper, summarized the scene in a more dramatic way: “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. In the end, 16 passengers lost their lives, including the engineer and the boilerman, and 50 were injured in the crash.

Demographics

{| class="toccolours" align="right" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0 0 1em 1em; font-size: 95%;"

'Barrios' (Districts/Wards)

{|
|----- valign="top"
|

★ Aguacate

★ Aguadilla Pueblo

★ Arenales

★ Borinquen

★ Caimital Alto

★ Caimital Bajo
|

★ Camaceyes

★ Ceiba Alta

★ Ceiba Baja

★ Corrales

★ Guerrero

★ Maleza Alta
|

★ Maleza Baja

★ Montaña

★ Palmar

★ Ramey

★ San Antonio

★ Victoria
|}

Geo/Topography

★ Culebrinas River

★ Jaicoa Mountains

Anthem

Playita Aguadillana

by Rafael Hernández Marín
Aguadilla Querida,

Barrio del Tamarindo

cueva de golondrinas

cuajadita de nidos,

donde las piedras cantan

junto a los Tres Amigos

y el Cerro de las Amigas

es un mudo testigo.

Somos por ti boricuas

y por tus playas

fue donde llegó la vida

a nuestro bello Edén.

Mi playita aguadillana

nadie podrá olvidar

que por ti es que

se llama Borinquen,

Borinquen, la islita

más hermosa

del antillano mar.

Government

City

Aguadilla City Government is based at the Alcaldia (Aguadilla City Hall) in Downtown Aguadilla. Aguadilla is governed by a major that is elected to a four-year term. There is also a City Council that is appointed by the major.

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.

Security

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 State Police Command for the its Region. This region covers Aguada, Aguadilla, Isabela, Moca, Rincón and San Sebastian. It also hosts the PRSP Highway Patrol Division for its region, the FURA Division of the PRSP, the US Army Reserve Center, PR National Guard, and the Border Patrol. Its also serve by another PRSP station in San Antonio Village (Precinct 203 Ramey-San Antonio).

Future Plans

Including constructing a 5-story building called "Plaza Mercado" on the same site as the old "Plaza Mercado" (under construction), Aguadilla also is working on building Hotel "Las Cascadas" and a new Electronic Library (under construction) as well as an upgraded downtown Aguadilla by putting power lines underground, "Paseo Real Marina", also a new boardwalk along Aguadilla Bay is also proposed.
There is also a new expressway and a National Cementery proposed.

Economy

An entrance to Aguadilla Mall

Business

The retail sector has flourished with the building of the Aguadilla Mall along with Aguadilla Shopping Center, 'Aguadilla Town Center', Plaza Ferram, and Plaza Victoria. There are also stores on the downtown area.
Major banks are represented in Aguadilla. These include the Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, Citi bank, Banco Santander, Scotiabank, and Westernbank.

Industrial

Aguadilla was once primarily a fishing village, but has changed with the times. Although there is still a great deal of

Rafael Hernandez International Airport - View of the Passenger Terminal

commercial fishing in Aguadilla, the city is now also home to a variety of industrial plants ranging from Tyco, Micron Technology and Hewlett Packard at San Antonio Technological Park. These industrial plants have drastically increased the income per capita of Aguadilla, giving rise to a robust middle class and upper-middle class, by Puerto Rican standards.
Aguadilla has two other industrial sites. There is Montaña Industrial Park and Camaseyes. Borinquen Dairy and Productos La Aguadillana are located in Camaseyes. While the Puerto Rico State Police Academy, Automeca Technical College, and another branch of Hewlett Packard are located in Montaña.

Communication

Radio

★ WABA-AM better known as WABA La Grande 850AM is located in Aguadilla.

★ WUNA-AM better known as Radio Una 1240AM is located in Aguadilla

Television

King Face Public Transportation Terminal

★ WOLE-TV Telemundo 12 both in Aguadilla.

★ WELU is a religious broadcast company.

★ WPRU-LP ABC 20 is an ABC affiliated station.

★ WSJP-LP CW 30 is a CW Television Network affiliated station.

★ WSJX-LP FOX 24 is a Fox affiliated station.

Transportation

Air

Rafael Hernandez International Airport

Roads

Interstate PR-2 (Rafael Henández Highway). Plans are underway for a new expressway. An expansion to existing PR-22 (Jose de Diego Expressway) from Hatillo.

Public

King Face Public Transportation Terminal

Tourism

Aguadilla is part of '"Porta del Sol"', as the west coast is now publicize by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.
Local tourism has been boosted by the creation of the water park "Las Cascadas" (the waterfalls), and the Caribbean's only ice skating complex the Aguadilla Ice Skating Arena.
Aguadilla is most famous for its world class surfing beaches. Aguadilla's beaches host a variety of amateur and professional surfing events every year. They have also hosted a variety of championships, including the ISA world championships in 1968 and 1988. Famous surfing spots in Aguadilla include '"Surfer's Beach"', '"Table Tops"', '"Gas Chamber"', '"Las Ruinas"', and '"Survival"'.

Landmarks and Places of Interest

{|
|----- valign="top"
|

'Aguadilla City Hall'

'Banyan Treehouse'

'Campanitas de Cristal Fountain'

'Cathedral San Carlos'

'Columbus Cross'

|}

★ Aguadilla City Hall - Originally built in 1918. Recontructed after the 1918 earthquake.

★ Banyan Treehouse - Wooden House around a Banyan tree. Any of its parts touches the tree.

★ Campanitas de Cristal Fountain

★ Cathedral San Carlos Barromeo

★ Christopher Columbus Monument - Consists of a cross originally made of marble. It also had to be rebuilt after the earthquake.

★ Cristobal Colón Park
{|
|----- valign="top"
|

'El Merendero'

'El Parterre'

'Fisherman's Monument'

'Jardin del Atlántico Sq.'

'Las Cascadas Water Park'

|}

★ El Merendero

★ El Parterre Jose de Jesus Esteves "Ojo de Agua"

★ Fisherman's Monument

★ Jardin del Atlántico Square

★ Las Cascadas (The Waterfalls) Water Park

★ Old Sugar Pier
{|
|----- valign="top"
|

'Paseo Miguel Garcia Mendez'

'Punta Borinquen Golf Course'

'Punta Borinquen Lighthouse'

'Punta Borinquen Lighthouse Ruins'

'Rafael Hernández Monument'

|}

★ Paseo Miguel Garcia Mendez

★ Punta Borinquen Golf Course - Is an 18 hole golf course, originally built for President Eisenhower.

★ Punta Borinquen Lighthouse

★ Punta Borinquen Lighthouse Ruins

★ Rafael Hernández Monument

★ Rafael Hernandez Square

★ Tribunal Supremo (Old Courthouse)

★ Youth Fountain Juan Ponce de Leon Park
{|
|----- valign="top"
|

'Old Courthouse'

'Board Walk'

'Crash Boat Beach'

'Wilderness Beach'

'Aguadilla Ice Skating Arena'

Beaches

★ Crash Boat Beach

★ La Ponderosa Beach

★ La Poza Beach

★ La Saldinera Beach

★ Surfer's Beach

★ Wilderness Beach (Las Ruinas)

Festivals and Events

★ Velorio de Reyes ('Three Kings Watch')- January

★ Festival de la Chiringa ('Kite Festival') - April

★ Fiestas San Antonio - April

★ Verbena de Corrales - May

★ Festival Playero ('Beach Festival') - June

★ Festival del Atún ('Tuna Festival') - July

★ Festival de la Música ('Music Festival') - July

★ Fiestas Patronales San Carlos ('Patron Celebration') - October

Mayors

|-
|style="text-align: center" colspan=8|'List of Mayors:'
|-
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0"|'Years'
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0"|'Mayors'
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0"|'Political Party'
1899-1903 /Adrián del Valle
1903-1905
José Monserrate Deliz
1905-1907
Luis A. Torregrosa
1907-1911
José Francisco Estévez
1911-1933
Ramón Añeses Morell
1933-1941
Wenceslao Herrera Alfonso
1941-1945
José Badillo Nieves
1945
Rodolfo Acevedo
1945-1949
Fernando Milán
1949-1953
Rafael Cabán Peña
1953-1957
Rafael A. Guntín López
1957
Herminio Blás
1957-1969
José Acevedo Álvarez
1969-1973
Emilio Cerezo Muñoz
1973-1977
Conchita Igartúa de Suárez
1977-1981
Joaquín Acevedo Moreno
1981-1987
Alfredo González Pérez
1987-1988
Gustavo Herrera López
1988-1996
Ramón Calero Bermúdez
1996-1997
Agnes Bermúdez Acevedo
1997- Presente
Carlos Méndez Martínez

Education

Aguadilla is home to 16 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, and 3 high schools. Mostly owned & operated by the Puerto Rico Department of Education. It also hosts the Head Start Program for Aguadilla, Aguada, Moca, Rincon, and San Sebastian and a number of private institutions.

Higher Education

Aguadilla hosts the following universities:

★ Metropolitan University - Aguadilla Campus

★ Inter-American University of Puerto Rico - Aguadilla Campus

★ University of Puerto Rico - Aguadilla Campus

★ Automeca Technical College

★ Century College

★ La Reine Institute of Cosmetology & Esthetics

★ Universal Technology College of Puerto Rico (UniTech)
The US Job Corps - Aguadilla Chapter also serves those who want to attain a higher education.

Aguadilla Library System

There is an existent library in San Antonio Village and another one under construction in Downtown Aguadilla.

Health

There are two major medical facilities in Aguadilla.

★ Hospital Buen Samaritano (Good Samaritan Hospital)

★ Aguadilla Medical Services
There are also a number of private doctor's offices.

Sports

The Aguadilla Divas of the Female Superior Volleyball League plays its home games in the Luis T. Diaz Coliseum in Downtown Aguadilla from January to March. Also in Aguadilla is 'Parque Colón' and the Aguadilla Sharks of the Superior Baseball League (Double-A) plays its home games at Luis A. Canera Marquez Stadium from February to May.
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. Also there are plans for a Miami Dolphins NFL Exhibition game to be held at the Luis A. Canera Marquez Stadium.

Notable "Aguadillanos"

Aerial view of downtown Aguadilla.

★ Agustín Stahl - Scientist

★ Angelo Medina - Artistic mangagement, production, etc. (music business)

★ Carmen Gómez Tejera (1890-1974) - Professor

★ Carlos Delgado - Baseball player

★ Luis A. "Canena" Marquez - Baseball player

★ Jerome Mincy - BSN Player

★ José de Diego - Poet

★ José de Jesús Esteves - Poet

★ Manuel Méndez Ballester - Journalist

★ María Bibiana Benítez (1783-1875) - First female Puerto Rican poet

★ Melba Ramos - Soprano Opera Singer

★ Miguel A. García Méndez - Businessman

★ Monserrate Deliz (1896-1969) - Professor

★ Narciso Figueroa - Musician

★ Pablo Fernández Badillo - Composer, novelist, and poet

★ Plácido Acevedo - Composer

★ Manny Montes - Composer and singer

★ Rafael Alers - Danza composer, 1st Puerto Rican to compose a Hollywood musical

★ Rafael Hernández Marín - Composer and singer

★ Rafael del Valle - Doctor

★ Saul Cordero - Journalist and Radio Personality

★ Albert Grajales - Hall of Fame Martial Artist and Protection Specialist

★ Diabolico - Professional wrestler

★ Crazy Rudy - Professional wrestler

★ Rosie Perez - Actress

References

★ Aguadilla and its barrios, United States Census Bureau
1. ''La 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

Travel Info

★ WikiTravel: Aguadilla

★ Porta del Sol: Aguadilla

★ Travel & Sports: Aguadilla

★ TripAdvisor: Aguadilla

External links

★ Aguadilla.com - Portada

★ Mi Aguadillita Querida

★ Welcome to Puerto Rico Aguadilla

★ Map of Aguadilla Puerto Rico

★ Aguadilla Web

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