History Of Jamaican Towns, Cities And Districts

History Of Kingston Jamaica
Kingston, which was founded after the destruction of Port Royal in 1692, prospered immediately. Its chief natural advantages were the land-space available for building and- the sheltered waterfront. It was also safe from attack, the narrow harbor entrance being protected by a fort at Port Royal on the tip of Palisadoes and another on a smaller sand- spit opposite. Throughout the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Kingston handled a large local trade, and was the chief entry port for British exports to the Spanish colonies. For the remainder of the nineteenth century its development was retarded by the decline of Jamaican trade. Though it became the terminus of the island railway and though the capital was transferred there from Spanish Town, Kingston was not in a prosperous condition when it was badly damaged by earthquake and fire in 1907.

When the small towns in Jamaica were rebuilt after the earthquake, it remained compact, taking up no more than a square mile of land. Its wharves and warehouses were confined to a short section of the harbor side. Behind them lay a rectangular network of streets, some containing the shops and government buildings, others the offices and houses. No great change took place from then until the 1920s and 1930s when, with the development of motor transport, residential suburbs began to spread outwards into the parish of St Andrew. Map 5p shows the extent of this development by 1950, including Stony Hill, which at that time was the only suburb in the hills.

Between 1950 and 1970 Kingston changed more than in the whole of its previous history. The old port was closed and a new one was constructed further west, with a large industrial estate behind it. A cement factory, an oil refinery, electricity generating station, and a gypsum loading terminal were built on various parts of the waterfront, and a causeway was built across part of the harbor to open up new areas for housing. Suburbs spread over all the surrounding lowlands and up into the hills.

Several of the lowland suburbs were built in the form of large housing estates in which all the houses were originally of the same design. Now, however, they display more variety because many of their owners have added extra rooms. By 1970 the built-up area covered 40 square miles (equal to the area of the island of Montserrat) and contained over half a million people. The growth over this period is extensive.

Downtown Kingston was incapable of serving as the main shopping centre for so many people living in such a wide area. New shops of all kinds sprang up in the suburbs. Along the main highways, shopping plazas were opened, each built around a parking area and containing a large supermarket, a drug store, a bank, and shops selling clothes, hardware, furniture, household goods, school supplies and a wide range of other articles. The shops in the centre of the city lost their former importance. Some were replaced by banks and office buildings. Others remained to serve three groups of customers—city workers, people visiting Kingston on other business, and tourists.

The growth of the residential suburbs has been so rapid that serious problems have arisen. They include the disposal of garbage and the provision of water, electricity, telephones, schools, recreation grounds, and public transport. There is an immense flow of traffic, especially at peak hours, and many people spend as much as two hours a day travelling to and from work. None of these problems is likely to be overcome in the foreseeable future as the rate of growth of the population shows no signs of slackening.

Developments already under way include the erection of high-rise buildings in downtown Kingston and certain other business areas for large organizations, the conversion of once fashionable houses in older suburbs for use as offices by small firms, and the increased use of apartment blocks for residential purposes. Also to be expected is a continuing rise in the number of unemployed, living in conditions of utter destitution. The contrast in the living conditions of the wealthy and the poor are more evident in Jamaica than in any other part of the Caribbean.

History Of Montego Bay Jamaica
Montego Bay (42,000) began as a small port in Spanish times and grew in importance with the development of the sugar trade and, later, with the banana trade as well. Its communications with the rest of the island improved when it was made the western terminus of the railway. But it could not become a major port because its harbor was too shallow to accommodate large ships which had to anchor some distance off-shore and be loaded and unloaded by barges.

The prosperity of Montego Bay dates from the time that tourists first began to visit the Caribbean. It has gained a world-wide reputation as a luxury resort, and its airport is the chief point of arrival and departure for visitors to Jamaica. The construction of a deep-water harbor has enabled Montego Bay to increase its cruise-ship business, to improve its export facilities, and to develop an import trade for the surrounding area.

History Of Port Antonio Jamaica
Port Antonio (10,000) grew to importance with the expansion of the banana trade. It is not as busy today as it was before the war, though it is still by far the leading banana exporting port. Ships docking there are sheltered from northern by Navy Island, which almost encloses the harbor mouth. Port Antonio is the terminus of the other railway crossing the island from Kingston. It is the most easterly of the north shore tourist resorts..