Dorado, Puerto Rico

Dorado Municipio Autónomo de Dorado
Town and municipality
Main square in Dorado
Flag Coat of arms
Nicknames:  "La Ciudad Ejemplar", "Ciudad Dorada", "La Más Limpia de Puerto Rico"
Anthem: "Por fin, en las riberas"
Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Dorado Municipality
Coordinates: 18°27′32″N 66°16′04″W / 18.45889°N 66.26778°W / 18.45889; -66.26778
Sovereign state	United States
Commonwealth	Puerto Rico
Founded	1842
Barrios	6 Dorado barrio-pueblo Espinosa Higuillar Maguayo Mameyal Rio Lajas
Government
• Mayor	Carlos A. López Rivera (PPD)
• Senatorial dist.	3 – Arecibo
• Representative dist.	11
Area
• Total	60.16 km2 (23.23 sq mi)
Population  (2020)[1]
• Total	35,879
• Rank	31st in Puerto Rico
• Density	600/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
• Racial groups (2020 Census)	17.6% White 7.5% Black 0.4% American Indian/AN 0.3% Asian 0.0% Native Hawaiian/PI 25.8% other 48.5% two or more races
Demonym	Doradeños
Time zone	UTC−4 (AST)
ZIP Code	00646
Area code	787/939
Major routes
Website	www.doradoparaiso.com

Dorado (Spanish pronunciation: [doˈɾaðo]) is a town and municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, 15 miles (24 km) west of San Juan and is located in the northern region of the island, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Toa Alta, east of Vega Alta, and west of Toa Baja. Dorado is subdivided into five barrios and Dorado Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area. During the early 18th century, there were already mentions of a "Sitio de Dorado" (meaning a golden place) in some San Juan registers.^[2] Since the beginning of the Spanish colonial period and until 1831, Dorado existed as a barrio (or ward) of the town of Toa Baja. Over several years, the ward grew and established its own town center called the "new pueblo" to differentiate itself from Toa Baja, which became known as the "old pueblo." Over several years, the barrios that currently make up Dorado grew and the people of the "new pueblo" wanted to separate themselves from Toa Baja.

On November 22, 1842, Jacinto López Martínez, the Sergeant at Arms for the ward of Dorado, petitioned the Spanish Governor of Puerto Rico, Santiago Méndez Vigo, to establish the municipality of Dorado. The governor authorized the founding of the town pending the construction of public works, including an administrative building and a church near the town square. In 1848, the construction of the public works were completed and López Martínez became the first mayor of Dorado. Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became a territory of the United States. In 1902, four years after the Spanish–American War, Dorado was again appended to Toa Baja. However, in 1905 it regained its status as a separate town. Nowadays, Dorado has upscale neighborhoods and a small downtown area with a plaza (main town square), as other Puerto Rican municipalities. The town's patron saint is Anthony of Padua, and patron saint celebrations are held at the plaza every year on June 13.