Locations

 

Cornwall County

Hanover

Hanover (capital Lucea), is a parish located on the northwestern tip of the island of Jamaica. It is a part of the county of Cornwall, bordered by St. James in the east, and Westmoreland in the south. With the exception of Kingston, it is the smallest parish on the island. Hanover is the birth parish of The Right Excellent Sir Alexander Bustamante, one of Jamaica’s seven National Heroes.

Hanover is known for the production of yams, sugar cane, ginger, rice, pimento, turmeric, breadfruit and arrowroot. Hanover is celebrated for its fine breeds of cattle. There is also the rearing of pigs and goats.Although Hanover is not one of Jamaica’s major tourist areas, a tourist resort is situated in the village of Hopewell, about 24 km (15 mi) east of Lucea. This area has large hotels — Round Hill, Tryall (noted for its golf course) – Eastern Hanover. Sharing the Negril strip with Westmoreland – Grand Lido, Couples, Sandals, Negril Cabins and Beaches.

 

St. Elizabeth

St. Elizabeth, one of Jamaica’s largest parishes, is located in the southwest of the island, in the county of Cornwall. Its capital, Black River, is located at the mouth of the Black River, the longest on the island. The parish has been a major producer of bauxite since the 1960s. Port Kaiser, near a town called Alligator Pond, has a leading deep-water pier for bauxite export.

The Alpart alumina refinery was constructed in the 1960s at Nain and produces nearly 2 million tonnes of alumina annually for export. The replacement cost of building the refinery is approximately $2 billion. There are other alumina refineries close to the nearby town of Mandeville.

Since the 1990s, the parish has become a significant tourist destination, with most visitors going to the Treasure Beach area. The Appleton rum distillery, near Cockpit Country in the north of the parish, is also a tourist destination. Ecological tourism along the Black and YS rivers, and in the Great Morass has been developed in recent years.Apart from bauxite mining, the parish also produces a large quantity of Jamaica’s sugar; there are two sugar factories in the parish.

Fishing is a major industry in the parish, as is tomato canning; a plant is at Bull Savannah. The parish also cultivates crops such as cassava, corn, peas, beans, pimento, ginger, tobacco, tomato, rice sweet potatoes and coffee. As a result of the fertile soil that provide for grazing fields, pastoralism is possible.

Livestock include goats, sheep, hogs, and cattle, horses.Lover’s Leap is a cliff plunging several hundred metres into the sea, with an attached romantic legend of two young slaves jumping to their death rather than live apart. There is a lighthouse here too.Y.S. Falls is a famous falls in Jamaica, similar to Dunn’s River Falls in Ocho Rios, St. Ann.Bamboo Avenue – was developed in the 17th century when local landowners planted bamboo on both sides of the road to provide shade during their travels.

 

St. James

St James is a suburban parish, located on the north west end of the island of Jamaica. Its capital, Montego Bay, derived from the Spanish word Manteca (lard) because many wild hogs were found there from which they made lard. It was named publicly the second city of Jamaica, behind Kingston, in 1981. However, Montego Bay became city in 1980 through an act of the Jamaican Parliament. The parish is the birth place of The Right Excellent Samuel Sharpe (died 1833), one of Jamaica’s Seven National Heroes.

Today, Saint James is one of the fastest growing parishes on the island with large credits going to Montego Bay, because it is seen as some sort of alternative to the overpopulated Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporate Area. Agricultural activities include forestry, and the production of sugar cane and other domestic crops. There are approximately 60 manufacturing establishments in the south of the parish, mainly for garment, woodwork, and food processing. There are also many industrial zones, including The Montego Free Zone, Bogue Industrial Estate, and Ironshore.

Tourism is the main source of employment in the parish; one in four persons are employed in tourism. The major forms of employment in tourism are: 1)craft vending in the three craft markets in the parish, Harbour Street Craft Market, Old Fort Craft Market and Success Craft Market; 2)tour bus operating for such companies as JUTA and JCAL tours; and, 3) working in the many famous hotels located in the parish. Over 500,000 tourists annually visit St James, and this accounts for one-third of the revenue generated by tourism islandwide; Montego Bay is often called the Mecca of tourism in Jamaica.

 

Trelawny

Trelawny (Jamaican Patois: Trilaani) is a parish in Cornwall County in northwest Jamaica. Its capital is Falmouth. It is bordered by the parishes of Saint Ann in the east, Saint James in the west, and Saint Elizabeth and Manchester in the south. Trelawny’s sources of employment come from agriculture, manufacturing, and Tourism. Rum and sugar are Trelawny’s principal products. Other crops include bananas, yams, strawberries, vegetables, pimento, coffee, ginger, and coconut. Though the fishing industry is declining, Trelawny still produces a large amount of fish.

There are ten beaches along the coast, with more than 30 boats each as well as 27 fish ponds. There are 25 factories in the parish. These produce sugar, rum, and apparel, among other things.

Two of the eight remaining sugar factories in Jamaica are in Trelawny —Hampden Sugar Factory, and Trelawny Sugar formerly Long Pond Sugar Factory. The tourism sector is still growing. Major hotels are Grand Lido Braco, Silver Sands Resort and the Breezes Trelawny Hotel. Other Accommodation. Anita’s Place in Kinloss is an eco friendly lodge in the Cockpit Country area of Trelawny en route to the Barbecue bottom trail.

 

Westmoreland

Westmoreland is the westernmost parish in Jamaica, located on the south side of the island. It is situated to the south of Hanover, the southwest of Saint James, and the northwest of Saint Elizabeth, in the county of Cornwall. The chief town and capital is Savanna-la-Mar. Negril, a famous tourist destination, is also situated in the parish.

As a result of the fertile plains, the parish thrives on agriculture, mainly sugarcane, which offers direct employment. Other agricultural products include bananas, coffee, ginger, cocoa, pimento, honey, rice, and breadfruit. Pastoralism is also practised; the rearing of cattle, horses, and mules, as well as fishing —there are 19 fishing beaches with over 90 boats engaged in the industry. Manufacturing is the third largest sector. Manufactured items include food and drink, tobacco, animal feeds, textile and textile products.

Negril is one of the main tourist destinations in Jamaica. Since the 1950s, tourism has been the single fastest growing sector. The major hotels are Couples Swept Away, Couples Negril, Sandals Negril, Poinciana Beach Resort, Grand Lido, Hedonism II, and Negril Beach Club. However, besides these resorts there are another 200+ resorts and also 200+ bars and restaurants available for the tourist trade.

 

Middlesex County

Clarendon

Clarendon (capital May Pen) is a parish in Jamaica. It is located on the south of the island, roughly half-way between the island’s eastern and western ends. Located in the county of Middlesex, it is bordered by Manchester on the west, Saint Catherine in the east, and in the north by Saint Ann.

Bauxite, Jamaica’s major mineral source, can be found extensively in Clarendon. Bauxite mining has been established in the parish by JAMALCO and ALCOA. Most of the island’s tobacco is also grown in Clarendon, along with cotton, allspice (colloquially referred to as pimento), ginger, livestock, indigo, bananas, coffee, and cocoa. May Pen is also an important citrus packing centre, famous for ‘Trout Hall’ oranges.

Additionally, dairy farming, fish farming, and copper mining have been carried on intermittently, and the sugar-cane production contributes significantly to the amount of sugar exported annually. The Denbigh agricultural showground is on the outskirts of May Pen.
Clarendon is the location of the Milk River Bath, a mineral spa famous for the therapeutic value of its waters.

The oldest church on the island is in Alley, the old capital of Vere. Halse Hall Great House is one of the island’s historic houses. The land on which the house stands was given to an English officer, Major Thomas Halse, in 1655, and was passed from him to Francis Sadler Halse. Halse played a leading role in the Maroon Wars.

The Denbigh Agricultural Show Grounds — once a year, on the weekend prior to Independence celebrations, a national Agriculture Show is staged here. Vernamfield was the first car-racing track established in Jamaica. The track is located on the former American lend lease air base, Vernam Field (later Vernam Air Force Base) that was named in honor of WWI flyer Remington de B. Vernam. Vernam Field is known for drag racing.

 

Manchestor

The parish of Manchester is located in west-central Jamaica, in the county of Middlesex. Its capital, Mandeville, is a major business centre, and the only parish capital not located on the coast or on a major river. The Right Excellent Norman Washington Manley (d. 1969), one of Jamaica’s seven National Heroes, was born in this parish.

There is no large-scale cultivation of crops as the area is generally mountainous. Crops such as sugar cane require large tracts of flat land. Bananas, coffee and pimento, annatto, ginger are grown, and the parish is noted for its citrus; oranges, ortaniques and grapefruit, much of which are exported. Christiana, 28 km (17 mi) north of Mandeville, is the second largest town of the parish.

The Christiana Land Authority assists agricultural development in the region. Irish potato is grown considerably in the Christiana area and it is the centre of a large banana and ginger-growing district. There is also a major profit from the sales of marijuana.

Manchester is a centre of the bauxite mining industry. The first bauxite mining companies were Alcan and Alpart. Alcan, a large world-renowned Canadian company, had a strong presence in the town and was one of the main employers.

It lured many Jamaicans because of high salaries and the benefits offered. Alpart, short for Aluminum Partners of Jamaica, was initially formed as a joint venture of Kaiser Aluminum, Reynolds Aluminum, and Anaconda. It is still in operation in Nain St Elizbeth parish, however it is now jointly owned by UC Rusal of Russia and Hydro Aluminum of Norway.

 

Saint Ann

Saint Ann (capital Saint Ann’s Bay) is the largest parish in Jamaica. It is situated on the north coast of the island, in the county of Middlesex, roughly halfway between the eastern and western ends of the island. It is often called ‘the Garden Parish of Jamaica’ on account of its natural beauty.

Saint Ann is the birthplace of reggae singers Floyd Lloyd, Burning Spear, Shabba Ranks, and Bob Marley. The Right Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey, one of Jamaica’s seven National Heroes, was also born there. More recently, it has become known as the headquarters of the Jamaica Dogsled Team.

The agricultural products are mainly bananas, allspice/pimento, sugar, coconuts, coffee, limes, corn, ginger, sweet potatoes, sensimilia yam, and annatto. The soil is also suitable for citrus and, sisal is cultivated in the drier areas. The parish is also noted for cattle rearing, horses and hogs (swine).

Recently, however, agriculture has been on the decline as farmland is being used for housing and other developments and the cultivated area has decreased. The major economic activity in the parish is tourism. Ocho Rios is one of the major tourist destinations of Jamaica, given that Dunn’s River Falls and many popular beaches, like Puerto Seco Beach, are located there. There is a cruise ship Dock (maritime) on the west shore of Ocho Rios Bay, and numerous hotels and resorts (including Sandals (resorts) Jamaica) are located in and around the city. It is also the birth place/resting place for Bob Marley (February 6, 1945 – May 11, 1981).

 

Saint Catherine

St Catherine (capital Spanish Town) is a parish located in the south east of Jamaica. It is located in the county of Middlesex, and is one of the island’s largest and most economically valued parish because of its many resources. It includes the first capital of Jamaica, Spanish Town, originally known as San Jago de la Vega or Santiago de la Vega (St. James of the Plain).

Out of all the parishes (with the exception of Kingston Parish and Saint Andrew Parish) Saint Catherine shows the most potential for urban development. With its good water resources, virtually flat landscape, and nearness to the capital, it could possibly be one of the caribbean’s major urban areas in the next few years.

Agriculture remains the main source of employment in the parish. There are many small farmers who practise mixed farming; crops such as bananas, coconuts, pineapple, citrus, pumpkins, peppers, coffee and calaloo are planted for both domestic and commercial purposes. The larger properties produce sugar cane, bananas and citrus mainly for export. Dairy farms are also found in the parish. One of these is a 1,000 acre (4 km²) farm in Old Harbour. The Salt Ponds District between Spanish Town, Port Henderson and Passage Fort is noted for the fine fish especially calipera.

St Catherine is second only to Kingston as an industrial centre. Industrial plants are some of the biggest employers in the parish. Spanish Town has the largest salt producing plant in the Caribbean, while Jamaica Milk Products, an affiliate of the Nestle organization, has a factory in Bog Walk, another major town in the parish. The largest power plant in the island and several factories are located in Old Harbour. Twickenham Park, near Spanish Town, is another industrial estate with mainly light industries including cigarettes, carpets, batteries, plastic items, medical and pharmaceutical products.

 

Saint Mary

Saint Mary is a parish located in the northeast section of Jamaica. With a population of 115,000 it is one of Jamaica’s smallest parishes, located in the county of Middlesex. Its chief town and capital is Port Maria, located on the coast.

It is also the birthplace of established dancehall reggae artists, such as Capleton, Lady Saw, Ninja Man, Sizzla and Tanya Stephens. Other notable residents of St. Mary parish include bestselling author Colin Simpson, who is the great-great grandson of noted slavery abolitionist James Phillippo, and acclaimed music producer Chris Blackwell who is credited with “discovering” Bob Marley.

The parish has a good variety of agricultural resources. The principal products are bananas, sugar, citrus, pimento, cocoa, coconuts, coffee, vegetables, breadfruit and anatto. Pastoralism is also practised. In recent years, however, agriculture has been on the decline, which may be due to the problems that Jamaican banana export has been facing.

St. Mary’s parish, had once been listed as one of the poorest in Jamaica, but over the past 10 years there have been substantial improvements in the economy due to the influx of investments in infrastructure, including a new international airport (Ian Fleming International Airport), a new highway, and development of luxury resorts such as Goldeneye and Golden Clouds. The new intercoastal highway constructed in 2005 has benefitted the parish and has brought a significant increase to tourism-related activities.

The parish boasts what is thought by some to be one of the best secondary level schools in the nation, St Mary High School, from which several outstanding people have come. They occupy several reputable positions in varying sectors both at home and overseas. Essential services includes banking and postal services. There are hospitals located in Port Maria and Annotto Bay, as well as public health clinics in Highgate, Oracabessa and Boscobel.

Tourism has become an increasingly important source of income for parishners of St. Mary. Some of the most well known resorts in St. Mary include Couples Sans Souci, Couples Tower Isles, Beaches Boscobel, Goldeneye and Golden Clouds. Ian Fleming International Airport provides private jet service for these luxurious properties as well as emergency airlift and general passenger service. Two of the most popular beaches in St. Mary are James Bond Beach and Reggae Beach.

 

Surrey County

Kingston

Sitting on the southwest coast, the Jamaica’s capital city, Kingston, is one of the most populated cities on the island. But you wouldn’t come here for the beaches; rather, Kingston is where the core of Jamaica’s culture lies. Rough Guides calls Kingston, “the true heart of Jamaica, a thrilling place, pulsating with energy and spirit.”

Art galleries, theaters and music venues rub elbows with lively clubs, shopping spots and restaurants. Business travelers usually stay here, but leisure visitors shouldn’t miss out on this city’s offerings either. Travel writers ask visitors to be weary of their surroundings and even avoid the area after dark; like many cities, Kingston can be prone to crime.

 

Portland

Portland, with its capital town Port Antonio, is a parish located on Jamaica’s northeast coast. It is situated to the north of St Thomas, and the east of St Mary in Surrey county. It is one of the rural areas of Jamaica and is known for its great beaches.

The parish is a leading producer of bananas, coconuts, breadfruits, coffee, mangoes and ackee which are grown for export as well as local consumption. Portland has very rich land on its coastal strips that is suitable for any kind of cultivation, so many domestic crops are grown. Manufacturing is a small sector of the economy, with about 18 factories.

Portland by and large remains a playground for the wealthy, many of whom own property there. A number of tourist facilities exist, including Trident Villas and Hotel, Jamaica Palace, Dragon Bay Villas, Goblin Hill Hotel, Jamaica Crest, Fern Hill Club, and Mocking Bird Hill, which cater to people of varying wealth. There is a growing emphasis on eco-tourism, which could be sensitively developed in the parish.

Because of its natural attractions, tourism has often flourished in the parish. It is noted for its fine beaches, such as Frenchman’s Cove, Boston, Winifred, and Dragon Bay. The very famous Blue Mountains are also located in Portland, as is the world-famous Blue Lagoon, which is believed to be the crater of an extinct volcano. The lagoon is an almost landlocked cove with approximately 55m (180 ft) of water. Rafting on the Rio Grande River is also a tourist attraction.

 

St. Andrew

Saint Andrew (capital: Half Way Tree) is a parish, situated in the southeast of Jamaica in the county of Surrey. It lies north, west and east of Kingston, and stretches into the Blue Mountains and at the 2001 census had the highest population of all the parishes in Jamaica. The Right Excellent George William Gordon (d. 1865), one of Jamaica’s seven National Heroes, was born in this parish.

Within its borders are many places of attractions, historical sites, famous residents and the country’s financial capital. Music flows in this parish with many areas giving birth to musicians and the popular types of Jamaican music. The Studio One studio founded by Clement ‘Coxsone’ Dodd is another Saint Andrew creation.

Mavado, Sean Paul, Buju Banton, Elephant Man, The Mighty Diamonds, Monty Alexander, Beres Hammond, Lady Saw, Sugar Minott, Bounty Killer, Mr. Vegas, Richie Spice are some of the parish’s current residents The area of Trench Town was made famous because of its rise of people like The Wailers (Bunny Wailers, Peter Tosh and Bob Marley), and Toots Hibberts who gave credence to the birth of reggae music. Waterhouse, another area that has a who’s who of musical residence; from Keith Hudson, King Tubby’s, U Roy, Sir Jammy’s, Black Uhuru, Dennis “Senitor” Allen, Early B. Super Cat, Ninja Man, Shabba, and Beenie Man; also the home of Olympic winner, Shelly-Ann Fraser.

Devon House, built in 1881, was the residence built by Jamaica’s first black millionaire, George Stiebel. He gained his wealth in Venezuela and returned to Jamaica to become the Custos of Saint Andrew. His residence is restored and open to the public for tours and special events and houses the famous Devon House ice cream shop.

The Hope Estate (17th century) now provides the land space for Hope Garden (Royal Botanical Gardens), one of the oldest in the Western Hemisphere, and the University of the West Indies with part of its aqueduct still intact. Vale Royal, the residence of the Prime Minister and King’s House the Governor General’s residence are all historic buildings. The area of Norbrook was once the plantation of George Willian Gordon. The Bob Marley Museum on Hope Road was once owned by Chris Blackwell and is now open for guided tours.

 

St. Thomas

Saint Thomas, once known as Saint Thomas in the East, is a suburban parish situated at the south eastern end of Jamaica, within the county of Surrey. It is the birth place of the Right Honourable Paul Bogle, one of Jamaica’s seven National Heroes. Morant Bay, its chief town and capital, is the site of the Morant Bay Rebellion, of which Bogle and George William Gordon were leaders.

Bauxite mining and tourism are the major source of Jamaica GDP. Agriculture plays a vital part in the economy. Sugar and bananas are the main items produced for export.

Most small farmers produce domestic and orchard crops and this is the main source of employment. Serge Island Dairies are located in the parish. St. Thomas also has many factories for food processing and electrical equipment.

Current efforts are being made by Upliftmentjamaica.org to create, support and provide opportunities to the people of St. Thomas, and to encourage economic and social transformation on a community and country-wide basis. Over 10,000 people benefit annually from this organization, via year-round projects and events, with numbers rapidly increasing.