Carolina is a city located in the northern part 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...

, bordering the Atlantic Ocean; it lies north of Gurabo

Gurabo, Puerto Rico

Gurabo is a municipality in eastern Puerto Rico located in the central eastern region, north of San Lorenzo; south of Trujillo Alto; east of Caguas; and west of Carolina and Juncos. Gurabo is spread over 9 wards and Gurabo Pueblo...

 and Juncos

Juncos, Puerto Rico

Juncos is one of the 78 municipalities of Puerto Rico located in the eastern central region of the island, south of Canóvanas and Carolina; southeast of Gurabo; east of San Lorenzo; and west of Las Piedras. Juncos is spread over 9 wards and Juncos Pueblo...

; east of Trujillo Alto

Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico

-Barrios :*Carraízo*Las Cuevas*Dos Bocas*La Gloria*Quebrada Grande*Quebrada Negrito*Saint Just*Trujillo Alto Pueblo*Cooperativa Jardines de Trujillo Alto-Geo/Topography:*Carraízo dam...

 and 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...

; and west of Canóvanas

Canóvanas, Puerto Rico

Canóvanas is a municipality in Puerto Rico, located in the northeastern region, north of Juncos and Las Piedras; south of Loíza; east of Carolina; and west of Río Grande. Canóvanas is spread over 7 wards and Canóvanas Pueblo...

 and Loíza

Loíza, Puerto Rico

Loíza is a small town and municipality in the northeastern coast of Puerto Rico, north of Canóvanas; east of Carolina; and west of Río Grande. Loíza is spread over 5 wards and Loíza Pueblo...

. Carolina is spread over 12 wards plus Carolina Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Although Carolina is not technically part of San Juan, it is a short distance from San Juan. Along with San Juan, Bayamón, Guaynabo

Guaynabo, Puerto Rico

Guaynabo is a municipality in the northern part of Puerto Rico, located in the northern coast of the island, north of Aguas Buenas; south of Cataño; east of Bayamón; and west of San Juan...

, Cataño

Cataño, Puerto Rico

Cataño is a municipality located on northern coast of Puerto Rico bordering the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent to the north and east by San Juan; north of Bayamón and Guaynabo; east of Toa Baja and west of Guaynabo and is part of the San Juan Metropolitan Area. Cataño is spread over 7 wards and...

, Toa Baja

Toa Baja, Puerto Rico

Toa Baja is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northern coast, north of Toa Alta and Bayamón; east of Dorado; and west of Cataño. Toa Baja is spread over 5 wards and Toa Baja Pueblo . It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.Toa Baja considered to be a...

 and Trujillo Alto

Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico

-Barrios :*Carraízo*Las Cuevas*Dos Bocas*La Gloria*Quebrada Grande*Quebrada Negrito*Saint Just*Trujillo Alto Pueblo*Cooperativa Jardines de Trujillo Alto-Geo/Topography:*Carraízo dam...

 it is considered to form part of the island's metropolitan area

Metropolitan area

The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...

.

History

The town was founded in 1816 as Trujillo Bajo ("lower Trujillo"), along with its counterpart Trujillo Alto

Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico

-Barrios :*Carraízo*Las Cuevas*Dos Bocas*La Gloria*Quebrada Grande*Quebrada Negrito*Saint Just*Trujillo Alto Pueblo*Cooperativa Jardines de Trujillo Alto-Geo/Topography:*Carraízo dam...

 after Trujillo, Spain

Trujillo, Spain

Trujillo is a Spanish city of 9860 inhabitants , located in the province of Cáceres, in the Extremadura region. Famous for its monuments, it is a premier resort in Extremadura. It was the birthplace of Francisco Pizarro and his brothers, conquerors of Peru, as well as of Francisco de Orellana...

. In 1857 it was renamed to San Fernando de la Carolina, later shortened to Carolina, after Charles II of Spain

Charles II of Spain

Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain and the ruler of large parts of Italy, the Spanish territories in the Southern Low Countries, and Spain's overseas Empire, stretching from the Americas to the Spanish East Indies...

.

The city is known as "Tierra de Gigantes" (Land of Giants) not only for well-known Carolina resident Don Felipe Birriel González

Felipe Birriel

Felipe Birriel, also known as "El Gigante de Carolina" is considered to have been the tallest Puerto Rican, with an unconfirmed height of 2.413 meters or seven feet eleven inches ....

 (who was 7'11"), but also in honor of other eminent people from Carolina such as poet

Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

 Julia de Burgos

Julia de Burgos

Julia Constancia Burgos García is considered by many as the greatest poet to have been born in Puerto Rico, and along with Gabriela Mistral, is considered as one of the greatest female poets of Latin America...

 and baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 player 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...

. Carolina was also the home of Jesús T. Piñero

Jesus T. Piñero

Jesús Toribio Piñero Jiménez was the first native Puerto Rican to be appointed governor of Puerto Rico by the Government of the United States.-Early years:...

, the first Puerto Rican governor

Governor of Puerto Rico

The Governor of Puerto Rico is the Head of Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Since 1948, the Governor has been elected by the people of Puerto Rico...

 to be appointed in that position by the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 government.

Flag

The flag consists of three vertical bands, the laterals white and the middle red. The laterals are seeded with black ermine tails in the heraldic way as for the coat of arms. The middle band of the flag shows a red field with the sword and crown of the coat of arms.

Coat of Arms

The crown over the sword is the main attribute for royalty and for that reason it occupies a privileged position in the Coat of Arms. The sword is not only a symbol for military service, but also one of justice, recalling the virtues of San Fernando. The Coat of Arms has a wide edge of silver, a cultivated field of small tails of ermine shown in the conventional heraldic manner. The red symbolizes the first patriotic developments made for Puerto Rico's freedom under Spanish dominion.

Barrios (Districts/Wards)

*Villa Carolina

• Barrazas
• Cacao
• Cangrejo Arriba
• Canovanillas
• Carolina Pueblo
• Campo Rico
• Carruzos
• Cedro
• Hoyo Mulas
• Isla Verde
• Loma Alta
• Martín González
• Sabana Abajo
• San Antón
• Santa Cruz
• Trujillo Bajo

Race - Carolina, Puerto Rico - 2010 Census
Race	Population	% of Total
White White people White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...	113,683	64.3%
Black/Afro-Puerto Rican African immigration to Puerto Rico The history of African people in Puerto Rico begins with the immigration of African free men who accompanied the invading Spanish Conquistadors. The Spaniards enslaved the Taínos , and many of them died as a result of Spaniards' oppressive colonization efforts...	40,310	22.8%
American Indian Native Americans in the United States Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...  and Alaska Native Alaska Natives Alaska Natives are the indigenous peoples of Alaska. They include: Aleut, Inuit, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Eyak, and a number of Northern Athabaskan cultures.-History:In 1912 the Alaska Native Brotherhood was founded...	1,514	0.9%
Asian Asian people Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...	625	0.4%
Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians Native Hawaiians refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants. Native Hawaiians trace their ancestry back to the original Polynesian settlers of Hawaii.According to the U.S... /Pacific Islander Pacific Islander Pacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...	13	0.0%
Some other race	14,832	8.4%
Two or more races	5,785	3.3%

Geo/Topography

• Rivers: Río Canovanillas
  Río Canovanillas
  -See also:*List of rivers of Puerto Rico-References:*USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
  
  , Río Grande de Loíza
• Lagoons: La Torrecilla, Pinones

Economy

Carolina is the home of Plaza Carolina

Plaza Carolina

Plaza Carolina is an enclosed shopping mall located in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Anchored by JCPenney, T.J Maxx,Forever 21 and Sears, it also features over 240 stores, making it the 2nd largest mall in Puerto Rico. It also has a large food court in the 2nd floor, and several offices in its 3rd floor...

, one 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...

's largest shopping mall

Shopping mall

A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...

s.

Executive Airlines

Executive Airlines

Executive Airlines, Inc. is an airline headquartered in Carolina, Puerto Rico.Executive Airlines operates an extensive inter-island network in the Caribbean and to the Bahamas and the USA in American Eagle colors. Its main base is Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, San Juan. In addition,...

, a regional airline and affiliate of AMR Corporation which operates under the brand American Eagle Airlines

American Eagle Airlines

American Eagle Airlines is a brand name used by American Eagle Airlines, Inc. , based in Fort Worth, Texas, and Executive Airlines based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the operation of passenger air service as regional affiliates of American Airlines. All three airlines are wholly owned subsidiaries...

, is headquartered on the grounds of 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...

 in Carolina.

Tourism

Carolina, led between 1984 and 2006 by mayor José Aponte, is one of Puerto Rico's most important tourist centers. 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...

, while incorrectly thought to be in San Juan, is actually located in an area, Isla Verde, that is geographically part of Carolina. Also located in Carolina are a large group of hotels, which sit by Carolina's large beach area.

There are several well known hotels on the coast of Carolina, including the El San Juan Resort and Casino, and the Ritz-Carlton

Ritz-Carlton

The Ritz-Carlton is a brand of luxury hotels and resorts with 75 properties located in major cities and resorts in 24 countries worldwide...

 San Juan Hotel, Spa, and Casino.

Landmarks and places of interest

• Buena Vista Ruins
• Carolina Beach
• Grande de Loíza River
• Isla Verde Club Gallístico
• Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
• Jesús T. Piñero Monument
• Julia de Burgos Park
• Piñones Beach
• Roberto Clemente Ciudad Deportiva

Festivals and events

• Ladies Crafts Fair - April
• San Fernando Patron Celebrations - May
• Crafts Fair - July
• Roberto Clemente Week - August

Sports

In recent years, Carolina has seen the building of the Ciudad Deportiva 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...

or Roberto Clemente Sports City, a sports and recreation facility that aims to become a youth sports school, and the Roberto Clemente Stadium

Roberto Clemente Stadium

Roberto Clemente Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Carolina, Puerto Rico. It is currently used mostly for baseball games and is the home of Gigantes de Carolina. The stadium holds 12,500 people and was built in 2000...

, host to many entertainment events and to the 2003 and 2007 Caribbean World Series

Caribbean World Series

The Caribbean Series , also called the Caribbean World Series is the highest baseball tournament at club level in Latin America. The league winners from the Winter Leagues of Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela participate in the tournament...

. It has also played host to the Coliseo Guillermo Angulo, where the BSN's Gigantes de Carolina

Carolina Giants

The Gigantes de Carolina are a team in the BSN league in Puerto Rico.-History:In 2008, the Gigantes advanced to the league's "Super 6" semifinals. The team earned a lead in this phase and came close to receiving a guaranteed spot in the league's final by defeating the Cangrejeros de Santurce in...

play, as well as the Gigantes of Puerto Rican

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...

 women's professional basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, the Gigantes of men's professional volleyball

Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

, and the Gigantes

Gigantes de Carolina (women's volleyball)

Gigantes de Carolina is the professional female volleyball team of Carolina, Puerto Rico.-Current:As of April 2011* Head Coach: Javier Gaspar* Assistant coach: Angel Peña-Release or Transfer:-External links:* *...

 of women's professional volleyball.

The Gigantes de Carolina

Gigantes de Carolina (baseball)

The Gigantes de Carolina are a baseball team in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League . Based in the city of Carolina, Puerto Rico, the Gigantes are the reigning back to back champions of the LBPPR..They play at Roberto Clemente Stadium...

 professional baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 team use the Roberto Clemente Stadium

Roberto Clemente Stadium

Roberto Clemente Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Carolina, Puerto Rico. It is currently used mostly for baseball games and is the home of Gigantes de Carolina. The stadium holds 12,500 people and was built in 2000...

 as their home field. There is also another team with the same name, the Giants de Carolina

Gigantes de Carolina (football club)

Carolina Giants are a association football club from Carolina, Puerto Rico. They were formed in 2008 as the football branch of the existing baseball side Gigantes de Carolina. They are founding members of the Puerto Rico Soccer League, the first nationwide football league on the island...

, a professional soccer team that plays in the Puerto Rico Soccer League

Puerto Rico Soccer League

The Puerto Rico Soccer League or PRSL is an association football league in Puerto Rico. It is the first unified football league in the island's history, and had a total of six teams for the 2011 season. Association football has been growing in popularity in recent years, and this is an attempt to...

. That team also uses the Roberto Clemente Stadium

Roberto Clemente Stadium

Roberto Clemente Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Carolina, Puerto Rico. It is currently used mostly for baseball games and is the home of Gigantes de Carolina. The stadium holds 12,500 people and was built in 2000...

 as its home field.

Professional horse jockey

Jockey

A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...

 Emanuel Jose Sanchez

Emanuel Jose Sanchez

Emanuel Jose Sanchez was a Puerto Rican jockey competing in American Thoroughbred horse racing.Born in Carolina, Sanchez emigrated to the United States where he worked as an exercise rider at Bowie Training Center in Bowie, Maryland and had raced at other Thoroughbred racetracks...

 was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Riding the mare Mark Me Special he captured the 7th race at Colonial Downs

Colonial Downs

Colonial Downs is a racetrack for Thoroughbred flat racing and Standardbred harness racing located in New Kent County, Virginia adjacent to Interstate 64, halfway between Richmond, Virginia and Williamsburg, Virginia.-History and information:...

 on June 19, 2005.

Government and infrastructure

Law enforcement responsibilities are possible by both the Carolina Police Department, with most of its precincts in the northern half of the city due to the density of the population. Also, Puerto Rico Police Department has also the responsibility of law enforcement of the city, specially on the drug point areas with four precincts positioned on all four points of the city.

The city of Carolina was the city to create the first municipal fire department in Puerto Rico. The Carolina Fire Department in collaboration with the Carolina Municipal Emergency Management use two engine trucks, one ladder track and one special hazard engine truck. Their headquarters are located in the tourist district of Isla Verde. Also, the Puerto Rico Fire Department

Puerto Rico Fire Department

The Puerto Rico Fire Department is the fire department for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and provides fire protection, rescue and other hazards. It was established in 1942 under the Puerto Rico Fire Services...

have a fire station and regional office in town, located on the Roberto Clemente Avenue.

External links

Carolina municipality general information