Toa Baja is located in the Northern Coastal Plains of the island, in the
Northern Karst zone. It has an area of 24.0 miles2 (62.4 km2). The terrain consists mostly of alluvial deposits and clay-like surface as a result of the surrounding waters. The elevations range from 200 to 490 feet (60 to 150 meters) above sea level, with most of its highest parts located in the south. The rest of the area is mostly plain. The northern part of Toa Baja is characterized for its
mangroves and
marshes, while the southern part is classified as typical
karst area. Homes in Toa Baja have historically been built a few feet above ground level to account for flooding. After
Hurricane Maria, architects from the
University of Puerto Rico and
Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico provided residents of Toa Baja with ideas on how to mitigate flooding.
Water features There are three main rivers in Toa Baja:
Río de la Plata,
Río Cocal, and
Río Hondo. La Plata is the longest river on the island and crosses Toa Baja in the east. Cocal is the natural boundary between Toa Baja and Dorado. Boca Vieja Bay () is a bay located in Toa Baja.
Barrios Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Toa Baja is subdivided into
barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as . •
Candelaria •
Media Luna •
Palo Seco •
Sabana Seca •
Toa Baja barrio-pueblo Although not a barrio,
Levittown is the most populated community in the municipality of Toa Baja.
Sectors Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to
minor civil divisions) are further subdivided into smaller areas called (
sectors in English). The types of
sectores may vary, from normally
sector to
urbanización to
reparto to
barriada to
residencial, among others.
Special Communities (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of
social exclusion. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Toa Baja: Sector Villa Hostos (Campanillas), San José, Sector El 26, Toa Ville, Villa Albizu in Candelaria, Villa Calma, Villa del Sol, Villa Esperanza, Villa Marisol, and Villa Quintero. In 2009, an order was given by Governor Luis G. Fortuño to shut off essential services, such as water and electricity, to Villas del Sol, a "Special Community", which consisted of homes built illegally on flood-prone, state land. The Federal Emergency Management Agency bought these homes from the Puerto Rican government in order to keep the land from being used further. In January 2010, the Puerto Rican government began demolishing some of the homes. The village had a large population of Dominicans, including undocumented immigrants. In 2013, the mayor and the community continued to argue about how to construct in Villas del Sol. By 2016, six years after the community had been promised, by the government of Toa Baja, that it would receive permits for the building of critical infrastructure, it had not. Some families had dispersed, others had constructed humble homes on land obtained from a private donor. ==Demographics==