Quebradillas, Puerto Rico

Quebradillas, Puerto Rico
Municipality

View of the Guajataca Tunnel and coast line of Guajataca Beach

Flag
Nickname(s): "La Guarida del Pirata", "La Ciudad Pirata", "La Ciudad del Cooperativismo", "El Rincón de Guajataca"
Anthem: "De lejos canto, porque anhela el corazón"

Location of Quebradillas in Puerto Rico
Coordinates: 18°28′26″N 66°56′19″W / 18.47389°N 66.93861°W / 18.47389; -66.93861Coordinates: 18°28′26″N 66°56′19″W / 18.47389°N 66.93861°W / 18.47389; -66.93861
Country United States
Territory Puerto Rico
Founded June 7, 1823
Government
 • Mayor Hon. Heriberto Velez Velez (PPD)
 • Senatorial dist. 3 - Arecibo
 • Representative dist. 15
Area
 • Total 27.7 sq mi (71.66 km2)
 • Land 23.2 sq mi (60 km2)
 • Water 4.5 sq mi (11.66 km2)
Population (2010)
 • Total 25,919
 • Density 940/sq mi (360/km2)
Demonym(s) Quebradillanos
Time zone AST (UTC-4)
Zip code 00678

Quebradillas (Spanish pronunciation: [keβɾaˈðiʎas]) is a municipality of the island of Puerto Rico, located in the north-western shore bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of San Sebastián; east of Isabela; and west of Camuy. Quebradillas is spread over seven wards and Quebradillas Pueblo (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Quebradillas is called "La Guarida del Pirata" (The Pirate's Hideout). A well known beach in the area, Puerto Hermina, is home to an old structure known to have been a hiding place for pirates and their contraband.

History

The town was founded in 1823 by Felipe Ruiz. This town derives its name from the large amount of streams flowing through it. The name literally means "small streams".

Cityscape

Barrios

  • Cacao[1]
  • Charcas
  • Cocos
  • Guajataca
  • Quebradillas Pueblo
  • San Antonio
  • San José
  • Terranova

Geography

Quebradillas is home to one of the 20 designated forest preserves in Puerto Rico, the Guajataca Forest. The forest serves as a great example of an unusual topography known as karst country. Karst is characterized by dissolved limestone formations such as sinkholes and haystack-shaped hills known as "mogotes". It is also home to the beautiful man-made reservoir, Guajataca Lake (2.5 mi or 4.0 km long), where you can fish for largemouth bass, peacock bass, tilapia and bluegill (in Spanish known as "chopa"). You can also go hiking or camping. The Boy Scouts of America maintain a campground on the lake known as Camp Guajataca. The name Guajataca comes from the name of a Taíno Indian chief who lived in this area. This Indian chief also gives his name to Guajataca Beach to the north where Río Guajataca flowing from Guajataca Lake meets the Atlantic Ocean. Guajataca Beach is popular with surfers and is known for its white sands and wild waters. This beach is ideal for sunning and collecting seashells.

Climate

The general climate of the town is subtropical.

Climate data for Quebradillas, Puerto Rico
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 82.5
(28.1)		 82.8
(28.2)		 83.6
(28.7)		 84.6
(29.2)		 85.8
(29.9)		 86.8
(30.4)		 87.1
(30.6)		 87.4
(30.8)		 87.7
(30.9)		 87.5
(30.8)		 85.8
(29.9)		 84.1
(28.9)		 85.5
(29.7)
Average low °F (°C) 66.3
(19.1)		 65.4
(18.6)		 66.1
(18.9)		 67.6
(19.8)		 68.7
(20.4)		 69.9
(21.1)		 71.3
(21.8)		 71.4
(21.9)		 71.3
(21.8)		 70.1
(21.2)		 68.7
(20.4)		 67.6
(19.8)		 68.7
(20.4)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 4.2
(107)		 3.0
(76)		 3.4
(86)		 4.5
(114)		 6.2
(157)		 4.8
(122)		 3.3
(84)		 4.7
(119)		 4.7
(119)		 5.0
(127)		 5.9
(150)		 5.0
(127)		 54.5
(1,384)
Source: Weatherbase [2]

Tourism

Landmarks and places of interest

Economy

Business

A small shopping center called Quebradillas Plaza is located in this municipality along with some manufacturing industries.

An event that marked negatively in the decade of the 1990s was the disappearance of the tax exemptions to the private corporations [section 936 of the code of the US Internal Revenue Service ], which at the time was the ideal excuse for the closing of one of the greater manufacturers of textiles in the northwest area of the island. This decline of the industry of the needle occurred similarly in the bordering cities like Isabela and Camuy, generating a regional economic decline as the locals greatly depended on these jobs. In nearby towns like Hatillo, Mayagüez and Aguadilla, the arrival of mega stores and new shopping centers attracted the jobs that used to be in Quebradillas, helping to create the general vision of the town as "ghostly" because there is little movement in the city.

At the same time, since the Island lacks mass public transportation, people must resort to private cars (although known as carro publico,public car in English) used as a bus as a mode of transportation, coupled with the fact that the only road to access the important cities, the Puerto Rico Highway 2, is maintained congested most of the day, makes it difficult for people in the area to find work and thus contributing to the general economic decline.

Ironically, the town possesses one tunnel that at the beginning of the 20th century was utilized by steam driven trains that traveled throughout the Island. The disappearance of the same is considered as one of the most ironic facts of the modern history of Puerto Rico, since these railways were very extensive, built through earthly bluffs and were of great utility. Today, its absence only aggravates the problem of mass transit and the dependence on privately owned vehicles as the only method of transportation.

The economy, entering into the 21st century, is based on the sale of retail. Many small businesses are located along the two main thoroughfares that cross Quebradillas. These consist mainly of light hardware, bakeries, pharmacies, seafood restaurants, American fast food chains such as (subway,pizza hut,and burger king) near the center of town and workshops of automobile service.

It also contains branches of various banks including Banco Popular and local savings and credit cooperatives. The cooperatives of savings and credit are most noted by their involvement in common and cultural activities, sponsoring and participating in festivals of typical music [Festival of the Gourd in December], sports and educational activities.

Culture

Festivals and events

Sports

The towns official basketball team is "Los Piratas'[3] these have won a dramatic amount of tournaments in the past.Presently the team has made a "come back" and has won the championship of the island (2013).

"The pirates"basketball team

Government

The town's government is a small unit with few powers it can execute.Small elections are hosted in specific schools every four years to choose a town mayor.

Symbols

Flag

It has two red quarters. The red stands for struggle, effort and sacrifice. The other two quarters have each five green and white stripes, similar to those that appear in the shield.

Coat of Arms

The three waved stripes represent the quebradillas, over the green background of the vegetation. The fish and the walking stick (distinctive of the traveler), are insignias of San Rafael Arcángel, by allusion from the episodes narrated in the book of Tobías in the Old Testament.

Education

The town features many public and private schools. There is also a public electronic library near Los Chorritos Pirata water park.

New schools have been created thanks to a government initiative to have "21st century" schools.

High Schools

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://welcome.topuertorico.org/maps/quebradillas.pdf
  2. ↑ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Quebradillas, Puerto Rico". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
  3. ↑ Look for quebradillas "The pirates" for the main page.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Guajataca Tunnel.
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