Dorado
Municipio Autónomo de Dorado | |
|---|---|
Town and municipality | |
 Main square in Dorado | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Nicknames: "La Ciudad Ejemplar", "Ciudad Dorada", "La Más Limpia de Puerto Rico" | |
| Anthem: "Por fin, en las riberas" | |
 Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Dorado Municipality | |
| Coordinates: 18°27′32″N 66°16′04″W / 18.45889°N 66.26778°W | |
| Sovereign state | United States |
| Commonwealth | Puerto Rico |
| Settled | late 16th century |
| Founded | May 13, 1842 |
| Founded by | Jacinto López Martínez |
| Barrios | |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Carlos A. López Rivera (PPD) |
| • Senatorial dist. | 3 – Arecibo |
| • Representative dist. | 11 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 23.23 sq mi (60.16 km2) |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
| • Total | 35,879 |
| • Rank | 31st in Puerto Rico |
| • Density | 1,500/sq mi (600/km2) |
| • Racial groups (2020 Census) | 17.6% White Puerto Ricans 7.5% Afro-Puerto Ricans 0.4% American Indian/AN 0.3% Asian 0.0% Native Hawaiian/PI 25.8% other 48.5% two or more races |
| Demonym | Doradeños |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (AST) |
| ZIP Code | 00646 |
| Area code | 787/939 |
| Major routes |       |
| Website | www |
Dorado (Spanish pronunciation: [doˈɾaðo]) is a town and municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, 15 miles (24 km) west of San Juan and is located in the northern region of the island, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Toa Alta, east of Vega Alta, and west of Toa Baja. Dorado is subdivided into five barrios and Dorado Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area. During the early 18th century, there were already mentions of a "Sitio de Dorado" (meaning a golden place) in some San Juan registers.[2] Since the beginning of the Spanish colonial period and until 1831, Dorado existed as a barrio (or ward) of the town of Toa Baja. Over several years, the ward grew and established its own town center called the "new pueblo" to differentiate itself from Toa Baja, which became known as the "old pueblo." Over several years, the barrios that currently make up Dorado grew and the people of the "new pueblo" wanted to separate themselves from Toa Baja.
On November 22, 1842, Jacinto López Martínez, the Sergeant at Arms for the ward of Dorado, petitioned the Spanish Governor of Puerto Rico, Santiago Méndez Vigo, to establish the municipality of Dorado. The governor authorized the founding of the town pending the construction of public works, including an administrative building and a church near the town square. In 1848, the construction of the public works were completed and López Martínez became the first mayor of Dorado. Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became a territory of the United States. In 1902, four years after the Spanish–American War, Dorado was again appended to Toa Baja. But in 1905 it regained its status as a separate town. Nowadays, Dorado has upscale neighborhoods and a small downtown area with a plaza (main town square), as other Puerto Rican municipalities. The town's patron saint is Anthony of Padua, and patron saint celebrations are held at the plaza every year on June 13.
- ^ "PUERTO RICO: 2020 Census". The United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
- ^ "Dorado – Municipio de Puerto Rico". Portal PRFrogui. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2016.