| Barrio Portugués Urbano | |
|---|---|
| Location of barrio Portugues Urbano within the municipality of Ponce shown in red | |
| Country | United States |
| Territory | Puerto Rico |
| Municipality | Ponce |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.14 sq mi (3 km2) |
| • Land | 1.14 sq mi (3 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 5,886 |
| • Density | 5,163/sq mi (1,993.4/km2) |
| Source: 2000 Census | |
Portugués Urbano is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and San Antón, Portugués Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce.
Contents |
Portugués Urbano is an urban barrio located in the southern section of the municipality, north of the core of the city of Ponce at Plaza Las Delicias, and within the city limits of the city of Ponce.
It is bounded on the North by Camino de Ponce (Golf Club) Street, Majagua Street, and Arboleda Street, on the South by Idilid Street, Shangai Street, Diez Street, Cinco Street, Pico Dulce Street, and Paseo de la Cruceta, on the West by Novedades Street, the hills east of Ponce Cement and the future western branch of PR-9, and on the East by Río Portugues (roughly), PR-503 (roughly), Cayey Street, Cerro San Tomas Street.[1][2]
In terms of barrio-to-barrio boundaries, Portugués Urbano is bounded in the North by Portugués, in the South by Canas Urbano and Segundo, in the West by Magueyes Urbano, and in the East by Machuelo Arriba and Sexto.[3][4]
The communities of Mameyes, El Vigia, and Jaime L. Drew, are located within the limits of barrio Portugués Urbano.
Portugués Urbano has 1.14 square miles (3.0 km2) of land area and no water surface area. In 2000, the population of Portugués Urbano was 5,886 persons, and it had a density of 5,163 persons per square mile.[5][6] The Mameyes landslide tragedy occurred here.
The highest point in Barrio Portugués Urbano is Cerro Ponce 2 which stands at 574 feet. Another notable land feature is Cerro El Vigia which stands at 364 feet.[7]
Portugués Urbano attracted attention recently when, in 1985, over 100 people were buried in their sleep from a landslide as a result of heavy rains, in the Mameyes sector of Barrio Portugués Urbano.[8][9]On October 7, 1985, Ponce was the scene of this major tragedy, when at least 129 people lost their lives to a mudslide in the Mameyes sector of Barrio Portugués Urbano.[10][11] The heavy rains were part of the Tropical Storm Isabel system. International help was needed to rescue people and corpses. The United States and many other countries, including Mexico, France, and Venezuela, sent economic, human, and machinery relief. The municipal government, subsequently, moved the remaining residents of the sector to newly-built homes in a safer area of the municipality.
Barrio Portugués Urbano is home to Serralles Castle and Cruceta El Vigía, both tourist attractions.[12]