# San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico

San Lorenzo (Spanish pronunciation:, locally; Spanish for "Saint Lawrence") is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the eastern central region, north of Patillas and Yabucoa; south of Gurabo; east of Caguas and Cayey; and west of Juncos and Las Piedras. San Lorenzo is spread over twelve barrios and San Lorenzo Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.
San Lorenzo is called "The town of the Samaritans" and "Land of Legends." The patron of the municipality is Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes (Our Lady of Mercedes). The surrounding areas produce tobacco and sugar cane.

## History

According to Cayetano Coll y Toste, a Puerto Rican historian, San Lorenzo was founded in 1811.
Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017 triggered numerous landslides in San Lorenzo with the significant amount of rainfall.
* South Atlantic Division (SAD) USACE in San Lorenzo
* USACE working to restore power in San Lorenzo, 7 months after Hurricane Maria
* USACE restoring power to San Lorenzo in April, 2018

## Geography

San Lorenzo is located in the eastern central region, north of Patillas and Yabucoa; south of Gurabo; east of Caguas and Cayey; and west of Juncos and Las Piedras.
The town is located on a high valley that is formed by the Río Grande de Loíza which flows northwestwards towards the Caguas Valley. The town is located on the San Lorenzo Batholith, which is a mountainous region composed of intrusive igneous rock. It is bordered by the Sierra de Luquillo to the north and by the Sierra de Cayey to the south.

### Rivers

* Río Cayaguás
* Río Emajagua
* Río Grande de Loíza
* Río de las Vegas

### Barrios

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, San Lorenzo is subdivided into barrios and barrios are further divided into sectors. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as "el pueblo".
* Cayaguas
* Cerro Gordo
* Espino
* Florida
* Hato
* Jagual
* Quebrada
* Quebrada Arenas
* Quebrada Honda
* Quemados
* San Lorenzo barrio-pueblo

### Sectors

Barrios (which are like minor civil divisions) are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.

### Special Communities

Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in San Lorenzo: Roosevelt neighborhood, El Bosque, La Marina, Parcelas Jagual (Nuevas y Viejas), Parcelas Quemados and Sector Los Oquendo. Between 2013 and until their arrest by the FBI in 2019, dozens of drug traffickers were operating in the Roosevelt neighborhood and near the Lorenzana public housing residential units in San Lorenzo.

## Tourism
### Landmarks and places of interest

* Priscilla Flores Theater
* Santuario de la Virgen del Carmen in Montaña Santa
* Gallera San Carlos
* Residencia Machín–Ramos
* Río Grande de Loíza (its main source is located within municipal boundaries)
* Iglesia Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes (the church located on the main town square); a historic church built in 1737 and renovated in 1993.
* Hacienda Muñoz

## Economy
### Agriculture

The economy of San Lorenzo was founded on livestock farming and later included the cultivation of sugar cane, which had been processed on steam-driven farms with oxen. Coffee and fruits are also now cultivated in the municipality. Timber production, which was once very prolific, has declined due to the uncontrolled exploitation of forests.

### Industry

Clothing, pharmaceuticals, footwear, electromechanical equipment, industrial and household paints.

## Culture
### Festivals and events

San Lorenzo celebrates its patron saint festival in September. The Fiestas Patronales Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.
Other festivals and events celebrated in San Lorenzo include:
* Three Kings Caroling-January
* Cavalcade Moncho Roldán-January
* Candelaria Celebrations-February
* Kite Festival-March
* Cross Celebrations-May
* Embroidering and Weave Festival-September
* Passion Fruit Festival-November

### Sports

* Double-A (baseball) team Los Samaritanos - National Champions in 1975, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002
* Agustin Reyes Half Marathon

## Government

Like all municipalities in Puerto Rico, San Lorenzo is administered by a mayor. The current mayor is Jaime Alverio Ramos, from the New Progressive Party (PNP). Alverio was first elected at the 2020 general election.
The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VII, which is represented by two Senators. In 2024, Wanda Soto Tolentino and Luis Daniel Colón La Santa were elected as District Senators.

## Transportation

There are 49 bridges in San Lorenzo.

## Symbols

The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.

### Flag

The flag of San Lorenzo is divided in four rectangles of equal size, two rectangles are yellow and the other two are striped with red and yellow stripes.

### Coat of arms

The grill is the traditional symbol of San Lorenzo, deacon and martyr, patron of the town, because in a grill he underwent the martyrdom, slowly burned to death. The hill or mountain represent the Gregorio Hill, which dominates the San Lorenzo panorama. The cross is one of the heraldic attributes of San Miguel Arcángel.

## Notable people

* Chayanne - Singer and actor
* Ernestina Reyes “La Calandria” - Singer
* José Tous Soto - Former Speaker House Of Representatives
* Antonio Fernós-Isern - Former Resident Commissioner
* José Aponte Hernandéz - Former Speaker House Of Representatives
* Carmita Jiménez - Singer
* Priscila Flores - Singer
* El Invader #1- Puerto Rican wrestler
* Dr. Marc H. Rosa, - Former Teacher, School Administrator And University Professor
* Josúe "Jay" Fonseca - Political Commentator
* Edwin Cruz - Lead Singer - “Mechi”
* Antulio Parrilla Bonilla - Father of Puerto Rican Cooperative Movement, Jesuit priest.
* Victor Rivera - Wrestler