Toa Baja is located fifteen minutes by car from San Juan and two hours from Ponce.

[4] 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 a territory of the United States.

In 1899, the United States conducted its first census of Puerto Rico, finding that the population of Toa Baja was 4,030.

[4] In 2010, Toa Baja was among the top ten municipalities in Puerto Rico, in terms of population, with 89,609 residents.

[5] The La Plata River rose more than 11 feet on September 20, 2017 as a result of Hurricane Maria and caused major infrastructure damage in Toa Baja.

[6] The four radar systems used by the Federal Aviation Administration in Puerto Rico were broken and took almost two weeks to restore.

[9][10] The elevations range from 200 to 490 feet (60 to 150 meters) above sea level, with most of its highest parts located in the south.

[11] Homes in Toa Baja have historically been built a few feet above ground level to account for flooding.

The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as "el pueblo".

[23][24] In 2009, an order was given by Governor Luis G. Fortuño to shut off essential services, such as water and electricity, to Villas del Sol, a "Special Community", which consisted of homes built illegally on flood-prone, state land.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency bought these homes from the Puerto Rican government in order to keep the land from being used further.

[25] By 2016, six years after the community had been promised, by the government of Toa Baja, that it would receive permits for the building of critical infrastructure, it had not.

The Fiestas Patronales de San Pedro Apostol is a religious and cultural celebration in honor of Saint Peter and generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

[10][39][40] Fiestas de la Santa Cruz is celebrated in May with the participation of various churches and cultural groups.

In October, the town celebrates the Festival de la Zafra with musical groups of bomba and plena.

[citation needed] For many years, Toa Baja's economy relied in agriculture, particularly sugar cane and cattle.

Some of the products manufactured in Toa Baja are metal, plastic, concrete, textile, electrical and electronic machinery, and rum.

The current mayor of Toa Baja is Bernardo "Betito" Márquez García, of the New Progressive Party (PNP).

[49] A new bus rapid transit (BRT) system called Metro Urbano operates in the center of José de Diego Expressway (PR-22) in high-occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV) from Candelaria in Toa Baja to the Bayamón Station of the Tren Urbano metro system.