Town or area
Sánchez
Former railway and port town at the entrance to the Samaná Peninsula.
Sánchez, originally called Las Cañitas, became a municipality in 1866 and was renamed after Francisco del Rosario Sánchez, one of the founding fathers of the Dominican Republic.
The Samaná–Santiago railway, which linked Sánchez with La Vega, operated from 1888 to 1971 and turned Sánchez into a cosmopolitan town with French, Canary Islander, English, Italian, Syrian, Lebanese, Haitian and other residents, as well as descendants of freed slaves from the United States.
The railway's terminal and operations centre were in Sánchez, where a seaport was built in 1885; port activity moved to Arroyo Barril in 1977.
The Ministry of Tourism's 'Saborea el Paraíso' food festival in Sánchez showcased the railway ruins at the old port and Sánchez shrimp (langostinos), whose quality is attributed to the ecosystem where the Yuna River flows into Samaná Bay.
Sources consulted
Information checked on October 4, 2026
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