Mayagüez today
Although the city has seen its share of natural disasters, today it faces an economic downturn due to the closure of the needle factories and tuna industry, which where the principal industries of the city for the most part of the century. The city still continues to play an important role in the western part of the island.
Today, Mayagüez has become a major college town, due in part to UPRM, the Eugenio Maria de Hostos Law School and the Pontiff Catholic University of Puerto Rico, among other educational institutions located in the area.
Mayagüez is also home to the Mayagüez Zoo, the only zoo in Puerto Rico.
Mayagüez's BSN professional basketball team, the Tainos de Mayagüez, are named in honor of the city's Indian heritage. Its LBPPR baseball team, the Indios de Mayagüez, honor both their Indian heritage and the home town's Indian Beer Factory.
Mayagüez's airport, the Eugenio Maria de Hostos Airport, has for a long period had airline services. In the 1970s it had domestic service from Prinair. After 1985, both American Airlines (with American Eagle) and Eastern Airlines (with Eastern Metro Express) started flights there, but Eastern went bankrupt in 1991 leaving American as the only operator. Nowadays, Pan Am was said to be planning to start Mayagüez's first jet service ever, with Boeing 727s flying between Mayagüez and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, but the plans were never carried out. In addition, Fina Air flies from there to the Dominican Republic.
Well-known "mayagüezanos" include: singer and TV show host Rafael Jose, singer Chucho Avellanet, his nephew, former Menudo Roberto Avellanet, former governor Roberto Sánchez Vilella and the late former Mayagüez Mayor, Benjamin Cole, whom served for 40 years in a row as mayor of city.
The current mayor of Mayagüez is José Guillermo Rodríguez of the PPD.
Mayagüez is served by Eugenio María de Hostos Airport.
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