Caguas, Puerto Rico
Caguas (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkaɣwas], locally [ˈkawaʔ]) is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, and east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey. Caguas was founded in 1775. The municipality had a population of 127,244 at the 2020 census.
Caguas | |
|---|---|
City and municipality | |
| Municipio Autónomo de Caguas | |
From top, left to right: Indigenous Heritage Monument in downtown Caguas; Central Santa Catalina; Caguas Cathedral; Old City Hall; and view of the Valley and the Cordillera Central | |
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Flag Coat of arms | |
| Nicknames: "El Valle del Turabo" (Turabo Valley), "La Ciudad Criolla" (Creole City), "La Cuna de los Trovadores" (Cradle of Trovadores) | |
| Anthem: "Centro y Corazón de Puerto Rico" | |
Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Caguas Municipality | |
| Coordinates: 18°13′53″N 66°2′22″W | |
| Sovereign state | United States |
| Commonwealth | Puerto Rico |
| Founded | January 1, 1775 |
| Barrios | 11 barrios
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| Government | |
| • Mayor | William Miranda Torres (PPD) |
| • Senatorial dist. | 7 - Humacao |
| • Representative dist. | 31,32 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 59.07 sq mi (153.00 km2) |
| • Land | 58.68 sq mi (151.97 km2) |
| • Water | 0.40 sq mi (1.03 km2) |
| Elevation | 211.0 ft (64.3 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 127,244 |
| • Rank | 5th in Puerto Rico |
| • Density | 2,200/sq mi (830/km2) |
| Demonym(s) | Cagüeños, cagüenses |
| Ethnicity | |
| • White | 84.5% |
| • Black | 7.8% |
| • American Indian/AN | 0.6% |
| • Asian | 0.3% |
| • Native Hawaiian/PI | 0.1% |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (AST) |
| ZIP Codes | 00725, 00726, 00727 |
| Area code | 787/939 |
| Major routes | |
| Website | caguas.gov.pr |
Caguas is located 20 miles (32 km) from San Juan. It is located in the Valle de Caguas or Caguas Valley (also known as Valle del Turabo or the Turabo Valley), at the eastern ranges of the Central Mountain Range. It is known as La Ciudad Criolla (Criollo City), Valle del Turabo (the Turabo Valley) and La Cuna de los Trovadores (The Cradle of the Trovadores). Its name originates from the Taíno cacique Caguax, who was a regional chief. Caguas is a principal city of both the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area and the San Juan-Caguas-Fajardo Combined Statistical Area.
Since 2009 Caguas is the only municipality in Puerto Rico recognized as a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation.