Dorado, Puerto Rico

Dorado is a town and municipality located on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, approximately 15 miles (24 kilometres) west of San Juan. It is situated in the northern region of the island, along the Atlantic Ocean coastline, to the north of Toa Alta, to the east of Vega Alta, and to the west of Toa Baja. Dorado is separated into five barrios and Dorado Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative centre of the city). It is included in the metropolitan statistical area that encompasses San Juan, Caguas, and Guaynabo. Some of the records kept in San Juan date back to the early 18th century and include references to a "Sitio de Dorado," which literally translates to "a golden site." Since the beginning of the Spanish colonial era and continuing up to the year 1831, Dorado functioned as a barrio, also known as a ward, of the larger town of Toa Baja. To distance itself from Toa Baja, which became known as the "old pueblo," the ward eventually evolved and built its own town centre, which it dubbed the "new pueblo." This was done in order to preserve the name of Toa Baja. Over the course of a number of years, the neighbourhoods that now comprise Dorado expanded, and the residents of the "new pueblo" expressed a desire to break away from Toa Baja.

On November 22, 1842, Jacinto López Martnez, who was serving as the Sergeant at Arms for the Dorado ward at the time, sent a petition to Santiago Méndez Vigo, the Spanish Governor of Puerto Rico, requesting that the Dorado area be incorporated as a town. The governor gave his approval for the establishment of the town, provided that certain public works, such as an administrative building and a church located close to the town square, were completed beforehand. In the year 1848, both the building of the public works and López Martnez's election as the first Mayor of Dorado were successfully accomplished. In accordance with the conditions of the Treaty of Paris of 1898, which was signed in the wake of the Spanish–American War, Puerto Rico was handed over to the United States as a territory after Spain agreed to surrender it. Dorado was once again annexed to Toa Baja in the year 1902, which was four years after the conclusion of the Spanish–American War.

However, it was not until 1905 that it was once again recognised as a distinct town. In modern times, the town of Dorado, like many other Puerto Rican towns, has affluent residential areas as well as a compact central business district that is organised around a plaza. Anthony of Padua is honoured as the patron saint of this community, and on June 13 of each year, festivities honouring the saint are conducted in the square.