|  Called
"La Ciudad Amurallada", San Juan was founded in 1521.
In 1508 Juan Ponce de León founded the original settlement,
Caparra, behind the almost land-locked harbor just to the west
of the present metropolitan area. The settlement was abandoned
and moved to the site of what is now called Old San Juan. San
Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors in the Caribbean
and is the second oldest city in the Americas.
Please note
that additional info (prices, activities, etc) are found to the
right of this pages. 
San Juan is a major port and tourist resort
of the West Indies and is the oldest city under the U.S flag.
The metropolitan area known as San Juan has 3 distinct areas:
Old San Juan, the Beach & Resort area, and other outlying
communities, the most important: Río Piedras, Hato Rey,
Puerta de Tierra, and Santurce. Río Piedras was founded
in 1714 but became incorporated into San Juan in 1951.
During the early 16th century, San Juan was the
point of departure of Spanish expeditions to charter or settle
unknown parts of the New World. Its fortifications repulsed the
English navigator Sir Francis Drake in 1595, as well as later
attacks.
 In
the 20th century the city expanded beyond its walled confines,
known as Old San Juan, to incorporate suburban Miramar, Santurce,
Condado, Hato Rey and Río Piedras.
San Juan is the largest and processing center
of the island, the metropolitan area has facilities for petroleum
and sugar refining, brewing and distilling and produces cement,
pharmaceuticals, metal products clothing, and tobacco. The port
is one of the busiest in the Caribbean. San Juan is the country's
financial capital, and many U.S. banks and corporations maintain
offices or distributing centers there. San Juan is center of Caribbean
shipping and is the 2nd largest sea port in the area (after New
York City).
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