Río Grande (Spanish pronunciation: ['ri.o '??ande], Big River) is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Northern Coastal Valley, north of Las Piedras, Naguabo and Ceiba; east of Loíza and Canóvanas and west of Luquillo. Río Grande is spread over eight wards and Río Grande Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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History
Río Grande was founded on July 16, 1840, by Desiderio and Quilimaco Escobar, with the approbation of governor Miguel López. It was named after the Río Grande and is located where the Río Grande and the Río Espíritu Santo (Holy Spirit) join.
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Cityscape
Barrios
Tourism
Río Grande is home to one of the largest secluded areas with beach access (Coco Beach) on the entire island. Major hotels in the area include Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Resort and Gran Melia Puerto Rico Resort. Every March, the Trump International Golf Club plays host to the PGA Tour's Puerto Rico Open.
Within a ten-minute drive is El Yunque National Forest, the only tropical rain forest within the United States National Forest System and a finalist in the New 7 Wonders of Nature receiving thousands of votes from around the globe at www.n7w.com.
Hotels
- The Wyndham Rio Mar Beach Resort and Spa
- Gran Melia Golf Resort
- St. Regis Beach Resort
Landmarks and places of interest
- Coco Beach
- El Yunque
- Indio Cave
- Las Picúas Beach
Economy
Agriculture
Fruits, ornamental plants, vegetables, and cattle.
Business
Local retail stores are aside highway PR-3. Large shopping centers were not present mainly due to the closeness of the Canóvanas shopping district area. However, there is one large shopping mall located on 65th Infantry expressway and 956th street. Because it is relatively new, many of its spaces are not leased yet. Together both cities are growing economically very fast and becoming the eastern economic bloc of the northeastern area of Puerto Rico attracting hotels, shopping malls, sport venues among others. Another thing that is making Río Grande more attractive to tourists and businesses alike is the newly constructed and opened Route 66 (or Ruta 66), which makes it a lot more accessible and more appealing to home buyers.
Industry
Manufacture of textiles.
Culture
Festivals and events
- Cross Festival (May)
- Patron Celebrations (July)
Sports
Baseball, basketball and handball are popular sports in Río Grande. Also many play tennis.
Government
Like all municipalities in Puerto Rico, Río Grande is administered by a mayor. The current mayor is Angel "Bori" González, who was elected in a special election on September 14, 2014. González is replacing Eduard Rivera Correa, who was elected at the 2004 general election. However, Rivera Correa stepped down from office after being indicted on federal charges.
The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VIII, which is represented by two senators. In 2012, Pedro A. Rodríguez and Luis Daniel Rivera were elected as District Senators.
Flag
The Río Grande flag consists of two horizontal stripes of equal size united by a white triangle placed on the side of the mast. On the white triangle is a Puerto Rican parrot.
Coat of arms
In a silver field, two Puerto Rican parrot (Amazona vitatta), accompanied by a waving blue stripe, a green mountain with three peaks. The top portion of the shield is blue, with an opened silver book, accompanied on each side by five gold coins. Topped by a three tower gold crown outlined in black with green openings.
Books
- Ciudad de El Yunque, El Yunque City Río Grande, Puerto Rico(Bilingual): Author and Photographer-Greg Boudonck; Photographer and Translator-Maria Magdalena Ruiz O'Farrill
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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