The western bank of the Higuamo river saw a meaningful population increase after 1822 as a result of refugees from
Santo Domingo fleeing
invading Haitian forces. The
Dominican Senate declared the region (Macorix) to be a military post in 1846 at the request of the inhabitants. At that time, Macorís was part of the
Seybo province. After 1840, the inhabitants moved from the western side of the Higuamo river to the eastern side, where the city sits today. Over the years the population gradually increased, dedicating itself to the production of basic provisions. On October 1, 1856, Macoris' first
Catholic church was founded by Pedro Carrasco Capeller, a priest from
San José de los Llanos. The church was subsequently destroyed and rebuilt several times. In 1910 the city saw the opening of the San Pedro Apóstol cathedral. In 1858 the clergyman Elías González suggested changing the name
Macorix to
Macorís and adding the name of the
patron saint San Pedro (Saint Peter) at the beginning, making the full name
San Pedro de Macorís. The name change was accepted and marked the beginning of the
patronal festivals, which start every year on Jun 22 and ending on Jun 29. San Pedro de Macoris experienced a significant wave of migration in the late 19th century from
Cubans who were fleeing their country's
War of Independence. They brought their extensive sugarcane farming knowledge and contributed to making the sugar industry the most important economic activity in the area. San Pedro de Macorís reached its peak during the first quarter of the 20th century, when its sugar production enjoyed high prices on the international market as a result of the
First World War. Many
Europeans also settled in the city, making it a very cosmopolitan urban center. Macorís had the privilege of being the first Dominican city to receive seaplanes.
Pan American Airways regularly flew its seaplanes into Macorís via the Higuamo River. At that time the city enjoyed more commercial activity than the Santo Domingo. The next economic boom resulted in the recruitment of a large number of
Afro-Caribbean workers from the
Lesser Antilles. These workers and their descendants would soon comprise the majority of the population in the city and are known as the "
Cocolos of San Pedro de Macorís." San Pedro de Macorís pioneered many areas, such as the first firefighting corps, the first national baseball championship, the first town to have telephone and telegraph centers, the first racetrack and the first boxing coliseum, among others. The first sugar factory was founded by Juan Amechazurra, milling for the first time on January 9, 1879. By 1894 there were many factories in the province that reached a high level of progress. The rapid industrial development placed the young city among the main ones of the Republic. The intellectual culture surged at the same pace with schools and the press; among the first newspapers were "Las Novedades", "Boletín", "La Locomotora" and "El Cable." ==Culture==