Guaynabo

Guyanabo’s name is derived from the Taino; the root word Guay meaning “here”, na meaning “place”, and bo meaning “fresh water”, “river” or “life.”  To the Indians of Borinquen the rivers were vital, providing the food for their subsistence and allowing for their personal hygiene.

After the process of colonization in 1508, the following year Juan Ponce de Leon was appointed Captain General of Land and Sea Island, and Governor in 1510.  Being selected for founding the first Spanish settlement, the town of Guaynabo was established in Isla El De Caparra.  With historical certainty, we must recognize Guaynabo as the first capital of Puerto Rico.
Locals use the term “Guaynabo City” to identify the town.  This preference emerged as the mayor decided to translate the traffic signs in the downtown of the city, as are municipal police patrols, into English.  Guaynabo has a privileged location in the center of metropolitan San Juan.  City Pathfinders is surrounded by three major cities of Puerto Rico: San Juan, Caguas and Bayamon; plus the city of Carolina is pretty close.  This allows the guaynabenos to move with relative ease to major work centers and services throughout the country.

In addition, residents of Guaynabo enjoy the benefits of living in a city with many economic resources, low crime and excellent quality of life. Hence Guaynabo is highlighted as being a preferred place to live for many Puerto Ricans.  Inhabitants of the city have higher incomes and better academic preparation, per capita, than those of other cities on the island.  Over the past few decades, while major cities such as San Juan and Bayamon have been consistently losing population, in Guaynabo it has been the opposite.

According to data from the United States Federal Census, Guaynabo is the city with the highest per capita income in Puerto Rico.  It is also a largely residential city.

Guaynabo is located on the north coast, bordering the Bay of Catano and San Juan.  To the south it is bordered by Aguas Buenas, to the west by Bayamon, and to the east by San Juan.

Guaynabo encompasses an area of 70.2 square kilometers (27.0 square miles) and has a population of 100,053 (Census 2000).

Transportation
Guaynabo has bus service provided by the Metropolitan Bus Authority (AMA), which covers the entire metropolitan area of San Juan and its neighboring towns.  It also has two Tren Urbano stations, Martinez Nadal station and Torrimar station.  The Tren Urbano extends from the city of San Juan to Bayamon.

Sports
Women’s volleyball is very popular in Guaynabo and their team has a large following of fans. They play at the Coliseum Mario “Quijote” Morales, named in honor of the Guaynabo Mets player.  The Guaynabo Mets were a basketball team that won several championships.  The coliseum was previously known as the Mets Pavilion.
Communications
There are two television stations in Guaynabo: Univision Puerto Rico and Televicentro (WAPA).  The city also has five FM radio stations: La Mega, Estereotempo, Zeta93, Romance96 and Reggaeton94.  OneLink provides cable television service, and there are several other companies providing services like DirectTV and Dish Satellite Network.

Tourism
In Guaynabo, specifically in the Pueblo Viejo district, lie the ruins of Caparra, the first Spanish settlement and first capital of Puerto Rico, which was founded in 1509 by the conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon.  Forest Marquesa is located in the Barrio Sonadora and in Barrio Mamey is sheaf Mirador, where you can see an impressive view of the San Juan area.  The Sports Museum of Puerto Rico, the Caribbean’s most complete sports museum, is located in the Barrio Brothers, and the educational farm Villa Campestre is in the Barrio Santa Rosa.

A church in the neighborhood is the St. Peter Martyr of Verona, one of the oldest in Puerto Rico, built between the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century.  Very near the church are the former mayor’s house, soon to become the town’s history museum, the Plaza of the Artists, and Concha Acustica.  The municipality also plans the construction of the Museum of Antique Cars.

Guaynabo does not have a pool, though it shares the Bay of San Juan with San Juan and the municipality of Catano.  Guaynabo hosts major cultural festivals such as Carnival Mabo, the lighting of the Christmas Festival of Bomba and Plena del Barrio Amelia, and DanzAfrica, an event dedicated to African rhythms.