According to historical data, the region where the city of Puerto Padre is now located was supposedly visited by Christopher Columbus on his first voyage to the West Indies, being for some scholars the first port that Columbus´ expedition reached in Cuba.
There existed in this region various aboriginal settlements of the Taíno Culture, subjects of the Cacicazgo (native kingdom) of Maniabón.
During more than 2 centuries, there was no mention of the future city in official records until the beginning of the XIX century. The population began to grow, creating homes, sugar mills and buildings associated with commerce that lead to the creation of Puerto Padre as a municipal seat. In 1898,the region was granted status of municipality of Puerto Padre, autonomous from the former regional center, the city of Gibara, to the east of town.
During the Republican era (1902-1958),the city grew ,developing commercially and culturally even though there were evident inequalities between the various social classes.The first radio station was founded in 1940.The city was taken by the rebel forces in December of 1958.
After the triumph of the revolution, Puerto Padre has grown at the expense of districts outside the city limits and its actual population exceeds 60,000 inhabitants.
As occurs in Northern Oriente,the population is predominantly white ,though some racial melange is noticeable.
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