| Toa Alta, Puerto Rico | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Municipality — | |||
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| Nickname(s): "La Ciudad del Toa", "Cuna de Poetas", "Ciudad del Josco" | |||
| Motto: "Todo un Pueblo" | |||
| Anthem: "Cuna de historia y de grandes poetas" | |||
| Location of Toa Alta in Puerto Rico | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| Territory | Puerto Rico | ||
| Founded | 1751 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Hon. Luis Collazo "Jumbo" (PNP ) | ||
| • Senatorial dist. | 2 Bayamon | ||
| • Representative dist. | 11 | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 27.4 sq mi (71.08 km2) | ||
| • Land | 27.4 sq mi (70.88 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.20 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 236 ft (72 m) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • Total | 74,066 | ||
| • Density | 2,698.8/sq mi (1,042/km2) | ||
| Demonym | Toalteños | ||
| Time zone | AST (UTC-4) | ||
| Zip code | 00953, 00954 | ||
| Area code | +1 (spec. +1-787 and +1-939) | ||
| Website | Toa Alta, Puerto Rico | ||
Toa Alta (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtoa ˈalta]) is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northern coast of the island, north of Naranjito; south of Dorado and Toa Baja; east of Vega Alta and Corozal; and west of Bayamón. Toa Alta is spread over eight wards and Toa Alta Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.[1]
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Toa Alta located west of the capital city of San Juan, the town was founded in 1751 making it one of the oldest towns on the Island. The construction of the San Fernando Rey church in the town square began in 1752. The name Toa Alta comes from the Taino word for valley, "Thoa". Over the years, agriculture became an important economic force in the area. At the peak of the agricultural economy, the town was also known as the "Granja de los Reyes Católicos" (the Farm of the Catholic Monarchs). The town is also called "Ciudad del Josco". The town is commonly known by its nickname "La Cuna de los Poetas," or "Cradle of Poets," due to the numerous Spanish-language poets who were born there, such as Abelardo Diaz Alfaro and the musician Tomás "Masso" Rivera.
Horizontally divided in three, the bottom and top red stripes double the size of the center yellow stripe. In the upper left corner a yellow eight point star. The original design was elaborated by professor Herman E. Perez and adopted by the City Council in 1983
The shield in gold, a red board with a silver sword topped with a gold crown of the same metal, to each side two small shields in red, the right-hand one with a tower in gold and the left-hand one with a gold eight point star, a five tower crown lined in black with red openings. Motto: Non Deserit Alta.
By Israel Rivera Náter[2]
(Canta: Luana Davila)
¡Cuna de historia y de grandes poetas;
Así es mi valle de verde tambor;
Valle hermosísimo, donde Abelardo
cinceló en lágrimas su gesta de amor!
¡Valle de luchas y de profundo llanto
donde Morales, nuestro héroe y cantor;
esculpió en letras de oro y de sangre
la libertad sagrada en nuestro corazón!
¡Oh Toa Alta, mi pueblo inmortal
tu gente levanta con orgullo
la radiante bandera de tu fundación!
¡Oh Toa Alta, mi pueblo inmortal
me abrazaré a tu escudo,
a la tierra y al honor!
Cuna de bravas y hermosas mujeres.
¡Oh tierra josca de mi ensoñación;
en donde un cuatro de musica encantado
elevo un dulce canto
como ofrenda de amor!
Vivan por siempre, por siempre vivan,
la raza, el empeño y el amor.
Vivan la fauna, el cielo, la montaña y el valle
en que se bañan tus noches estrelladas
que amanecen galanas con la hermosa
sonrisa del inolvidable sol.
Toa Alta Northern Coastal Plain and to the karst zone.
Toa Alta counts with several public and private schools distributed through several regions. Public education is handled by the Puerto Rico Department of Education.[4]