Caimito, San Juan, Puerto Rico

The name Caimito comes from the Caimito tree, which is common in the region. The word caimito is possibly a Spanish adaptation (-ito being the Spanish diminutive) of the Taino word caima, possibly related to the Carib acayouman, meaning crocodile (see caiman).{{Citation|title=caiman|date=2021-01-25|url=https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=caiman&oldid=61654998|work=Wiktionary|language=en|access-date=2021-10-13}}

Assigned as a suburb of Río Piedras in 1835 by Pedro Tomás de Córdova, who was Captain General of Puerto Rico from 1816 to 1836, Caimito consisted of 3,595.30 acres or land or roughly 5.16 square miles.[http://cauce.uprrp.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/rio_piedras_notas_para_su_historia.pdf Ocasio Meléndez, Marcial E. 1985. Río Piedras (Ciudad Universitaria): Notas para su historia. San Juan: Comité Historia de los Pueblos.] Caimito comprises the former barrios of Caimito Alto and Caimito Bajo, which were last documented in the 1899 census.{{cite book|author1=Joseph Prentiss Sanger|author2=Henry Gannett|author3=Walter Francis Willcox|title=Informe sobre el censo de Puerto Rico, 1899, United States. War Dept. Porto Rico Census Office|url=https://archive.org/details/informesobreelc00joangoog|year=1900|publisher=Imprenta del gobierno|page=[https://archive.org/details/informesobreelc00joangoog/page/n251 160]| language=es}} Caimito was part of Rio Piedras until 1951 when it was merged as a barrio of the municipality of San Juan. Historian Dr. Fernando Picó S.J., wrote a book about the history and genealogy of the area, published in 1989, called Vivir en Caimito.[http://www.upr.edu/biblioteca-upru/wp-content/uploads/sites/78/2019/04/Fernando-Pic%C3%B3-Bibliograf%C3%ADa.pdf Bibliografía Fernando Picó - Universidad de Puerto Rico. Selected Works.]

The neighborhood commissioner (comisario de barrio was the main representative of Caimito to the Mayor of Río Piedras. By the 19th century, they were the main local representatives of an absent state. Most of them were not originally from Caimito, but instead were people who had settled there, usually businessmen and farmers. This position was not compensated properly but they garnered some power and prestige.

Caimito is located in the mountainous area of San Juan. The municipality's highest point, an unnamed peak measuring almost 1,030 feet (314 m) above sea level, close to the municipal border with Caguas, is located in this barrio close to the Sendra Forest Park on the Morcelo sector.{{Cite web|title=Áreas naturales protegidas y bosques urbanos – Estuario|date=2 October 2019 |url=https://estuario.org/areas-naturales-protegidas-y-bosques-urbanos/|access-date=2021-10-13|language=es-ES}} Some of the most important rivers in San Juan have their source in this area too, such as the Piedras River, which gives its name to Río Piedras and flows into the Puerto Nuevo River and the San Juan Bay.{{Cite web|last=U.S. Department of Agriculture|first=Forest Service|title=The Rio Piedras Watershed and Its Surrounding Environment|url=https://www.fs.fed.us/global/iitf/pubs/RioPiedras_FNLrvsd.pdf|url-status=live|website=fs.fed.us|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025020403/http://www.fs.fed.us/global/iitf/pubs/RioPiedras_FNLrvsd.pdf |archive-date=2011-10-25 }}

The major routes that cross Caimito include the PR-199, PR-842 and PR-1.

Caimito, San Juan, Puerto Rico - panoramio.jpg|Sunset in Caimito (2014)

Carretera PR-199, intersección con la carretera PR-1, San Juan, Puerto Rico.jpg|Puerto Rico Highway 199 in Caimito

Carretera PR-842, San Juan, Puerto Rico.jpg|Puerto Rico Highway 842 in Caimito

{{US Census population| align= center

| 1900 = 1706

| 1910 = 1934

| 1920 = 2329

| 1930 = 2884

| 1940 = 3115

| 1950 = 4588

| 1960 = 6987

| 1970 = 13268

| 1980 = 15939

| 1990 = 19413

| 2000 = 20832

| 2010 = 21825

| 2020 = 19217

| align-fn = center

| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census
1899 (shown as 1900){{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/reportoncensusof00unitiala#page/n245/mode/2up|title=Report of the Census of Porto Rico 1899|publisher=War Department Office Director Census of Porto Rico|access-date=September 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716033905/https://archive.org/stream/reportoncensusof00unitiala#page/n245/mode/2up|archive-date=July 16, 2017|url-status=live}} 1910-1930{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/00476569ch4.pdf|title=Table 3-Population of Municipalities: 1930 1920 and 1910|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817181600/https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/00476569ch4.pdf|archive-date=August 17, 2017|url-status=live}}
1930-1950{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/23761117v1ch12.pdf|title=Table 4-Area and Population of Municipalities Urban and Rural: 1930 to 1950|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150830033735/http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/23761117v1ch12.pdf|archive-date=August 30, 2015|url-status=live}} 1980-2000{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/phc-3-53-eng.pdf|title=Table 2 Population and Housing Units: 1960 to 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170724061852/https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/phc-3-53-eng.pdf|archive-date=July 24, 2017|url-status=live}} 2010{{cite book|title=Puerto Rico: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts.pdf|url=https://permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo35934/cph-2-53.pdf|year=2010|publisher=U.S. Dept. of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=2019-08-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220183043/https://permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo35934/cph-2-53.pdf|archive-date=2017-02-20|url-status=live}} 2020{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/puerto-rico-population-change-between-census-decade.html |title=Puerto Rico Population Declined 11.8% from 2010 to 2020 }}

}}

The population of Caimito in 2020 was 19,217.{{Cite web |title=Census profile: Caimito barrio, San Juan Municipio, PR |url=http://censusreporter.org/profiles/06000US7212710721-caimito-barrio-san-juan-municipio-pr/ |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=Census Reporter |language=en}} Caimito is further divided into the following sectors and neighborhoods: Camino Dr. Colorado, La Cuchilla, Camino Los Ramos, Morcelo, Camino Sánchez Guzmán, Camino Pablo Sánchez, Camino Los Sánchez, Camino Francisco Escribano and Camino El Piloto.{{Cite web|last=Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico|first=Comision Estatal de Elecciones|date=2011|title=Desglose de Sectores y Centros de Votacion|url=https://ww2.ceepur.org/sites/ComisionEE/es-pr/Desglose%20de%20Sectores/005%20SAN%20JUAN.pdf|website=ceepur.org}}

• The Outlets at Montehiedra, developed in 1994, is a one level enclosed mall with over 100 stores located within Caimito. Anchored by Home Depot, Marshalls and Capri, the Outlet also includes stores such as Nike, Old Navy and Gap. It includes a fourteen-screen theater by Caribbean Cinemas with IMAX, CXC and 4DX screens.{{cite web |title=The Outlets at Montehiedra |url=http://montehiedratowncenter.com/}}
• Centro Zen de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Zen Center){{Cite web|last=Agsar|first=Wendy Biddlecombe|date=2018-01-05|title=Meet a Sangha: Centro Zen de Puerto Rico|url=https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/meet-sangha-centro-zen-de-puerto-rico/|access-date=2021-10-13|website=Tricycle: The Buddhist Review|language=en}}
• Gimnasio Municipal de Caimito
• Centro Sor Isolina Ferré
• Iglesia Episcopal San José

• Eduardo Bonilla-Silva - Sociology professor at Duke University, president of the American Sociological Association.
• Félix Trinidad - Former professional boxer. Although born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico and raised in Cupey, "Tito" Trinidad is also often associated with Caimito, having been trained by Freddy Trinidad at the Gimnasio Municipal de Caimito.{{cite web |title=Freddy Trinidad Muriel, Boxeo |url=http://www.famadeportesrp.org/exaltados/perfiles/2007/freddy.html |website=Salon de la Fama del Deporte Riopedrense}}
• Rubén Berrios - President of the Puerto Rican Independence Party, professor at the University of Puerto Rico School of Law.{{cite web |title=Rubén Berríos vive en Caimito y no en una mansión en la Florida |date=18 April 2017 |url=https://www.primerahora.com/noticias/gobierno-politica/notas/ruben-berrios-vive-en-caimito-y-no-en-una-mansion-en-la-florida/}}

The noted boxing family, the Solis family, hails from Caimito.

• Enrique Solis- Boxer, fought for world title.
• Julian Solís- Boxer, world champion.
• Rafael Solis- Boxer, fought for world title.
• Santos Solis- a professional boxer.

• List of communities in Puerto Rico

{{Reflist}}

{{San Juan, Puerto Rico}}

{{Portal bar|Puerto Rico|Geography}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Río Piedras, Puerto Rico

Category:Barrios of San Juan, Puerto Rico