Manatí was founded in 1799 by Don Pedro Menendez Valdes. The Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria church was built in the seventeenth century and is still standing in its original spot. Manati is known as La Ciudad Metropolitana, and also as Las Atenas de Puerto Rico,. It is named after a sea mammal, the manatee. During those early years, the mayor of the town was Jose Aulet. Juan Ponce de León picked the Manatí leg of the Manuatabón River as the first area to pan for gold. The Aulet family owned lands rich in pineapples, sugar cane, and green bananas. The Aulets sold the land to the government in 1985. 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 and conducted its first census of Puerto Rico in 1899, finding that the population of Manatí was 13,989. In 1853, the region shifted from mining to an expansion of agriculture, particularly cultivation and processing of sugar cane. The demand for and price of sugar remained high in international markets. The main commodity crop was sugar cane. Carpentry also became popular. During that year, the town consisted of 280 homes, 2 squares, 8 streets and a school with 50 pupils.
Hurricane Maria
On September 20, 2017, the lives of Manatí residents were disrupted when Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico causing widespread flooding, landslides, and damage to critical infrastructure.
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Manatí is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and a large Catholic church are located in the center of the municipality, in a barrio referred to as "el pueblo".
Bajura Adentro
Bajura Afuera
Coto Norte
Coto Sur
Manatí barrio-pueblo
Río Arriba Poniente
Río Arriba Saliente
Tierras Nuevas Poniente
Tierras Nuevas Saliente
Sectors
Barrios in turn are further subdivided into smaller local populated place areas/units called sectores. The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.
Special Communities
Of the 742 places on the list of Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Manatí: Cerro Gandía, Cerro Quiñones and El Horno.
Demographics
Tourism
In 2014, Manati welcomed its first hotel, the Hyatt Place Hotel and Casino, located next to Casino Atlántico and a LongHorn Steakhouse, which opened in April 2014. The hotel has an outdoor swimming pool, 3 meeting rooms and a fitness center. The official name was Hyatt Place Manati & Casino. Manati is popular for its beaches and is part of the Porta Altantico tourism district. In 2019, Manatí began offering free tours of its city, beaches, historic places and eateries.
Landmarks and places of interest
Some of the places of interest in Manatí include:
The Acropolis Sports Complex
Biblioteca Nacional Francisco Álvarez
El Salón del Poeta
Historic Zone
Los Tubos Beach
La Esperanza Beach
Playa Cueva Las Golondrinas, where visitors have been cited for public indecency. Puerto Rico does not have nudist beaches.
Mar Chiquita Beach
Marqués de la Esperanza Hacienda Ruins
Ruinas de la Oficina de la Central Monserrate
The New Manati Arena
Manati Baseball Stadium
Economy
Agriculture
Isidoro Colón established the "Candelaria" sugar mill in the years between 1860 and 1870, located between Manatí and Barceloneta. Manatí is the pineapple center of Puerto Rico. In addition in Manatí, there is cultivation of fruits, sugar cane, and coffee. Los Frutos del Guacabo is a farming company in Manatí that provides local fruit and vegetables to local chefs.
Industry
The industry of Manatí is shoes, woodwork, and a pineapple cannery as well as pharmaceuticals:
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Warner Chilcott
DuPont
Patheon
Actavis
Janssen Ortho LLC
Retailers
Burlington store
Healthcare
Manati has two large, private hospitals, Doctor's Center Hospital, and Manati Medical Center Dr. Otero Lopez. There is also the smaller Municipal Hospital. The area surrounding PR-2 is known for having many medical offices.
Education
Manati has 3 high schools: Petra Corretjer de O'neill High School, Fernando Callejo High School, and the Escuela Instituto Tecnologico Recinto De Manati, the latter also serving as a technical institute. Private Schools:
Manatí celebrates its patron saint festival in February. The Fiestas Patronales Virgen de la Candelaria is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment. Other festivals and events celebrated in Manatí include:
