San Juan Economy

Economy of San Juan

No one can deny the fact that the City of San Juan is one of the most economically advanced municipios in the entire island of Puerto Rico. San Juan is a city found in the northeastern side of the island and is considered as Puerto Rico's capital at present. According to history, San Juan City experienced a boom in their economy in the years following the Second World War due to a sudden industrial revolution taking over the city.

Agriculture, fishing and other previous sources of income of the inhabitants of San Juan were industrialized due to the availability of machines that made work easier, faster and cheaper. The planting, harvesting and processing of corn, sugarcanes, pineapples and coffee became more efficient and affordable. Copper and nickel which are both abundant in Puerto Rico were also easily extracted from underneath the earth as well as from the shores of Puerto Rico.

As a result of industrialization in the city, not to mention the availability of raw materials and skilled laborers, more and more manufacturing companies became interested in San Juan and constructed manufacturing facilities in the city. At the moment, San Juan manufactures electronic equipments, pharmaceutical drugs, chemical substances such as laundry detergents and floor cleaners, woven products and textile materials, raw plastic and plastic products and different kinds of food products. With the help of the airports and the harbors in San Juan, especially the very busy San Juan Harbor, these manufactured goods are transported from San Juan to other places where they are sold.

Industrialization however, was not the start and end of San Juan's progressive economy. What makes the City of San Juan such a prosperous city with a noticeably progressive economy is the fact that the balance between industrialization and agriculture is kept in harmony. When most of the United States land has been turned into commercial and urban zones, there are still many areas of San Juan left to their natural or semi-natural states.

This balance of industrial development and natural beauty makes San Juan such an appealing place to tourists, which is another major industry in San Juan's economy at present. Hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, shopping malls and other tourist attractions and accommodations have been set-up in San Juan over the years to cater to the thousands of tourists and vacationers coming to the city. The airports and harbors as well as good safe roads are very beneficial to the economy of San Juan, Puerto Rico because they enable tourists to travel to and from San Juan easily.