Yabucoa is a municipality in the eastern region of Puerto Rico, facing the Caribbean on the island's southeastern coast. Founded in 1793, it is one of the island's long-established towns, and its name derives from a Taíno term connected to the cassava, or yuca, plant. Residents are known as yabucoeños, and the municipality counted roughly 29,900 people in 2023. Sugarcane defined Yabucoa's economy and identity for generations, earning it the nickname "City of Sugar" (Ciudad del Azúcar), along with the moniker "Town of the Yuca." The Roig Sugar Mill, whose historic equipment dates to 1883, stands along the Guayanés River and remains a tangible link to that era. For much of its history, the municipality's fields, mills, and workforce revolved around the sugar industry that shaped so much of Puerto Rico's coast. Like much of Puerto Rico, Yabucoa has experienced population decline through outmigration in recent decades, a pattern driven by the island's broader economic challenges. Even so, it retains a strong sense of place rooted in agriculture, family, and tradition, with community life organized around the central plaza, churches, and municipal institutions. Today Yabucoa offers a mix of coastal and rural landscapes, with beaches and waterfront along the Caribbean and farmland rising into the interior hills. The urban center holds the town's church, plaza, and municipal buildings, while surrounding barrios spread across valleys and hillsides, each with its own local identity. The municipality lies within the island's eastern region, a manageable drive from the larger centers of Humacao and Caguas and roughly an hour from San Juan. It is a community where Puerto Rican town life continues much as it has for generations, balancing coastal scenery, agricultural heritage, and a close-knit local culture.