This list of barrios of Ponce consists of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. With 31 barrios, Ponce is Puerto Rico's municipality with the largest number of barrios.
Meaning of "barrio"
In Puerto Rico, the term barrio has two very different meanings. Officially, Ponce has 31 barrios; this is according to local, insular, and federal governments. However, there is a second meaning for barrio that doesn't correlate with the official meaning and one that is meant to refer, loosely, to a sector or portion of an official barrio. It is a meaning that makes reference to a community that shares certain common characteristics. Some examples of these so-called barrios are barrio Mameyes, barrio Corral Viejo, barrio Clausells, barrio Tenerías, and barrio Caracoles. These so-called barrios, unlike the 31 official barrios, do not have well defined borders, and their names ordinarily reference a general, not a precise, sector or area.
Introduction to Ponce's 31 barrios
The territorial areas known as barrios started to take shape during the 18th century, and the first barrios named were Cana, Montones, Capitanejo, Quebrada Limón, and Bucana. Throughout the 19th century, Ponce's jurisdictional zone increased to where it included both urban and rural barrios. With an expanding urban zone, in the 20th century Ponce's list of barrios came to number 31, with 13 located in the urban area of the city plus 18 outside the urban zone. Of these 18, and as the urban area continues to expand, seven were considered suburbanin 1999. These 7 suburban barrios were: Canas, Magueyes, Portugués, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, Coto Laurel, and Cerrillos. The remaining 11 are entirely rural barrios. A 2000 report by the U.S. Census Bureau provides detailed demographics statistics for each of Ponce's barrios. From a demographics perspective, the 2000 Census showed that Montes Llanos is the least populated barrio in the municipality. Thanks to its larger area, barrio Canas was by far the most populated ward of the municipality. At 68 persons per square mile, San Patricio was the least dense, while Cuarto was the most densely populated at 18,819 persons per square mile. Geographically speaking, Ponce has nine barrios that border neighboring municipalities. These are Anón, Canas, Capitanejo, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Marueño, Quebrada Limón, Real, San Patricio. Canas and Capitanejo are also coastal barrios, and together with three other coastal barrios make up the municipality's five coastal barrios. There are also seven barrios within the city limits that in addition to the original six city core barrios — named Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto — make up the 13 urban barrios of the municipality. The historic zone of the city is within these original six core city barrios. These twelve barrios compose what is known as the urban zone of the municipality. The remaining eight barrios are located in the interior of the municipality. These last eight are outside the city limits and are neither coastal nor bordering barrios.
Complete list of barrios
A summary of all the barrios of the municipality, their population, population density, and land and water areas as given by the U.S. Census Bureau is as follows:
There are 13 barrios in the urban zone of the city of Ponce. These are the original six urban barrios — named Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto - plus seven others that the urban area has expanded to cover as well and which, with time, were incorporated into the city limits, namely, Bucaná, Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón. The historic zone of the city is within the original six urban zone barrios. According to the 2000 Census, Cuarto - an urban barrio - was the most densely populated with 18,819 persons per square mile,
No.
Barrio
Population
Density
Total Area
Land Area
Water Area
1
Bucaná
3963
2957.5
2.16
1.34
0.81
2
Canas Urbano
21482
9299.6
2.31
2.31
0.00
3
Cuarto
3011
18818.8
0.17
0.16
0.00
4
Machuelo Abajo
13302
7515.3
1.86
1.77
0.90
5
Magueyes Urbano
1332
1074.2
1.24
1.24
0.00
6
Playa
16926
3864.4
14.98
4.38
10.60
7
Portugués Urbano
5886
5163.2
1.14
1.14
0.00
8
Primero
3550
14200.0
0.25
0.25
0.00
9
Quinto
724
6581.8
0.11
0.11
0.00
10
San Antón
11271
10063.4
1.17
1.12
0.04
11
Segundo
11321
17416.9
0.65
0.65
0.00
12
Sexto
4745
18250.0
0.27
0.26
0.01
13
Tercero
773
9662.5
0.08
0.08
0.00
Ponce
186475
1625.5
193.6
114.7
78.9
Original barrios in the urban zone
When barrios were first created around 1831, the urban zone of the municipality of Ponce was divided into four barrios, centered at the intersection of Marina and Comercio streets. By 1878, barrio Quinto was added to the urban zone, and by 1898 Cantera had been renamed as barrio Sexto to take its place among the urban barrios as well. These six original barrios that made up the urban zone of the municipality are detailed below.
No.
Barrio
Population
Density
Total Area
Land Area
Water Area
1
Cuarto
3011
18818.8
0.17
0.16
0.00
2
Primero
3550
14200.0
0.25
0.25
0.00
3
Quinto
724
6581.8
0.11
0.11
0.00
4
Segundo
11321
17416.9
0.65
0.65
0.00
5
Sexto
4745
18250.0
0.27
0.26
0.01
6
Tercero
773
9662.5
0.08
0.08
0.00
Ponce
186475
1625.5
193.6
114.7
78.9
Barrios in the rural zone
The municipality has 18 rural barrios. The 2000 Census showed that Montes Llanos, one of the 18 rural barrios, was the least populated barrio in the municipality. At 68 persons per square mile, San Patricio - another rural barrio - was the least populated, while Cuarto was the most densely populated at 18,819 persons per square mile.
No.
Barrio
Population
Density
Total Area
Land Area
Water Area
1
Anón
1669
129.9
12.85
12.85
0.00
2
Canas
34065
2349.3
22.82
14.50
8.32
3
Capitanejo
1401
355.4
4.82
3.95
0.88
4
Cerrillos
4284
1377.5
3.31
3.11
0.20
5
Coto Laurel
5285
1492.9
3.60
3.54
0.06
6
Guaraguao
1017
247.4
4.11
4.11
0.00
7
Machuelo Arriba
13727
2124.9
6.61
6.46
0.15
8
Magueyes
6134
1345.2
4.56
4.56
0.00
9
Maragüez
754
142.0
6.42
5.31
1.11
10
Marueño
1474
350.1
4.21
4.21
0.00
11
Montes Llanos
462
214.9
2.15
2.15
0.00
12
Portugués
4882
1386.9
3.56
3.52
0.04
13
Quebrada Limón
804
301.1
2.67
2.67
0.00
14
Real
3139
595.6
5.28
5.27
0.01
15
Sabanetas
6420
2351.6
2.79
2.73
0.06
16
San Patricio
465
67.8
6.86
6.86
0.00
17
Tibes
866
123.5
7.01
7.01
0.00
18
Vayas
1338
187.9
10.47
7.12
3.35
Ponce
186475
1625.5
193.6
114.7
78.9
Suburban barrios
Of the 18 barrios outside the Ponce urban zone, seven were considered suburban in 1999. The suburban barrios were: Canas, Magueyes, Portugues, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, Coto Laurel, and Cerrillos. A 2000 report by the U.S. Census Bureau provides detailed demographics statistics for each of Ponce's barrios. Thanks to its larger area, barrio Canas was by far the most populated ward of the municipality.
No.
Barrio
Population
Density
Total Area
Land Area
Water Area
1
Canas
34065
2349.3
22.82
14.50
8.32
2
Cerrillos
4284
1377.5
3.31
3.11
0.20
3
Coto Laurel
5285
1492.9
3.60
3.54
0.06
4
Machuelo Arriba
13727
2124.9
6.61
6.46
0.15
5
Magueyes
6134
1345.2
4.56
4.56
0.00
6
Portugués
4882
1386.9
3.56
3.52
0.04
7
Sabanetas
6420
2351.6
2.79
2.73
0.06
Ponce
186475
1625.5
193.6
114.7
78.9
Bordering barrios
Ponce has nine barrios that border neighboring municipalities. These are Canas, Quebrada Limón, Marueño, Guaraguao, San Patricio, Anón, Real, Coto Laurel , and Capitanejo. Canas and Capitanejo are also coastal barrios, and together with three others make up the municipality's five coastal barrios.
No.
Barrio
Population
Density
Total Area
Land Area
Water Area
1
Anón
1669
129.9
12.85
12.85
0.00
2
Canas
34065
2349.3
22.82
14.50
8.32
3
Capitanejo
1401
355.4
4.82
3.95
0.88
4
Coto Laurel
5285
1492.9
3.60
3.54
0.06
5
Guaraguao
1017
247.4
4.11
4.11
0.00
6
Marueño
1474
350.1
4.21
4.21
0.00
7
Quebrada Limón
804
301.1
2.67
2.67
0.00
8
Real
3139
595.6
5.28
5.27
0.01
9
San Patricio
465
67.8
6.86
6.86
0.00
Ponce
186475
1625.5
193.6
114.7
78.9
Coastal barrios
Ponce has five barrios that face the Caribbean Sea. These are: Bucaná, Canas, Capitanejo, Playa, and Vayas. These five make up the municipality's coastal barrios. Two of these—Canas and Capitanejo—are also bordering barrios.
No.
Barrio
Population
Density
Total Area
Land Area
Water Area
1
Bucaná
3963
2957.5
2.16
1.34
0.81
2
Canas
34065
2349.3
22.82
14.50
8.32
3
Capitanejo
1401
355.4
4.82
3.95
0.88
4
Playa
16926
3864.4
14.98
4.38
10.60
5
Vayas
1338
187.9
10.47
7.12
3.35
Ponce
186475
1625.5
193.6
114.7
78.9
Interior barrios
The municipality has eight barrios -- Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba, Magueyes, Maragüez, Montes Llanos, Portugués, Sabanetas, Tibes—that are located entirely in the interior of the municipality. '"Interior" here means that these are non urban zone barrios which border neither the Caribbean Sea nor adjacent municipalities.
