Cataño is a municipality (municipio) in northern Puerto Rico located on northern coast bordering the Atlantic Ocean and is bordered to the North and West by San Juan; north of Bayamón and Guaynabo; east of Toa Baja and west of Guaynabo and is considered to be a part of the so-called metropolitan area of Puerto Rico, or area metropolitana. Cataño is spread over 7 wards and Cataño Pueblo (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city).
Cataño is known mostly for four things: Its industry, its trash burning facility, its ferry service that connects old San Juan and its considerable amount of protestant churches and catholic cathedrals.
Cataño has a considerable number of Christians among its population, and because of that, a large number of churches that exist there, attracting worshipers from all over town and from area metropolitana cities as well.
From 1924-25 the movie "Aloha de los Mares del Sur" was filmed in Cataño.
History
In land area it is the smallest municipality in Puerto Rico. The city was founded in 1927 as "Hato de Palmas de Cataño", but officially shortened to "Cataño" when it was established. The city is known as "La Antesala de la Capital" (the Prelude of the Capital) because of its location across the bay from the capital of Puerto Rico, the city of San Juan.
Flag
The flag reproduces the colors and stripes of the Coat of Arms. It has the same nine horizontal stripes: four blue stripes and five white stripes (substituting for the silver color). A white band diagonally traverses the drape in all its extension, from the upper hoist to the lower fly.
Coat of Arms
The Coat Of Arms of Cataño consists of nine horizontal stripes of same the width: four of blue and five of silver.
Demographics
Barrios (Districts/Wards)
- Las Vegas
- Marina Bahia
- Vista del Morro
- El Coqui II
- El Coqui
- Cucharillas
- Juana Matos
- Bo Palmas
- Puente Blanco
- Puntilla
- William Fuentes
Geo/Topography
Rivers are: Bayamón and El Caño de Cataño.
Economic
Industrial
Cataño has one of the largest groups of manufacturers in Puerto Rico. Bacardi has a rum manufacturing plant there, and many other companies, both Puerto Rican and American, have plants there.
Cataño's trash burning facility is the largest in Puerto Rico. Both Cataño's large number of manufacturing plants and Cataño's trash facility have been considerable factors in Cataño's earning of the dirtiest city in Puerto Rico title, a dubious honor, a few times.
Tourism
Landmarks and places of interest
- Bacardí Distillery
- Boardwalk
- City Hall
- Cunda Fish Market
- Nereida Avenue
- Pedro Rodríguez Sálamo Stadium
- Punta Salinas Beach
- Taína Statue
Festivals and events
- San Juan Night - June
- Matron Festivities - July
- Fishermen Tournament - July
- Bacardí Artisans Fair - December
Transportation
Cataño's ferry service is known as La Lancha de Cataño, or The Ferry of Cataño. Despite what the name might lead to believe, there is actually a number of ferries, not just one, that operate on the five minute ocean route between Cataño and old San Juan and vice-versa daily. There is a large ferry terminal at Cataño, and tourists can enjoy the view of the Castillo del Morro and the large cruise ships docked at the old San Juan terminal during these trips.
Notable "Catañeses"
- Francisco Oller
- Ileana Colon Carlo - first woman contralor
- Julio Rosado del Valle
- Pedro Juan Soto
- Salvador de Jesús
Cataño, Puerto Rico. (2006, October 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:28, October 16, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cata%C3%B1o%2C_Puerto_Rico&oldid=79448638
