Autonomous Municipality of Ponce

Ponce, Puerto Rico
Municipality
Autonomous Municipality of Ponce Municipio Autónomo de Ponce
Ponce as seen from El Vigía, with the Caribbean Sea and Caja de Muertos in the background
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s): "La Perla del Sur", "Ciudad Señorial", "Ciudad de los Leones", "Ciudad de las Quenepas"
Motto: Ponce es Ponce
Anthem: La Perla del Sur
Location in the commonwealth of Puerto Rico
Coordinates: 18°0′6″N 66°36′24″W / 18.00167°N 66.60667°W / 18.00167; -66.60667Coordinates: 18°0′6″N 66°36′24″W / 18.00167°N 66.60667°W / 18.00167; -66.60667
Country	United States
Territory	Puerto Rico
Founded	1692
Named for	Juan Ponce de Leon y Loayza
Wards	31 barrios Anón Bucaná Canas Canas Urbano Capitanejo Cerrillos Coto Laurel Cuarto Guaraguao Machuelo Abajo Machuelo Arriba Magueyes Magueyes Urbano Maragüez Marueño Montes Llanos Playa Portugués Portugués Urbano Primero Quebrada Limón Quinto Real Sabanetas San Antón San Patricio Segundo Sexto Tercero Tibes Vayas
Government
• Mayor	María E. Meléndez Altieri (PNP)
Area
• Total	193.6 sq mi (501 km2)
• Land	114.8 sq mi (297 km2)
• Water	78.8 sq mi (204 km2)
Elevation	52 ft (16 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	166,327
• Density	860/sq mi (330/km2)
Demonym(s)	Ponceños
Time zone	AST (UTC-4)
ZIP code(s)	00715, 00716, 00717, 00728, 00730, 00731, 00732, 00733, 00734, 00780
Area code(s)	787 and 939
FIPS code	72-113
GNIS feature ID	1611718
Website	www.visitponce.com

Ponce (/ˈpɔːnseɪ/; Spanish: [ˈponse]) is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.

Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the great-grandson of Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León. Ponce is often referred to as La Perla del Sur (The Pearl of the South), La Ciudad Señorial (The Manorial City), and La Ciudad de las Quenepas (Genip City). The city serves as the governmental seat of the autonomous municipality as well as the regional hub for various Government of Puerto Rico entities, such as the Judiciary of Puerto Rico. It is also the regional center for various other commonwealth and federal government agencies.

The Municipality of Ponce, officially the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce, is located in the Southern Coastal Plain region of the island, south of Adjuntas, Utuado, and Jayuya; east of Peñuelas; west of Juana Díaz; and bordered on the south by the Caribbean Sea. The municipality has a total of 31 barrios (wards), including 19 outside the city's urban area and 12 in the urban area of the city. The historic Ponce Pueblo district, located in the downtown area of the city, is shared by several of the downtown barrios, and is located approximately three miles (4.8 km) inland from the shores of the Caribbean. Ponce is a principal city of both the Ponce Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Ponce-Yauco-Coamo Combined Statistical Area. The municipality of Ponce is the second largest in Puerto Rico by land area, and it was the first in Puerto Rico to obtain its autonomy, becoming the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce in 1992.