Ponce, city, Ponce Municipality, southern Puerto Rico, on the Caribbean coast. One of Puerto Rico's largest cities, it is a commercial and distribution center for the surrounding region. Principal industries include tourism; sugar refining; food processing; the manufacture of clothing and paper; and publishing. Its port, Playa de Ponce, is one of the island's major seaports. An airport is nearby. Ponce is the site of the Catholic University of Puerto Rico (1948), the Ponce School of Medicine (1976), and the Ponce Technological University College (1970). Points of interest include the Ponce Art Museum, a fire house (1882), and a restored 19th-century coffee plantation. Founded in 1692, Ponce is named for the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. It received a royal title from Spain in 1877 and became a city. Population (1980) 161,739; (1990) 187,749.
