Ponce
Ponce
With a population of 194,636, Ponce is Puerto Rico's second largest city (San juan is the first and Mayaguez is the third). Ponce is commonly known by several names: "La Perla del Sur" (Pearl of the South), "La Ciudad de los Leones" (City of Lions), or "La Ciudad de las Quenepas" (Genip City). Ponce is also known as the "Ciudad Señorial" (Majestic or Noble City), because of its many beautiful neoclassical buildings and facades. Ponce was founded in 1692 by Juan Ponce de León's great-grandson - Loíza Ponce de León. Ponce was Spain's capital of the southern region until it fell to the U.S. in 1898. Ponce is located in the Southern Coastal Plain region (about 5 km (3 mi) from the south central coast of the island), south of Adjuntas, Utuado and Jayuya; east of Peñuelas; and west of Juana Díaz. The annual precipitation is approximately 36 inches on the coast and 48 inches in the interior and the average temperature is 75°F. Nearly one half a billion dollars have been spent preserving the colonial core of Ponce. The heart of Ponce dates from the late 17th century and has been declared a national treasure. It consists of plazas and churches and highly decorative colonial homes, some glorious fountains and a unique fire station. Ponce is an important trading and distribution center, and has a port of entry; Playa de Ponce Port is one of the busiest ports in the Caribbean area, handles tobacco, coffee, rum, and sugar cane.
