Samborondón is a canton in Ecuador’s Guayas province. It has 105 localities and two urban parishes (La Puntilla) and Samborondón Town (Cabecera cantonal) and one rural parish (Tarifa). La Puntilla's parish is one of the most exclusive residential and entertainment districts in Ecuador. It has many Gated Communities (urbanizaciones cerradas), and several retail developments are located in the suburb. Its close proximity to the country's second-largest city, Guayaquil (merely crossing a bridge), allows many of its residents to work there. Most of the upper-class families in Guayaquil live at La Puntilla's Parish in Samborondón. History Samborondón was founded on May 24, 1776 and achieved its independence on October 10, 1820. Since October 31, 1955 the suburb has been a canton. The name Samborondón comes from Saint Brendan, in Spanish San Borondón. The name of the Saint was commonly used in Spain and subsequently in Latin America for towns and villages. The name Samborondón, in general usage, often refers to the rich downtown area of the canton called La Puntilla. In fact, Samborondón consists of a much larger area than just La Puntilla, which is a peninsula between the rivers Babahoyo and Daule (where the River Guayas is formed). Health care A new branch of the Kennedy Hospital, a private hospital chain, was finished in 2007 and is now in use. There are also a few building complexes specially built for medical practices. Shopping and entertainment The local shopping center, Riocentro Entrerios has many retail stores, a hypermarket, a food court, and a cinema. The Village Plaza was inaugurated in August 2010. A hypermarket from the Supermaxi chain and other 90 stores have been announced. Bocca, La Piazza, La Torre, Las Terrazas, Plaza Lagos, Alhambra, Piazza, and Plaza Navona are smaller shopping centers, mainly around exclusive restaurants, gyms, nightclubs and stores. One of the best theaters in Ecuador is Teatro Sánchez Aguilar, is also in this area. Tourism The Parque Histórico, a botanical garden and zoo of the local fauna and flora with reconstructions of historical buildings, is one of the main tourist attractions of Guayaquil. Samborondón has a hotel boutique, Orilla del Rio, located in Entrerios. Its proximity to Guayaquil (5 minutes by car, pedestrian access prohibited on the bridge) makes this unproblematic for a visitor, except on peak hours (7–8 a.m. and 4–7 p.m.) Samborondón is also home to the most exclusive nightclubs in Greater Guayaquil and there are