Río Piedras, Puerto Rico
Río Piedras | |
|---|---|
Nuestra Señora del Pilar Parish La Convalecencia Public Square Institute of Tropical Forestry in San Juan Botanical Garden Río Piedra Station of Tren Urbano | |
| Coordinates: 18°23′44″N 66°02′45″W / 18.39556°N 66.04583°W | |
| Commonwealth | Puerto Rico |
| Municipality | San Juan |
| Barrio | Pueblo, Universidad, Hato Rey Sur, El Cinco, and Monacillo Urbano |
.jpg){kind=link}
Río Piedras (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈrio ˈpjeðɾas]) (Spanish for ''stones river'') is a highly urbanized commercial and residential district in San Juan, the capital municipality of Puerto Rico. Adjacent to the Hato Rey business center and concentrated in the barrios of Pueblo, Universidad, Hato Rey Sur, El Cinco, and Monacillo Urbano, it is about 4 to 7 miles (6.4 to 11.3 km) from the Old San Juan historic quarter, Condado and Isla Verde resort areas, and SJU airport. It has been the home of the main campus of the University of Puerto Rico since 1903, earning the popular name of Ciudad Universitaria (college town). The largest health institution in the archipelago, the Centro Médico de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Medical Center), is also located within its limits. Named after the river that flows through it, the Río Piedras (''stones river''), the district was the downtown center of a former municipality with the same name that was merged into San Juan in 1951.