Bonao

Bonao
Flag of Bonao Flag
Nickname:  Villa De Las Hortensias
Country	Dominican Republic
Municipality	Monseñor Nouel
Founded	1518
Population  (2008)
• Total	247,103
Time zone	AST

Bonao is the capital of Monseñor Nouel province, Dominican Republic. It is located in the center of the country, to the northwest of the national capital Santo Domingo.

The city is known as "Villa De Las Hortensias" - the town of hortensias. The Hortensia is the local flower of Bonao.

Pictures and information about the city of Bonao are available at IBonao.com

International Companies

One of the biggest international companies operating in Bonao is Falcondo, part of the multinational company Falconbridge Ltd. Falcondo is a strip mining operation that extracts the nickel contained in ferronickel. The other major international company is Hanesbrands Inc, formerly part of Sara Lee Corporation. Hanesbrands operates a textile plant in the Dos Rios Zona Franca, producing cut parts for knit apparel.

Local Scene

Motorcycles (especially mini-bikes and scooters) are the most common form of transportation in the city. The are also taxi and car rental services available. DR-1 (Autopista Duarte) bypasses the city to the east.

File:Bonao Carnival.JPG

A costumed reveler during the 2006 carnival in Bonao.

A popular annual attraction is the Carnival. Groups that parade in the Carnival start out in "caves" (typically a blocked-off street) where loud music is played. Costumes are often slightly demonic in nature. During Carnival season, there is often a concert in the town square on Saturday night.

The two main hotels are Aquarius and the less expensive Jacaranda Hotel. In addition to the restaurants at the hotels, the Tipico Bonao is one of the most well known restaurants nationwide between Santo Domingo and Santiago. A popular bar is the A-B-Ber Liquor Store.

People from Bonao

Eighteenth century businessman Guillermo Garcia was from Bonao, as is Major League Baseball pitcher Carlos Marmol.