Called "La Ciudad del Yunque", Río Grande was founded in 1840. The town was named after the great river that flows through its lands, the Río Grande. Located within the city is the 28,000 acre El Yunque Caribbean National forest is the only tropical rain forest within the U.S. National Forest System. El Yunque, named after the good Taino spirit Yukiyu, receives over 100 billions gallons of annual rainfall and harbors 240 tree species. El Yunque is also the home of the rare Puerto Rican Parrot.