Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Encyclopedia
Santurce is a district of San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...

.

Summary

Santurce is one of the top ten most populated areas of the island holding Miramar, Loíza, Isla Grande, Barrio Obrero, and Condado as main cultural hot spots for art, music, cuisine, fashion, hotels, technology, multimedia, film, textile and startups.

The 2000 U.S. Census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

 recorded a total population of 94,067 people living in an area of 5.24 square miles (13.6 km²), it is the most populous borough (barrio) in Puerto Rico and one of the most densely populated areas of San Juan at 17,951.7 residents per square mile (6,931.2/km²).

Geography

Geographically speaking, Santurce is a peninsula that is attached to the mainland in the east, where it borders with the Isla Verde
Isla Verde, Puerto Rico
Isla Verde is a District of Carolina located east of Santurce next to the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport above the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge...

 district of Carolina
Carolina, Puerto Rico
Carolina is a city located in the northern part of Puerto Rico, bordering the Atlantic Ocean; it lies north of Gurabo and Juncos; east of Trujillo Alto and San Juan; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread over 12 wards plus Carolina Pueblo...

. It is 7.6 km long from west to east, and up to 3.0 km wide in the eastern part.

The peninsula is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the north, with more than five km of beaches from the Condado peninsula in the west, to a point 600 m east of "Punta Las Marías", where it borders on the Isla Verde area, and "Laguna San José" and its northern embayment
Headlands and bays
Headlands and bays are two related features of the coastal environment.- Geology and geography :Headlands and bays are often found on the same coastline. A bay is surrounded by land on three sides, whereas a headland is surrounded by water on three sides. Headlands are characterized by high,...

, "Laguna Los Corozos" to the east.

To the south by the Martín Peña Channel, and the northern barrios of former municipio Río Piedras
Río Piedras, Puerto Rico
Río Piedras is a district of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Founded in 1714, it has been the home of the University of Puerto Rico's main campus since 1903, earning the town the popular name of Ciudad Universitaria...

 (Hato Rey Norte, Hato Rey Central, Oriente),
and to the west with the "Bahia of San Juan", where three bridges, "Puente Dos Hermanos" (Ave. Ashford), "Puente G. Esteves" (Ave. Ponce de León) and "Puente San Antonio" (Ave. Fernandes Juncos) connect Santurce with "La Isleta" (small island) where Old San Juan
Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Old San Juan is the oldest settlement within Puerto Rico and it is the historic colonial section of San Juan, Puerto Rico.-Location:...

 is located.
It has a total area of 8.7 square miles (22.5 km²) composed of 5.24 square miles (13.6 km²) of land and 3.46 square miles (9 km²) of water area.

The topography is mainly flat with low hills toward the central areas and swampy areas to the south along the Martín Peña Channel and to the east near the Laguna San José (San José Lagoon). The highest point is at Monteflores
Sagrado Corazón / Monteflores (Santurce)
Sagrado Corazón and Monteflores are two contiguous neighborhoods with similar characteristics formerly known as the Alto de Ubarri and part of Santurce's 40 "sub-barrios"...

 with 23 meters (75 feet).

Location

Santurce is located along the north-eastern coast of Puerto Rico. It lies south of the Atlantic Ocean, east of Old San Juan
Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Old San Juan is the oldest settlement within Puerto Rico and it is the historic colonial section of San Juan, Puerto Rico.-Location:...

 and west of Isla Verde
Isla Verde, Puerto Rico
Isla Verde is a District of Carolina located east of Santurce next to the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport above the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge...

. The district occupies an area of 5.24 square miles (13.6 km²) of land and 3.46 (8.96 km2) of water. It is surrounded by six (6) bodies of water: San Juan Bay, Condado Natural Lagoon
Condado Lagoon
Condado Lagoon is an affluent body of water flowing freely between two neighborhoods of Santurce .-Background:...

, the Martín Peña Channel, San José Lagoon
Teodoro Moscoso Bridge
The Teodoro Moscoso Bridge is the bridge that connects San Juan with Isla Verde.-Facts:It was named after Teodoro Moscoso, the architect of Operation Bootstrap, a plan of economic expansion after WWII....

, Los Corozos Lagoon, and the Caribbean with its respective beaches and estuaries.

Colonial

Santurce was originally settled by the native Indians and later by slaves of African ancestry who arrived from the neighboring Danish West Indies
Danish West Indies
The Danish West Indies or "Danish Antilles", were a colony of Denmark-Norway and later Denmark in the Caribbean. They were sold to the United States in 1916 in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies and became the United States Virgin Islands in 1917...

. Throughout the centuries, the district continued to grow due to its crossfade location between San Juan and its southern suburbs.

Due to the abundance of crabs found in the area, the district became commonly known as Cangrejos (the Spanish word for crabs). Throughout the centuries, the district continued to grow due to its location at the crossroads between San Juan and its southern suburbs.

Spanish influence

In 1876, an engineer from the port town of Santurtzi
Santurtzi
Santurtzi is a port town in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, Spain. It is located in the Bilbao Abra bay, near the mouth of the Nervión river, on its left bank, 14km downriver from Bilbao and forms part of the Greater Bilbao agglomeration...

 in Spain's autonomous Basque Country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....

 region known as Pablo Ubarri arrived on the island to help in the construction of a railroad system and a steam tramway between San Juan and the town of Río Piedras through the center of "Cangrejos" which prompted the gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...

 of the district. Many years after his arrival he was granted the title of Count of Santurce (which is the Hispanicized equivalent of Santurtzi) by the Spanish Crown. With his newly acquired title and influence, the district was renamed after his title (a decision that has caused controversy ever since). The neighboring Condado also received its present-name from Ubarri's title, as the district's name literally translates to "county" (which in medieval tradition is land granted by a monarch to a count).

Treaty of Paris (1898)

The Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1898)
The Treaty of Paris of 1898 was signed on December 10, 1898, at the end of the Spanish-American War, and came into effect on April 11, 1899, when the ratifications were exchanged....

 provided that Cuba would become independent from Spain but the U.S. Congress made sure it would be under U.S. control through the Platt Amendment. It also ceded to the United States Puerto Rico, and other adjacent islands then under Spanish sovereignty in the Caribbean, as well as Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...

 and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

 in Asia-Pacific region.

The United States Army established the now historical Camp Las Casas
Camp Las Casas
Camp Las Casas was a United States military instalation established in Santurce, Puerto Rico in 1904. The camp was the main training base of the "Porto Rico Regiment of Infantry," On January 15, 1899, the military government changed the name of Puerto Rico to Porto Rico a segregated U.S...

, in the area of "Las Casas" in 1904. The camp was the main training base of the "Porto Rico Regiment of Infantry" (on January 15, 1899, the military government changed the name of Puerto Rico to Porto Rico and on May 17, 1932, U.S. Congress changed the name back to "Puerto Rico") The Porto Rico Regiment of Infantry was a segregated U.S. Army Regiment which was later renamed the "65th Infantry Regiment
65th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 65th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed "The Borinqueneers," was an all-volunteer Puerto Rican regiment of the United States Army. Its motto was Honor et Fidelitas, Latin for Honor and Fidelity. It participated in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War...

". The base continued in operation until 1946, when it was finally closed and the Residencial Las Casas
Residencial Las Casas
Residencial Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas, more commonly known as Residencial Las Casas or Las Casas, is a public housing complex located in San Juan, Puerto Rico consisting of 417 housing units. It is under the management of the Puerto Rico Housing Authority and is under the federal housing program...

 now stands.

The 20th century

In the 20th century the conurbation of the San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...

 metropolis
Metropolis
A metropolis is a very large city or urban area which is a significant economic, political and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections and communications...

 expanded rapidly beyond its walled confines of Old San Juan
Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Old San Juan is the oldest settlement within Puerto Rico and it is the historic colonial section of San Juan, Puerto Rico.-Location:...

 to incorporate the boroughs of suburban Miramar, Santurce, Isla Grande, and Condado, along the coast, as well as industrial Hato Rey, with its large sports stadium and modern financial district, and the college town of Río Piedras, immediately to the southeast. Between 1937 and 1948, Santurce along with neighboring district Miramar becomes one of the most vibrant areas of the capital. However, by the 1970s, during the Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...

 and Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...

 administration, most of the district had fallen into decay and it hasn’t been able to recapture the luster and vibrancy it once had. By 1980 the San Juan metropolitan area included the surrounding municipalities to the east and west and had about one-third of Puerto Rico's total population; that proportion has grown to two-thirds of the population.

The 21st century

After the September 11 attacks of 2001, Santurce saw a period of economic decadence marked, the corporate social irresponsibility of the private business sector; and the financial crisis of the local banking & mortgage system. In 2009, the district began a period of cosmopolitan revival and economic growth as many local establishments such as bars, clubs, and restaurants opened their doors due to the importance of trade and tourism.

District of Santurce

Santurce has a community of 94,067 of inhabitants living in a land area of 5.24 square miles (13.6 km²). It is subdivided into 40 "sub-barrios" (sub-districts).
>


  1. Alto del Cabro
    Campo Alegre / Alto del Cabro (Santurce)
    Campo Alegre and Alto del Cabro are two sub-barrios adjacent to each other with similar characteristics in the District of Santurce.. They have a combined land area of and a resident population of 2,106 as of the 2000 United States Census....


  2. Barrio Obrero

  3. Bayola 

  4. Bolívar 

  5. Buenos Aires

  6. Campo Alegre
    Campo Alegre / Alto del Cabro (Santurce)
    Campo Alegre and Alto del Cabro are two sub-barrios adjacent to each other with similar characteristics in the District of Santurce.. They have a combined land area of and a resident population of 2,106 as of the 2000 United States Census....


  7. Chícharo 

  8. Condadito

  1. Condado

  2. Figueroa

  3. Gandul

  4. Herrera

  5. Hipódromo

  6. Hoare

  7. Isla Grande

  8. La Zona

  1. Las Casas

  2. Las Marías

  3. Las Palmas

  4. Loíza

  5. Machuchal

  6. Marruecos

  7. Martín Peña

  8. María Moczó

  1. Melilla

  2. Merhoff

  3. Minillas 

  4. Miramar

  5. Monteflores
    Sagrado Corazón / Monteflores (Santurce)
    Sagrado Corazón and Monteflores are two contiguous neighborhoods with similar characteristics formerly known as the Alto de Ubarri and part of Santurce's 40 "sub-barrios"...


  6. Ocean Park

  7. Parque
    Parque (Puerto Rico)
    Parque is the open-glass neighborhood of Santurce between Condado and Ocean Park.According to the 2000 United States Census, Parque has a population of 3,251 people on an area of 0.30 km²....


  8. Pozo del Hato

  1. Pulguero

  2. Sagrado Corazón
    Sagrado Corazón / Monteflores (Santurce)
    Sagrado Corazón and Monteflores are two contiguous neighborhoods with similar characteristics formerly known as the Alto de Ubarri and part of Santurce's 40 "sub-barrios"...


  3. San Juan Moderno

  4. San Mateo

  5. Seboruco 

  6. Shanghai

  7. Tras Talleres

  8. Villa Palmeras


Population

For centuries "barrios" have been the first "geo-political" division of Puerto Rico's municipalities, however presently they primarily serve for statistical purposes for both the U.S. Census Bureau & the Puerto Rico Planning Board
Puerto Rico Planning Board
The Puerto Rico Planning Board was created in the 1940s during Rexford G. Tugwell's governorship and is the only state government agency in charge of centralized planning under the American flag...

. The most densely populated area lies to the southeast bordering the San José Lagoon
Teodoro Moscoso Bridge
The Teodoro Moscoso Bridge is the bridge that connects San Juan with Isla Verde.-Facts:It was named after Teodoro Moscoso, the architect of Operation Bootstrap, a plan of economic expansion after WWII....

 and the Martín Peña Channel, while the least densely populated areas are found by the mangrove swamps to the south surrounding the Martín Peña Channel, and the western area of Isla Grande, which was a former United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 military base.
For reference, see above locator map of "sub-barrios" (sub-districts) of Santurce

Nr. Sub-barrio Land Area
(m²)
Population
(Census 2000)
Density
km−2
1 Alto del Cabro
Campo Alegre / Alto del Cabro (Santurce)
Campo Alegre and Alto del Cabro are two sub-barrios adjacent to each other with similar characteristics in the District of Santurce.. They have a combined land area of and a resident population of 2,106 as of the 2000 United States Census....

156717 1164 7427.4
2 Barrio Obrero 1034200 11467 11087.8
3 Bayola 71645 564 7872.1
4 Bolívar 163417 1223 7483.9
5 Buenos Aires 446986 1303 2915.1
6 Campo Alegre
Campo Alegre / Alto del Cabro (Santurce)
Campo Alegre and Alto del Cabro are two sub-barrios adjacent to each other with similar characteristics in the District of Santurce.. They have a combined land area of and a resident population of 2,106 as of the 2000 United States Census....

123061 942 7654.7
7 Chícharo 75355 722 9581.3
8 Condadito 62470 748 11973.7
9 Condado 824791 6170 7480.7
10 Figueroa 350927 1016 2895.2
11 Gandul 167753 2035 12130.9
12 Herrera 123369 1841 14922.7
13 Hipódromo 268195 2017 7520.6
14 Hoare 363490 3 8.3
15 Isla Grande1) 2039968 753 369.1
16 La Zona 379687 1280 3371.2
17 Las Casas2) 803500 6775 8431.9
18 Las Marías 242223 1172 4838.5
19 Las Palmas 316171 2772 8767.4
20 Loíza 323012 2139 6622
21 Machuchal 140008 1212 8656.6
22 María Moczó 106196 1964 18494.1
23 Marruecos 267165 0 0
24 Martín Peña 185692 415 2234.9
25 Melilla 129544 926 7148.2
26 Merhoff 300801 2992 9946.8
27 Minillas 215963 1484 6871.5
28 Miramar 632154 5440 8605.5
29 Monteflores
Sagrado Corazón / Monteflores (Santurce)
Sagrado Corazón and Monteflores are two contiguous neighborhoods with similar characteristics formerly known as the Alto de Ubarri and part of Santurce's 40 "sub-barrios"...

172397 1657 9611.5
30 Ocean Park4) 520891 1976 3793.5
31 Parque 299804 3251 10843.8
32 Pozo del Hato 176987 137 774.1
33 Pulguero 131613 1196 9087.2
34 Sagrado Corazón
Sagrado Corazón / Monteflores (Santurce)
Sagrado Corazón and Monteflores are two contiguous neighborhoods with similar characteristics formerly known as the Alto de Ubarri and part of Santurce's 40 "sub-barrios"...

345472 1646 4764.5
35 San Juan Moderno 91500 1083 11836.1
36 San Mateo 168864 1989 11778.7
37 Seboruco 167887 2198 13092.1
38 Shanghai 686961 11331 16494.4
39 Tras Talleres 168076 2453 14594.6
40 Villa Palmeras 163389 2648 16206.7
  Santurce 13568557 94067 6932.7
1) recently named Puerto Rico Convention Center
Puerto Rico Convention Center
The Dr. Pedro Rosselló González, Puerto Rico Convention Center is a convention center located in Isla Grande , in San Juan, Puerto Rico owned by the Puerto Rico Convention District Authority, a government agency of Puerto Rico, and...

2) including "Isla Guachinanga" in the "Laguna San José"
3) should be attributed to Merhoff Sub-Barrio (22) http://usa.ipums.org/usa/voliii/pubdocs/1990/ch2/ch-2-53-english.pdf
4) including "Isla Piedra" one km off the Atlantic coast

Architecture

Structures of architectonic value and historical importance are located mainly throughout Avenida Ponce de León, Ashford Avenue and Avenida Fernández Juncos.
  • Central High School, Spanish Renaissance style building from 1925 (Project I-5)
  • Colegio de Arquitectos, 225 Parque Street (link)
  • Condado Vanderbilt Hotel
    Condado Vanderbilt Hotel
    The Condado Vanderbilt Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico was built in 1919. It is or has been known also as Grand Hotel Condado Vanderbilt, The Condado Hotel, Hotel Condado, Condado Beach Hotel, or Hyatt Puerto Rico Hotel. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008...

    , Spanish Revival style hotel from 1919
  • Convention Center
    Puerto Rico Convention Center
    The Dr. Pedro Rosselló González, Puerto Rico Convention Center is a convention center located in Isla Grande , in San Juan, Puerto Rico owned by the Puerto Rico Convention District Authority, a government agency of Puerto Rico, and...

    , Isla Grande Boulevard
    Isla Grande Boulevard
    Isla Grande, today also known as the Convention Center District, and formerly known as Miraflores and is roughly bounded by Miramar, the Condado Lagoon, the Dominicci Airport of Isla Grande and the Port of San Juan...

  • La Casabella, Spanish influence from 1898
  • La Concha Resort
    La Concha Resort
    La Concha Resort is a modern chic luxury resort located at the Condado oceanfront within the district of Santurce in San Juan, Puerto Rico.-History:...

    , a renaissance hotel (link)
  • Residencia Aboy-Lompré, 1919 house designed by Antonin Nechodoma
    Antonin Nechodoma
    Antonin Nechodoma , was a Czech architect who practiced in Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic from 1905 to 1928. He is known for the introduction of the Prairie Style to the Caribbean and the integration of Arts and Crafts elements to his architecture...


Public spaces

  • La Ventana al Mar
  • Plaza del Condado
  • Plaza del Mercado
    Campo Alegre / Alto del Cabro (Santurce)
    Campo Alegre and Alto del Cabro are two sub-barrios adjacent to each other with similar characteristics in the District of Santurce.. They have a combined land area of and a resident population of 2,106 as of the 2000 United States Census....

     - Farmers' Market for local vendors and a social environment with bars & restaurants.

Transportation

Santurce is served by a rapid transit
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...

 system called Tren Urbano
Tren Urbano
The Tren Urbano — or Urban Train in English — is a fully automated rapid transit that serves the metropolitan area of San Juan, which includes the municipalities of San Juan, Bayamón and Guaynabo. It is electrified by third rail at 750 V DC...

 (Urban Train). The main station is located on the southeast section of the district next to Sagrado Corazón and Monteflores
Sagrado Corazón / Monteflores (Santurce)
Sagrado Corazón and Monteflores are two contiguous neighborhoods with similar characteristics formerly known as the Alto de Ubarri and part of Santurce's 40 "sub-barrios"...

. Bus lines (locally known as guaguas) are operated by the Metropolitan Bus Authority (Autoridad Metropolitana de Autobuses).

Museums and galleries

Santurce is the main residence of two major museums on the island.
  • the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico
    Museum of Art of Puerto Rico
    The Museum of Art of Puerto Rico is one of the most prestigious art museums in Puerto Rico.-History:...

  • the Puerto Rico Museum of Contemporary Art
    Puerto Rico Museum of Contemporary Art
    The Puerto Rico Museum of Contemporary Art, often abbreviated to MAC, is a contemporary art museum in Santurce, Puerto Rico.-History:...


Performing arts

  • Ballets de San Juan
  • Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center
    Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center
    The Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center, or Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré in Spanish, is a multi-use performance centre located Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico. It features three main concert and theater halls for performing arts displays, including ballet, plays, operas and concerts, as...

    , modern award winning fine arts architectural masterpiece

Education

Santurce is home to some of the most prestigious private education institutions in Puerto Rico.
  • Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico
    Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico
    The Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico is a public institution of higher learning located in the historic Miramar a town in San Juan, Puerto Rico...

  • University of the Sacred Heart
  • Academia San Jorge
    Academia San Jorge
    Academia San Jorge is a private, Roman Catholic school in San Juan, Puerto Rico founded in 1925 by Rev. Msgr. José M. Rivera as a parochial school with 53 students from grades K–3. Shortly after, the school started construction on the first building, which still exists today, and added grades 4-12...

  • Academia Sagrado Corazón
    Academia del Sagrado Corazón (Puerto Rico)
    The Academia del Sagrado Corazón was founded in 1929 as a private and religious school in Santurce, Puerto Rico by Padre Ignacio de Dios García...

  • Perpetuo Socorro
    Academia del Perpetuo Socorro
    Academia del Perpetuo Socorro was founded in 1921 as a Catholic parochial school pertaining to the Perpetuo Socorro Parish at the Archdiocese of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The school is located in Miramar in Puerto Rico's capital city of San Juan...

  • Robinson School
  • Saint John's School
    Saint John's School (San Juan)
    Saint John's School is a private coeducational school located in the Condado neighbourhood of San Juan, Puerto Rico.-Background:The grades of the school are from Pre-Pre-Kinder through 12th Year. Elementary is from grades Pre-Pre-Kinder through Fifth Grade. Middle school begins in Grade 6 through...

  • Padre Rufo School, bilingual public school

Synagogues and cathedrals

see also Jewish immigration to Puerto Rico
Jewish immigration to Puerto Rico
The Jewish immigration to Puerto Rico began in the 15th century with the arrival of the anusim who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage...

 and History of the Jews in Latin America
History of the Jews in Latin America
The history of the Jews in Latin America dates, according to some interpretations, back to Christopher Columbus and his first cross-Atlantic voyage on August 3, 1492, when he left Spain and eventually discovered the New World...



Santurce is home to one of the largest Jewish communities in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

 with over 1,500 people attending two local synagogues. Jews were officially prohibited from settling in the island through much of its history, but many managed to settle in the island as secret Jews. Many arrived from France, the Netherlands, Saint-Barthélemy and Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...

 after World War II. A minor portion are descendants of Jewish Cuban
Jewish Cuban
Jewish Cubans, Cuban Jews, or Cubans of Jewish heritage, have lived on the island of Cuba for centuries. Some Cubans trace Jewish ancestry to Marranos who fled the Spanish Inquisition, though few of these practice Judaism today. There was significant Jewish immigration to Cuba in the first half of...

s who came to establishment after Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...

's Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...

 of 1959. Like in many former Spanish colonies founded soon after the Spanish Inquisition
Spanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition , commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition , was a tribunal established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the Medieval...

, there are some Puerto Ricans who are Crypto-Jews
Crypto-Judaism
Crypto-Judaism is the secret adherence to Judaism while publicly professing to be of another faith; practitioners are referred to as "crypto-Jews"...

. Some of them maintain elements of Jewish traditions, although they themselves are, or were raised as Christians.
  • Nuestra Señora de Lourdes Chapel, Neo-Gothic style chapel from 1909 designed by Antonin Nechodoma
    Antonin Nechodoma
    Antonin Nechodoma , was a Czech architect who practiced in Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic from 1905 to 1928. He is known for the introduction of the Prairie Style to the Caribbean and the integration of Arts and Crafts elements to his architecture...

  • Sagrado Corazon Church (Parada 19)
  • Shaare
    Yeshivat Shaare Torah
    Yeshivat Shaare Torah is a haredi private Jewish day school program located in Brooklyn, New York. It includes elementary schools and High schools for both boys and girls, separately....

     Tzadik
    Tzadik
    Tzadik/Zadik/Sadiq is a title given to personalities in Jewish tradition considered righteous, such as Biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The root of the word ṣadiq, is ṣ-d-q , which means "justice" or "righteousness", also the root of Tzedakah...

  • Stella Maris Catholic Church
  • Temple Beth Shalom

Sports

Santurce has the most modern swimming facilities in the Caribbean and fourth in the world. It is an Olympic aquatic sports facility used to host local and international events such as the 2nd A.S.U.A Pan American Masters Swimming Championship. The San Juan Natatorium
San Juan Natatorium
The San Juan Natatorium is an Olympic aquatic sports facility located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Located in San Juan's Parque Central the natatorium is regarded as the most advanced natatorium in the Caribbean and 4th in the entire world as of October 2007...

 is located in Santurce's Central Park.

The district also has a baseball and a basketball team both known as the Santurce Crabbers (Cangrejeros de Santurce) because of the original name of the township. They have been part of the community for over 70 years. Both teams have enjoyed great domestic success, the baseball team is regarded as the ‘New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

 of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

’, largely in part to the accomplishments of its legendary players, such as Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...

 and Willie Mays
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...

.

Health

Santurce has an extensive network healthcare system which include and two of the finest hospitals on the island, Ashford Presbyterian Community Hospital and Pavia Hospital.

Economy

see also Economy of Puerto Rico
Economy of Puerto Rico
The Economy of Puerto Rico is one of the most diverse in the Caribbean region. Services and industrial production have surpassed agriculture as the primary focus of economic activity and income. Encouraged by duty-free access to the US and by tax incentives, United States firms have invested...


see also Real estate in Puerto Rico
Real estate in Puerto Rico
See also Immovable and Real property.Puerto Rico's real estate industry trails behind the long-established aphorism of triple-Ls. The island’s name , describes its contemporary multicultural marketing mix established thirty-three years after the conclusion of the American Civil War.-Preamble:In...


Santurce experienced significant economic growth following World War II. During this period the district underwent an economic revitalization. Tourism is also a key industry based on Santurce's proximity to Puerto Rico's main international airport, Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico, three miles southeast of San Juan. Over 4 million passengers board a plane at the airport per year according to FAA reports . It is owned and managed by the Puerto Rico Ports...

, and the smaller Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport
Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport
-Accidents and incidents:*On April 11, 1952 Pan Am Flight 526A crashed into the sea just after take off due to engine failure, killing 52 out of 69 passengers and crew....

. The concentration of hotels are primarily located in the Condado area where there are numerous luxurious hotels including La Concha Resort
La Concha Resort
La Concha Resort is a modern chic luxury resort located at the Condado oceanfront within the district of Santurce in San Juan, Puerto Rico.-History:...

, Marriott and the Conrad Hotel
Conrad Hotels
Conrad Hotels is an international brand of upscale luxury hotels and resorts owned and operated by the Hilton Worldwide. Conrad was considered the luxury flagship brand in the Hilton Family of Brands, named after company founder Conrad Hilton, until being supplanted by The Waldorf-Astoria...

.

Notable residents

  • Miguel Arteta
    Miguel Arteta
    Miguel Arteta is a Puerto Rican director of film and television, known for his independent film Chuck & Buck , for which he received the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award.-Early life:...

    , film & television director
  • Pura Belpré
    Pura Belpré
    Pura Belpré was the first Puerto Rican librarian in New York City. She was also a writer, collector of folktales, and puppeteer. There is some dispute as to the date of her birth which has been given as February 2, 1899, December 2, 1901 and February 2, 1903.- Education :She was born in Cidra,...

    , author
  • Giannina Braschi
    Giannina Braschi
    Giannina Braschi is a Puerto Rican writer. She is credited with writing the first Spanglish novel YO-YO BOING! and the poetry trilogy Empire of Dreams , which chronicles the Latin American immigrant's experiences in the United States...

    , author
  • Tego Calderón
    Tego Calderón
    Tegui Calderón Rosario is a Puerto Rican rapper and actor.-Early life:Calderón was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, the son of Pilar Rosario Parrilla, a schoolteacher, and Esteban Calderón Ilarraza, a government worker for Puerto Rico's Department of Health. Moving at a young age from his native...

    , reggaeton
    Reggaeton
    Reggaeton is a form of Puerto Rican and Latin American urban and Caribbean music. After its mainstream exposure in 2004, it spread to North American, European and Asian audiences. Reggaeton originated in Puerto Rico but is also has roots from Reggae en Español from Panama and Puerto Rico and...

     singer
  • Lourdes Chacón
    Lourdes Chacón
    Lourdes Chacón is a dancer, actress and singer vedette from the Caribbean.-Biography:Lourdes enjoyed huge popularity and media exposure during the 1980's and 1970's across every medium in the island of Puerto Rico...

    , actress
  • Jessica Cristina
    Jessica Cristina
    Jessica Cristina is a merengue artist and pop singer.-Biography:She signed her first recording contract in 1992 with Sony Music and released her debut album, Aprendiendo a Querer....

    , singer
  • Jack Delano
    Jack Delano
    Jack Delano was an American photographer for the Farm Security Administration and a composer noted for his use of Puerto Rican folk material.- Biography :...

    , author and photographer
  • Benicio del Toro
    Benicio del Toro
    Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez is a Puerto Rican and Spanish actor and film producer. He won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA Award for his role as Javier Rodríguez in Traffic . He is also known for his roles as Fred Fenster in The Usual...

    , actor & producer
  • Edgar Diaz, professional baseball player
  • José Ferrer
    José Ferrer
    José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón , best known as José Ferrer, was a Puerto Rican actor, as well as a theater and film director...

    , actor, director & producer
  • Francisco Figueroa
    Francisco Figueroa
    Francisco Figueroa is a professional boxer from the Orlando,FL, USA.Francisco Figueroa, whose nickname is "El Gato", has been featured numerous times on ESPN2 and HBO fights. On August 17, 2005 he defeated Hector Alejandro, Jr for the New York State Light Welterweight Championship...

    , professional boxer
  • Wilfredo Gómez
    Wilfredo Gómez
    Wilfredo Gómez , sometimes referred to as Bazooka Gómez, is a former boxer and three time world champion.-Biography:...

    , professional boxer
  • Luis López Nieves
    Luis López Nieves
    Luis López Nieves is one of the most influential and best-selling Puerto Rican authors ever. He has won the National Literature Prize on two occasions: first, in 2000, with his book of historical short stories ; second, in 2005, with his novel . He published two other books including Seva, and ...

    , writer
  • Gilberto Monroig
    Gilberto Monroig
    Gilberto Monroig was a guitarist, and singer of boleros.-Early years:Monroig's parents moved from the countryside to the city in search of a better way of life and settled in the Villa Palmera sector of Santurce, a section of San Juan where the musical sounds of the bomba and plena and of the...

    , singer
  • Andy Montañez
    Andy Montañez
    Andrés Montañez , better known as Andy Montañez, is a salsa singer from Puerto Rico.-Early life:Montañez, like singer Daniel Santos and boxer Ossie Ocasio, is a native of the Tras Talleres area of Santurce San Juan. He is known by the nickname "El Godfather de la Salsa"...

    , salsa singer for El Gran Combo
  • Antonin Nechodoma
    Antonin Nechodoma
    Antonin Nechodoma , was a Czech architect who practiced in Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic from 1905 to 1928. He is known for the introduction of the Prairie Style to the Caribbean and the integration of Arts and Crafts elements to his architecture...

    , architect
  • Ossie Ocasio
    Ossie Ocasio
    Osvaldo Ocasio, , better known as Ossie Ocasio and nicknamed Jaws, is a Puerto Rican who was a boxer and world Cruiserweight champion. He got his peculiar nickname after accidentally biting another boxer during a sparring session...

    , professional boxer
  • Carlos Ponce
    Carlos Ponce
    Carlos Armando Ponce, Jr. is a Puerto Rican actor, singer, composer and television personality. Ponce began his acting career by participating in Spanish language soap operas for Televisa and Telemundo. Ponce continued to expand his acting career by participating in various American television...

    , actor & singer
  • Jorge Posada
    Jorge Posada
    Jorge Rafael Posada Villeta is a Major League Baseball player who is currently a free agent and has played his entire career for the New York Yankees. He served as the Yankees primary catcher for most of his career, though following off-season knee surgery, he was moved to designated hitter for...

    , baseball player for the New York Yankees
    New York Yankees
    The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

  • Ismael Rivera
    Ismael Rivera
    Ismael "Maelo" Rivera , was a renowned Puerto Rican composer and singer of salsa music.-Early life:Ismael Rivera was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, on October 5, 1931. He was the first of five children born to Luis and Margarita Rivera. His father, Luis, was a carpenter and his mother a housewife...

    , salsa singer & performer
  • Ed Romero
    Ed Romero
    Edgardo Ralph Romero Rivera is a former infielder for the Milwaukee Brewers , Boston Red Sox , Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers...

    , baseball player
  • Luis Rafael Sánchez
    Luis Rafael Sanchez
    Dr. Luis Rafael Sánchez a.k.a. "Wico" is a Puerto Rican playwright. Possibly his best known play is La Pasión según Antigona Pérez , a tragedy based on the life of Olga Viscal Garriga-Early years:...

    , writer
  • Daniel Santos
    Daniel Santos (singer)
    Daniel Santos was a singer and composer of boleros, and an overall performer of multiple Caribbean music genres, including guaracha, plena and rumba...

    , singer and composer
  • Arthur Schomburg
    Arturo Alfonso Schomburg
    Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, a.k.a. as Arthur Schomburg, , was a Puerto Rican historian, writer, and activist in the United States who researched and raised awareness of the great contributions that Afro-Latin Americans and Afro-Americans have made to society. He was an important intellectual figure...

    , writer & historian
  • Olga Tañón
    Olga Tañón
    Olga Tañón is a two-time Grammy Award and three-time Latin Grammy-winning Merengue and Latin Pop artist. Tañón has earned 5 Latin Grammy Awards and 19 Premios Lo Nuestro awards during her career.-Early years:...

    , singer

External links

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