Mike is traveling to San Juan and surrounding cities this week. I am taking advantage of his trip as an opportunity to learn about the city. So, here goes..San Juan was settled by Juan Ponce de Leon in 1508. For those of us who remember elementary school history, Ponce de Leon sailed with Christopher Columbus on his second expedition to the Americas and he was the first European explorer to set foot in Florida (really, I looked all this up). The prominence of San Juan as a stopover point on the way to the Americas necessitated building El Morro, the military fortress. Today, over 2 million tourists visit the fort each year.
The city of San Juan was bombed during the Spanish American War in 1898 and taken over by the United States. Spain ceded the island to the US later that year in the Treaty of Paris (December 10). The island of Puerto Rico remains a Commonwealth of the United States.
The urban center of the city in Spanish times, Today Old San Juan is a cultural tourist attraction. Interesting places in the district include: Paseo de la Princesa, La Fortaleza (the current governor's mansion), Teatro Tapia, and numerous museums. Other districts in San Juan are Condado, Santurce, Miramar, Hato Rey, and Rio Piedras.
Other important statistics:
- Population (2000) - 434,374
- Land Area - 47.8 sq mi
- Average Temperature (annual, °F) - 86
- Total Rainfall - 52.9"
- Average Snowfall - 0 (Thanks to Mike for that one)
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