Ceiba, Puerto Rico

Ceiba () is both a small town and municipality in northeast Puerto Rico. It is named after the famous Ceiba tree. Ceiba is located in the north-east coast of the island, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, south of Fajardo, north of Naguabo  and southeast of Río Grande. Located about one hour's driving distance from San Juan, Ceiba is spread over 7 wards and Ceiba Pueblo (the downtown area and administrative center). It is part of the Fajardo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Ceiba, situated near Fajardo, used to be home of an American military Naval base, the Roosevelt Roads Naval Station. Most of the units were relocated and the base was closed in 2004. Ex-governor Sila María Calderón suggested turning the property into a major international airport, to serve as a relief to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, and to increase the number of international airlines that operate into Puerto Rico. She was met with skepticism about these plans from such groups as environmentalists, economists and others, but in 2008, José Aponte de la Torre Airport was inaugurated at the base's former site.

Locals are commonly known as "Los Come Sopa" (The Soup Eaters). Even though there is no official reason as to why they are called this, a few stories have been suggested. Among the tales is the belief that since the town did not have a local meat market people had to travel long distances in order to buy some meat and therefore mostly ate soup.

Ceiba is also known as "La Ciudad del Marlin" (The town of the Marlin).

History
Ceiba was founded on April 7, 1838 by Luis de la Cruz. Ceiba derives its name from an Indian word Seyba, which is the name for a famous tree that grows in the island, the Ceiba pentandra (Kapok).

Ceiba was consolidated with Fajardo in the 1899 population count / census by the U.S.

Geography
Ceiba is home of the Ceiba Forest (787) which extends along the coastline between Ceiba and Fajardo. 95% of the forest is classified as mangrove. Various species of birds can be seen as well as turtles and manatees. Its rivers includes; Río Daguao, Río Demajagua and Río Fajardo.

The municipality extends northwest into the seas between Fajardo and Culebra and thereby includes the reefs and islets named Arrecifes Hermanos and Arrecifes Barriles. The reef are closest to the coastal barrio (ward) of Machos, but barrio boundaries are not defined in that area.

Hurricane Maria

Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017 triggered numerous landslides in Ceiba with the significant amount of rainfall.

Barrios

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Ceiba is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as , near the center of the municipality.
Ceiba barrio-pueblo
Chupacallos
Daguao
Guayacán
Machos
Quebrada Seca
Río Abajo
Saco

Demographics

Tourism

Landmarks and places of interest
There are 60 beaches in Ceiba, including  Beach.
Other places of interest include:
 Ceiba Historic Mural
 Medio Mundo Beach
 Roosevelt Roads Base (a former United States Navy installation which is now closed)
 The cellist Pablo Casals lived in Ceiba.

Culture

Festivals and events
Enamorado (Lovers) Marathon - February
 Air Show - April 2/3
Marlin Festival - May - June
Fiestas Patronales-San Antonio de Padua (Patron Saint Festivities) - June
Fiesta Nacional de la Raza (Race) - October
Marathon Del Pavo - November
Encendido Navideño - December

Sports
Former IBF world Jr. Middleweight boxing champion Carlos Santos hails from Ceiba. Ceiba also has an amateur AAA baseball team Los Marlins de Ceiba.
Chi-Chi Rodriguez, Pro golfer is from Ceiba.

Religion
As in most towns of Puerto Rico it was founded on the Christian ideas and faith statements of the Roman Catholic Church which prevailed in previous centuries through Spaniard tradition. The town still maintains a central Roman Catholic church which can be found in the town square.

Economy

Manufacturing (plywood, apparel, hardware products).

Special Communities Program

Spearheaded by then governor Sila María Calderón, Law 1-2001 was passed in 2001, to identify Puerto Rico's marginalized communities. In 2017, then governor Ricardo Rosselló created a new government agency to work with the Special Communities of Puerto Rico Program. Of the 742 places on the list of , the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Ceiba: Saco, Las Calderonas, Parcelas Aguas Claras, Parcelas Nuevas, Prado Hermoso, and Quebrada Seca.

Transportation
José Aponte de la Torre Airport offers commercial (mostly domestic) flights on four airlines; it also houses an MD-82 jet donated by American Airlines to local air mechanics students.

There are 29 bridges in Ceiba.

Notable people from Ceiba

 Carlos Santos - former IBF Junior Middleweight Champion of the World.
 Luis Vigoreaux - radio and television show host, announcer, comedian and producer.  Luis Vigoreaux was found murdered in one of Puerto Rico's most intriguing celebrity's scandal; as his wife Lydia Echevarria arranged his murder on January 17, 1983.
 Domingo Quiñones - although born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey; Domingo Quiñones moved to Ceiba at the early age of 4 and lived there until the age of 14.
 Pablo Casals - built his home in Ceiba at the age of 80; the place was known as "El Pesebre".
 Rogelio Figueroa Garcia - was born in Naguabo, Puerto Rico; however, was raised in Parcelas Aguas Claras (Barrio El Corcho) in Ceiba.  He is a Puerto Rican engineer, a politician, and the co-founder of the Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico (PPR) political party.
 McJoe Arroyo - IBF Super Flyweight world boxing champion
 Jaron Brown - is a wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks. He was born in Ceiba, PR.

Government

All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. The current mayor of Ceiba is Angelo Cruz Ramos, of the New Progressive Party (PNP). He was elected at the 2012 general elections.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VIII, which is represented by two Senators. In 2012, Pedro A. Rodríguez and Luis Daniel Rivera were elected as District Senators.

Symbols

Flag
Ceiba's flag derives its design and colors from the municipal coat of arms. This maintains the same symbolism given to the coat of arms. It is made of two vertical lines of the same width, red in the left side and green on the right. The red side depicts a yellow cross.

Shield
It depicts a shield with golden field with a Ceiba tree in the middle. In the upper part of the shield it has a red horizontal line with a golden cross in the middle and two golden flowers in each side. The cross symbolizes the Christian faith as well as a recognition to Don Luis de la Cruz who founded the town. The golden flowers represent sugar cane flowers. Above the shield there is a golden Spanish fort.

See also

List of Puerto Ricans
History of Puerto Rico
 Roosevelt Roads Naval Station
Did you know-Puerto Rico?

References

External links
 Welcome to Puerto Rico! Ceiba

Category:Municipalities of Puerto Rico
Category:Ceiba, Puerto Rico
Category:Populated places established in 1838
Category:Fajardo metropolitan area
Category:1838 establishments in Puerto Rico