La Romana

**La Romana** is a city and the seat of government of the Dominican Republic's La Romana Province. It currently ranks seventh among the largest cities in the country with more than 130 thousand inhabitants.

## La Romana

### Region

Yuma
La Romana Province

### Distance to:

Punta Cana: 77 km (*48 mi.*)Santo Domingo: 125 km (*78 mi.*)

## Etymology

The city owes its name to an ancient Roman scale of great size that in the 16th century was used to weigh the goods that passed through the port, very important at that time, and owned by a family originally from Rome .

## Location

The municipality is located 45 minutes west of Punta Cana and an hour and a half east of the capital, Santo Domingo . The closest city is San Pedro de Macorís , half an hour away, and Juan Dolio , approximately forty minutes.

La Romana is also very close to Bayahíbe , 25 minutes, and is the closest place to visit the islands of Saona and Catalina.

## History

The city of La Romana was founded in 1897, when a concession was granted to a Cuban firm by the National Congress to establish an oil refinery. In its origins, La Romana was a decaying city with no future for its inhabitants. This changed in the year 1917 thanks to the construction of a large mill (owned by Italian immigrants from the Lazio region of Rome) that made it possible to obtain sugar from the cane of the large plantations that still surround La Romana today. After the construction of the great sugar mill in 1917, La Romana became an important part of the country's sugar industry, and with the increase in sugar prices around the world, this community went through one of its stages of greater economic development .

By the early 1960s, the American company Gulf and Western Industries Inc. bought the mill and promoted the livestock industry in La Romana.

In the mid-1970s, Gulf and Western Industries Inc. began construction of Casa de Campo , one of the largest exclusive resorts in the Caribbean.

One of its inhabitants, Héctor Castillo Figueroa, who emigrated to Spain in the years 1960-1970, became the first Afro-American mayor of Spain, when he was elected, on April 3 , 1979, as mayor for the UCD of city of Isla Cristina the city of Isla Cristina. Because of this, La Romana and Isla Cristina, became twinned in the 1980s.

## About

Currently, La Romana stands out for its growing tourism industry that includes beautiful beaches and resorts.

The city's most popular attraction is **Altos de Chavón,** a recreation of a Mediterranean-style European town perched high on the Chavón River. It was conceived by Italian architect Roberto Copa and industrialist Charles Bluhdorn, and houses a cultural center, an archaeological museum, and an amphitheater.

## Economy

La Romana is the second city in economic wealth in the Dominican Republic , in addition to being the third that generates the most resources in the country. Being this the second richest city ​​in the country with a sustainable economy, based mainly on tourism, industry and commerce.

### Tourism

This city is characterized by its enormous influence on the country's tourism programs. It is full of beautiful beaches and many luxury hotels and resorts such as **Casa de Campo,** considered one of the most prestigious and luxurious in the country. There are also many growing suburban areas and gated communities; this city has a large population, as well as the problems associated with high density areas.

## References

La Romana [1]

La Romana [2]