[3][4][5] Canóvanas was in Spain's gazetteers[6] until Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became an unincorporated territory of the United States.

In 1899, the United States Department of War conducted a census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Canóvanas barrio was 1,942.

Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions)[13] in turn are further subdivided into smaller local populated place areas/units called sectores (sectors in English).

[14][15][16] The following sectors are in Canóvanas barrio:[17][18] Apartamentos Alborada, Apartamentos Ciudad Jardín, Barrio Cambalache, Barrio San Isidro, Condominios Park View Terrace, Estancias del Río, Hacienda de Canóvanas, Parcelas Viejas, Río Plantation, River Gardens, River Plantation, River Valley Park, River Valley Town Park, River Villas, Sector Dos Cuerdas, Sector Haciendas Cambalache, Sector Hipódromo El Comandante, Sector Los Bobos, Sector Los Pérez, Sector Los Sotos, Sector Valle Hills, Sector Villa Hugo I y II, Señorío de Gonzaga, Urbanización Ciudad Jardín (Walk Up), Urbanización Estancias de Campo Rico, Urbanización Forest Plantation, Urbanización Loíza Valley, Urbanización Mansiones del Tesoro, Urbanización River Valley, Urbanización Villas de Cambalache, and Urbanización Vistas de Río Grande.

These were in the San Isidro comunidad of Canóvanas: Comunidad, Estancias Tierra Alta, Extensión Quintas y Estancias de Jardines de Palmarejo, Parcelas Nuevas, Sector Las Delicias, Sector Monte Verde, Sector Sucusucu, Sector Villa Conquistador I y II, and Sector Villa Tiro.