Perchas, Morovis, Puerto Rico

Perchas is a barrio in the municipality of Morovis, Puerto Rico. Perchas has about 11 sectors and its population in 2010 was 1,336.^[3][4][5]

Perchas
Barrio
Homes perched on mountainside on PR-155 in Perchas
Location of Perchas within the municipality of Morovis shown in red
Perchas Location of Puerto Rico
Coordinates: 18°16′40″N 66°24′14″W[1]
Commonwealth	Puerto Rico
Municipality	Morovis
Area [1]
• Total	2.71 sq mi (7.0 km2)
• Land	2.71 sq mi (7.0 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation [2]	1,273 ft (388 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	1,336
• Density	493/sq mi (190/km2)
	Source: 2010 Census
Time zone	UTC−4 (AST)
Zip code	00687
Area code	787

Puerto Rico Highway 155 from Perchas in Morovis leads to Orocovis, a bordering municipality.

History

Perchas was in Spain's gazetteers^[6] until 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 an unincorporated territory of the United States. In 1899, the United States Department of War conducted a census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Perchas barrio was 1,124.^[7]

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	1,124		—
1910	1,428		27.0%
1920	1,615		13.1%
1930	1,242		−23.1%
1940	1,434		15.5%
1950	1,091		−23.9%
1960	1,204		10.4%
1970	1,088		−9.6%
1980	942		−13.4%
1990	1,343		42.6%
2000	1,354		0.8%
2010	1,336		−1.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 1899 (shown as 1900)[8] 1910-1930[9] 1930-1950[10] 1980-2000[11] 2010[12]

Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017, caused a landslide in Perchas that caused a huge rock to teeter above Puerto Rico Highway 155, threatening homes, infrastructure and motorists. Six months later, a controlled implosion was used to disintegrate the huge rock in order for the area to be cleared of the threat.^[13][14]

Residents of bordering barrios then had to traverse through Perchas to reach Pueblo because over 90% of the roads were blocked by debris due to landslides and destruction to infrastructure.^[15]

Sectors

Further information: List of barrios and sectors of Morovis, Puerto Rico

Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions)^[16] in turn are further subdivided into smaller local populated place areas/units called sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.^[17][18][19]

The following sectors are in Perchas barrio:^[20]

Sector Adrovet, Sector Arraijanes, Sector El Castillo, Sector El Zapato, Sector Los Naranjos, Sector Los Santos, Sector Perchas Díaz, Sector Perchas Quirós, Sector Perchas, Sector El Radar,^[21] and Tramo Carretera 155.

Gallery

• 
  Sign in Perchas, Puerto Rico Highway 155, Km 35.9

See also

• Puerto Rico portal

• List of communities in Puerto Rico