Carolina, Puerto Rico

Land of Giants

Carolina (kah-ro-LEE-nah) is known as the “Land of Giants” and the town of the “arm choppers.” The “Land of Giants” comes from a carolinense named Felipe Birriel Fernández, who was called “the Carolina Giant,” because he was seven feet and eleven inches tall. The latter phrase comes from an old custom of solving disputes in a machete duel.

Carolina is the fourth largest city on the island. The patron saint is Saint Ferdinand of the Carolinas.

Carolina is on the northeast coast of the island, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the town of Loíza to the north, Gurabo and Juncos on the south, Trujillo Alto and San Juan on the west and the municipality of Canóvanas on the east. The region is the northern coastal plain. In the Northern part of the municipality the land is swampy and low lying.

The economy of Carolina has developed throughout the 20th century. In the early part of the century, the economy was based on agriculture, with sugar cane being the main crop. Today, the city is highly industrialized. There are more than 100 factories that produce electric and electronic equipment, scientific instruments, metal containers, clothing, chewing gum, pharmaceutical products, plastics, and chemicals, among others. Tourism is also extremely important, especially in the Isla Verde area, where hotels, recreational facilities, and the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport are located.

Foundation:

Carolina was founded by Lorenzo Vizcarrondo under Governor and Commander in Chief Don Fernando de Costoñer, January 31, 1857. Its original name was Trujillo Bajo. It is known that Don Gaspar Martinez donated the land to establish the municipality, but requested that the city be named in honor of his daughter Carolina de San Juan.

Carolina is also known as “Tierra De Gigantes” (Land Of Giants), mainly by one of its inhabitants: Don Felipe Biriel Fernandez known as “The Giant of Carolina”, who stood 7′ 11″. Its also known as “Los Tumba Brazos” (Arm Hackers), because in the old days people would solved their conflicts dueling with machetes.

Location:

Carolina is bordered on the north by the Atlantic Ocean and Loíza, on the south by Gurabo and Juncos, on the west by Trujillo Alto and San Juan, and on the east by the municipality of Canóvanas.

Area:

120.9 sq km / 46.5 sq mi

Population:

186,076 (census 2000)

Population Density:

1,539.0 per sq km / 4,001.6 per sq mi

People are known as:

Carolinenses

Carolina is also known as:

Tierra de Gigantes (Land Of Giants)
Los Tumba Brazos (Arm Hackers)

Wards: Carolina, Puerto Rico

Census 2000: Population by Wards – Carolina	Habitants
Barrazas	4,076
Cacao	3,668
Cangrejo Arriba	18,681
Canovanillas	10,748
Carolina Pueblo	1,398
Carruzos	2,481
Cedro	1,918
Hoyo Mulas	33,914
Martín González	24,656
Sabana Abajo	62,238
San Antón	10,465
Santa Cruz	2,025
Trujillo Bajo	9,808
Total	186,076

Información: Source: Censo 2000

Topography:

The terrain is level, except in the southern region (Juncos and Canóvanas borders) where the Asomante range is found.

Hydrography:

Grande de Loíza & Canovanillas rivers and the Pifiones, San José and La Torrecilla lagoons form part of the hydrographic system.

Economy:

Manufacture (pharmaceutical, medical equipment and chemical) and commerce.

Average Salary:

$361.50 weekly (1998)

Flag:

The flag consists of three vertical bands, the laterals white and the middle red. The laterals are seeded with black ermine tails in the heraldic way as does the coat of arms. The middle band of the flag shows a red field with the sword and crown of the coat of arms in identical disposition, with the difference that the flag substitutes white and yellow for the silver and the gold in the coat of arms.

Coat Of Arms:

The figures and colors of the coat of arms of Carolina alludes to Patron San Fernando. Some of the colors allude to the founder Vizcarrondo known for the first patriotic freedom development in the island in 1838.

Fernando III, King of Castile and Leon (1199-1252) known as “El Santo” (The Saint), distinguished himself because of his love for God, justice, and mercy for the defeated. He was canonized in 1671. The crown over the sword is the main attribute for royalty and for that reason it occupies a privileged position in the Coat of Arms. The sword is not only a symbol for military service, but also one of justice, recalling the virtues of San Fernando.

The Coat of Arms has a wide edge of silver, a cultivated field of small tails of ermine shown in the conventional heraldic manner. This part of the Coat of Arms symbolizes the lineage of Don Lorenzo de Vizcarrondo, founder of the town. The red symbolizes the first patriotic developments made for Puerto Rico’s freedom under Spanish dominion. The crown represents the moral unity of the inhabitants of the town, and its historical continuity and autonomy.

Events:

• Jazz night- third Friday of each month
• Bohemia night – second Thursday of each month
• Youth night- first Friday every two months
• Artisans` Market- one Sunday in a month
• Roberto Clemente’s week- August
• Festival of Patron saint around May 30, day of Saint Ferdinand day

Places To Visit:

• Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
• Old City Hall
• Center and archive for historical research of Carolina
• Carolina Beach – Balneario de Carolina
• Isla de Verde Beach
• Alambique Beach
• Boca de Cangrejos (river mouth on the Atlantic)
• Piñones State Forest
• Ecuté House
• Roberto Clemente Walker cenotaph
• Roberto Clemente Municipal Stadium
• Julio Vizcarrondo Liberal Arts School of Carolina
• Roberto Clemente Walker Sports Complex
• Ruins of the hacienda Victoria
• Ruins of the Buena Vista sugarmill
• Roberto Clemente conmemorative fountaine
• Ponce Hotel
• San Fernando de la Carolina church
• La Torrecilla, Piñones, Los Corozos and San José lagoons
• Fernando Tercero Rey de Castilla y León monument
• Julia de Burgos mausoleum
• Luis Muñoz Marín monument
• Julia de Burgos Park
• Promenade of the Giants
• Rey Fernando de la Carolina public square
• Salsa square
• Río Grande de Loíza river
• Cave system of Cerro San José
• University of Puerto Rico Carolina campus
• Isla Verde tourist zone – including Isla Verde beach , hotel zone
• Cemetary Puerto Rico Memorial
• Cockfight club
• Jesús T. Piñero monument

Distinguished Citizens:

• Julia de Burgos – poet, author of the epic “Río Grande Loíza.” Her works include the books of verse Poemas exactos a mí misma, Poemas en veinte surcos and Canción de la verdad sencilla. She died in New York City in 1953.

• Roberto Clemente Walker – Major League baseball player and winner of numerous awards and recognitions. He died tragically in an airplane accident en route to Nicaragua to help earthquake victims on December 31, 1972. He was the first Latin American to be elected to the United States Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Ramón Mellado Parsons – educator and essayist. He was Secretary of Public Education, President of the Higher Education Council, and a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (1951-1952). His writings include a book on education called La educación en Puerto Rico.
• Jesús T. Piñero – the first Puerto Rican governor, appointed by the President of the United States in 1946. He was a founder of the Popular Democratic Party, member of the House of Representative (1941-1944) and cesident Commissioner in Washington.
• Angel Rivero Méndez – military man, journalist, and entrepreneur. He participated in the Spanish-American War, and wrote about his experiences as a member of the Spanish Army in Crónica de la Guerra Hispanoamericana en Puerto Rico. During the 1920s he wrote a column in the newspapaer El Imparcial and later, in the newspaper El Mundo.
• Jesús María Sanromá – internationally renowned pianist. Sanromá studied in the United States, France, and Germany. We can still enjoy his numerous recordings.
• Julio Vizcarrondo – writer and abolicionist.
• Fortunato Vizcarrondo – musician and poet. Author of the poem ¿Y tú agüela a onde está?.
• Wilfredo Benítez – the youngest boxer winner of the World Boxing Title.
• Felibe Birriel – Know as el gigante de Carolina. He measured 7 feet and 11 inches in 1946.

Name	Level	Telephone	Address
Elementary
AGUSTÍN RODRÍGUEZ HERNÁNDEZ	K-6	(787) 750-1180	PO Box 2000, P.R. 00729-2000
CRUZ SALGUERO TORRES	K-6	(787) 769-3458	PO Box 2000 Suite 151, P.R. 00729-0000
JUANA RODRÍGUEZ MUNDO	K-6	(787) 750-8833	PO Box 2000 Suite 280, P.R. 00729-0000
PRISCO FUENTES	PK-6	(787) 750-4480	Suite 143, P.R. 00726-0000
DR. CLEMENTE FERNÁNDEZ	K-6	(787) 757-5790	PO Box 7460, P.R. 00986-0000
ESTIMULACIÓN TEMPRANA	EE	(787) 750-4060	PO Box 98, P.R. 00986-0098
JESUS MANUEL SUAREZ	K-6	(787) 750-2774	Valle Arriba Heights Sta., P.R. 00984-0000
JOSÉ SEVERO QUIÑONES	K-6	(787) 769-3280	PO Box 7819, P.R. 00986-7819
JUANA A MÉNDEZ	PK-6	(787) 768-3735	PO Box 7709, P.R. 00986-7709
LUIS MUÑOZ RIVERA	K-6	(787) 769-3260	PO Box 4878, P.R. 00986-4878
PEDRO J RODRÍGUEZ	K-6	(787) 750-0011	PO Box 1925, P.R. 00984-1925
ROBERTO CLEMENTE	K-6	(787) 752-0057	URB ROLLING HILLS #15, P.R. 00987-0000
SALVADOR BRAU	K-6	(787) 750-4044	PO Box 6011, P.R. 00984-6011
TRUJILLO ALTO CACAO CENTRO	K-6	(787) 750-6211	Suite 283, P.R. 00917-2510
Intermediate
FACUNDO BUESO	7-9	(787) 769-8350	PO Box 900, P.R. 00986-0900
INT NUEVO ENFOQUE ÁNGEL P MILLÁN	7-9	(787) 769-0386	KM 0 HM 9 BO CANOVANILLAS, P.R. 00987-0000
MARTÍN GONZÁLEZ	7-9	(787) 276-4922	URB METRÓPOLIS, P.R. 00987-0000
PETRA ROMÁN VIGO	7-9	(787) 769-3255	PO Box 4099, P.R. 00984-0000
SALVADOR BRAU (INTERMEDIA)	7-9	(787) 750-0305	PO Box 4099, P.R. 00985-0000
Secondary
JESÚS T PIÑERO	K-9	(787) 750-0260	PO Box 220, P.R. 00729-0000
SU CARLOS CONDE MARÍN	K-9	(787) 769-4645	PO Box 593, P.R. 00978-0000
High School
ÁNGEL P MILLÁN ROHENA	10-12	(787) 276-0120	PO Box 7759, P.R. 00986-7759
CARLOS F DANIELS (VOC. DE AREA)	10-12	(787) 762-7385	PO Box 7889, P.R. 00986-0000
LORENZO VIZCARRONDO	10-12	(787) 769-0870	PO Box 9180, P.R. 00988-9180

Name	Level	Telephone	Address
Elementary
AMALIA EXPÓSITO	K-6	(787) 762-1117	PO Box 3629, P.R. 00984-0000
DR. MODESTO RIVERA RIVERA	K-6	(787) 762-7505	PO Box 209, P.R. 00985-0000
DR. RAMÓN MELLADO PARSONS	K-6	(787) 752-4420	1 PO Box 3892, P.R. 00984-0000
FRANCISCO MATÍAS LUGO	K-6	(787) 757-0410	PO Box 3474, P.R. 00984-3474
INÉS MARIA MENDOZA	K-6	(787) 769-6644	PO Box 4009, P.R. 00983-0000
JARDINES DE COUNTRY CLUB	K-6	(787) 768-0258	PO Box 3699, P.R. 00981-0000
JESÚS MARIA SANROMA	PK-6	(787) 769-8451	PO Box 7738, P.R. 00986-7738
LUIS MUÑOZ MARÍN	K-6	(787) 769-8375	PO Box 3639, P.R. 00984-0000
MARIA TERESA SERRANO	K-6	(787) 752-2975	PO Box 3629, P.R. 00984-0000
PASCASIO P. SANCERRIT	K-6	(787) 769-4260	PO Box 1984, P.R. 00983-1984
PEDRO MOCZO BANIET	PK-6	(787) 769-2612	PO Box 3114 Valle Arriba Heights Sta., P.R. 00983-0000
Intermediate
AGUSTÍN CABRERA	7-9	(787) 768-4044	PO Box 3629, P.R. 00985-0000
EDUARDO J. SALDAÑA	7-9	(787) 769-3753	PO Box 3122, P.R. 00984-3122
JESÚS RIVERA BULTRON	7-9	(787) 752-3131	Tercera Sección Urb. VILLA, P.R. 00985-0000
MANUEL FEBRES GONZÁLEZ	7-9	(787) 768-3031	PO Box 3809, P.R. 00984-3809
RENE MARQUES	7-9	(787) 757-2760	PO Box 3335, P.R. 00984-3335
RVDO. FÉLIX CASTRO RODRÍGUEZ	7-9	(787) 750-1330	PO Box 3629 Valle Arriba Heights Sta., P.R. 00984-0000
Secondary
LOLA RODRÍGUEZ DE TIÓ	7-12	(787) 752-1410	PO Box 4921, P.R. 00983-0000
Secondary
JULIA DE BURGOS	K-9	(787) 791-0174	PO Box 3676, P.R. 00984-3376
High School
DR. JOSÉ M LÁZARO	10-12	(787) 769-3638	Valle Arriba Heights Sta., PR 00984-0000
GILBERTO CONCEPCIÓN DE GRACIA	10-12	(787) 768-2216	PO Box 3629, P.R. 00984-0000
LUZ AMÉRICA CALDERÓN	10-12	(787) 768-4044	PO Box 3467, P.R. 00984-3464

 

 

How to get to Carolina from San Juan.