Luquillo, Puerto Rico Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Luquillo

Municipio de Luquillo

High rise buildings in Luquillo.

Flag	Coat of arms

Nicknames:

"Capital del Sol", "La Riviera de Puerto Rico", "Los Come Cocos"

Anthem: "Junto a las costas del mar Atlántico"

Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Luquillo Municipality

Commonwealth

Puerto Rico

Founded

1797

Barrios

6 barrios

Juan Martín
Luquillo barrio-pueblo
Mameyes I
Mata de Plátano
Pitahaya
Sabana

Area

• Total

34.26 sq mi (88.73 km²)

• Land

26 sq mi (68 km²)

• Water

8.00 sq mi (20.73 km²)

Population

(2020)

• Total

17,781

• Density

519.02/sq mi (200.394/km²)

Demonym(s)

Luquillenses or Luquillanos

Time zone

UTC−4 (AST)

ZIP Code

00773

Area code(s)

787/939

Major routes

Luquillo is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northeast coast, northwest of Fajardo; and east of Rio Grande. Luquillo is spread over 5 barrios and Luquillo Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It lends its name to the Sierra de Luquillo, where El Yunque National Forest is located. It is part of the Fajardo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The city of Luquillo is 26 square miles and it sits on 12 miles of Atlantic coastline. It is nestled between the blue waters of the Atlantic and the El Yunque National Forest, a rainforest, giving it a diverse and unique ecology. Luquillo marks the beginning of the Northeast Ecological Corridor Nature Reserve which runs down the coast from downtown Luquillo all the way down to the Seven Seas Beach in Fajardo. During certain times of the year, it is not unusual to encounter rare or endangered species of fauna (like the leatherback turtle) while visiting in Luquillo.

History
Cityscape
- Barrios
Tourism
- Landmarks and places of interest
Culture
- Festivals and events
Demographics
Symbols
- Flag
- Coat of Arms
Economy
Transportation
Images for kids
See also

History

Luquillo was founded in 1797 and is known as "La Capital del Sol" (sun capital), "La Riviera de Puerto Rico" (Puerto Rico's riviera), and "Los Come Cocos" (The coconut eaters). The town was named after the Indian cacique Loquillo, who died a few years after the last Indian rebellion in 1513.

Cityscape

Barrios

Juan Martín
Luquillo Pueblo
Mameyes I
Mata de Plátano
Pitahaya
Sabana
Fortuna Playa
Fortuna Carretera
Rio Chiquito
Casa Blanca
Villa Angelina
Estancias Del Atlantico

Tourism

A view of Luquillo Beach

If you stay on the coastal highway going east from San Juan, you'll soon reach Luquillo Beach. This huge plantation of majestic coconut palms shades more than a mile of fine and shimmering sand. It is one of the most popular and nicest public beaches in the San Juan area. It offers cafeterias, public bathrooms with showers, access for disabled people, and an ample parking lot. Monserrate Beach is one of the public beaches most frequented by the locals. In 2006 El Balneario de Luquillo (The Luquillo Beach) was pronounced the most popular one in Puerto Rico. La Pared Beach is also very popular for its surf worthy waves.

La Selva, is a small cove on the east coast. It is arguably one of the best surf spots on the east coast. The only way to get to it is about a 2-mile walk through a cow farm, but it's worth the trip if you can talk someone into telling you how to get there.

Landmarks and places of interest

Chief Loquillo Monument
La Fortuna Hacienda
La Bandera Beach
La Monserrate Beach
La Pared Beach
Las Pailas Beach
Luquillo Beach
Mameyes Beach
Ocean View Boulevard
Fortuna Beach
El Parque de Recreacion
El Balneario
The Kiosks
The Brass Cactus Restaurant
Lolitas Restaurant
La Selva Reef Break

Culture

Festivals and events

Patron Saint Celebrations - March
Leatherback Turtle Festival - April
Coconut Festival - September
Typical Dish Festival - December
The Three Kings Day Celebration at The Luquillo Plaza - January

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1920	6,251	—
1930	7,799	24.8%
1940	8,851	13.5%
1950	9,967	12.6%
1960	8,582	−13.9%
1970	10,390	21.1%
1980	14,895	43.4%
1990	18,100	21.5%
2000	19,817	9.5%
2010	20,068	1.3%
2020	17,781	−11.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 1920-1930 1930-1950 1960-2000 2010 2020

Ethnicity - Luquillo, Puerto Rico - 2005
Race	Population	% of Total
White	10,112	57.4%
Black/African American	4,345	23.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native	120	0.6%
Asian	62	0.3%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	3	0.0%
Some other race	2,933	14.8%
Two or more races	610	3.1%

Symbols

Flag

It consists of three horizontal stripes, the blue top and green bottom are double of width of the yellow central stripe. Blue makes reference to the sky and the sea; yellow represents the sand of its beaches and green represents the vegetation of the mountains. In the center stripe resides the Coat Of Arms of the town superimposed and surrounded by two palm tree leaves crossed at the bottom.

Coat of Arms

In a gold background a centered mountain range with three green mountains is accompanied at the bottom by a bay with blue and silver waves; the top portion of the shield in blue, has three iris branches. Above the shield resides a three tower gold crown. Surrounding the shield by its flanks are two palms trees leaves crossed at the bottom.