Gurabo is a town and municipality in the central eastern region of Puerto Rico, located north of San Lorenzo, south of Trujillo Alto, east of Caguas, and west of Carolina and Juncos. With a population of about 40,600 at the 2020 census, it is a mid-sized municipality within the broader San Juan metropolitan area. Its name and geography are tied to the Gurabo River, which runs through a valley framed by the surrounding mountains and gives the municipality much of its character. The municipality is organized into nine barrios plus Gurabo Pueblo, the town center, in the pattern common to Puerto Rico's municipal structure. The pueblo serves as the civic and commercial core, while the outlying barrios spread through the valley and into the foothills, mixing suburban residential areas with more rural, mountainous terrain. Education and institutions define much of Gurabo's modern identity. The municipality is home to the Universidad Ana G. Méndez Gurabo campus, located in the Navarro barrio, and to the Puerto Rico Criminal Justice College, which hosts the Puerto Rico Police Academy. Public K-12 education is provided through a dozen schools administered by the Puerto Rico Department of Education. These institutions give Gurabo a stable educational and institutional presence and connect it to the wider region. Culturally, Gurabo observes the traditional patron saint festival, the Fiestas Patronales de San José, each March, with dances, food, parades, and religious processions. The municipality suits those seeking a Puerto Rican community with small-town character, university and institutional anchors, and convenient access to Caguas, Carolina, and the greater San Juan area.