Aguirre, Salinas, Puerto Rico
Aguirre is a barrio in the municipality of Salinas, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 14,005.History
The United States took control of Puerto Rico from Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898. In 1899, the United States conducted its first census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Aguirre barrio was 1,291.
Aguirre was once a city, until it was merged into Salinas during the 1990s. Before that, Aguirre was Puerto Rico's smallest town, a distinction now held by Cataño, a small northern city near San Juan.
For many years, Aguirre's main economical support came from the Central Azucarera de Aguirre, a local sugar factory. Currently, the barrio still has a "central" but this one is operated by the Autoridad de Energia Electrica de Puerto Rico, a government energy company. On Monday, July 25, 2016, there was a fire at the plant when there was an unnoticed petroleum leak. No one was injured, but the central's plants were unworkable for the following three weeks.Transportation
Aguirre, like the rest of Salinas, is accessible by car and other wheeled vehicles through Puerto Rico Highway 1, which connects the country's two largest cities of San Juan and Ponce. The nearest commercial airport is Mercedita Airport in Ponce, while the nearest airport with multiple international flights is Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan.
