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Saint James | |
|---|---|
 Saint James in Jamaica | |
| Country |  Jamaica |
| County | Cornwall |
| Capital | Montego Bay |
| Major towns | Adelphi,Cambridge,Montpelier, Catadupa, Fairfield, Somerton, Irwin, Granville, Dumfries, Bogue |
| Area | |
• Total | 595 km2 (230 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 11 |
| Population (2012)[1] | |
• Total | 184,662 |
| • Density | 310/km2 (804/sq mi) |
St. James is a suburbanparish, located on the north-west end of the island ofJamaica in the county of Cornwall. Itscapital isMontego Bay (derived from the Spanish wordmanteca (lard) because many wild hogs were found there, from which lard was made). Montego Bay was officially named the secondcity of Jamaica, behindKingston, in 1981, although Montego Bay became a city in 1980 through an act of the Jamaican Parliament. The parish is the birthplace of the Right ExcellentSamuel Sharpe (died 1833), one of Jamaica'sseven National Heroes.
When the Spanish occupiedJamaica, Montego Bay was anexport point forlard, which was obtained from wildhogs in theforests. In many of the early maps of Jamaica, Montego Bay was listed as "Bahia de Manteca" (Lard Bay). The parish was given the name "St. James" in honour of KingJames II by SirThomas Modyford, the island's firstEnglishGovernor. At the beginning of the English rule, the parish was one of the poorest; it had no towns, few inhabitants and littlecommerce, except for the exported lard. However, after thetreaty with theMaroons in 1739, St. James became one of the most importantsugar-producing parishes. Annually, more than 150ships arrived in Montego Bay bringingslaves and supplies, and taking sugar. Commerce developed as wealthymerchants and planters erected many elaborate town houses. In 1773, Montego Bay had the onlynewspaper outside ofKingston -The Cornwall Chronicle.
Fire, in 1795 and again in 1811, destroyed much of Montego Bay. After being rebuilt, it was again destroyed in 1831 by arebellion led bySam Sharpe. This rebellion was as a result of slave owners' reluctance to free the slaves, even after England proposed an end toslavery. Sam Sharpe had advocatedpassive resistance but this was met by violence. As a result, a group of slaves responded in turn with and began setting fire to buildings and the surroundingplantations and cane fields. As a result of being the main planner of the rebellion, Sam Sharpe washanged in the Montego Bay market place, which is today known as Sam Sharpe Square.
Afteremancipation in 1834, the fortunes of the town and parish declined until thebananatrade was promoted by J. E. Kerr and Co. This prompted the start oftourism in Jamaica. A Freeport was constructed in the 1960s, and later, acruise shipterminal was opened. Montego Bay was accorded city status on 1 May 1980. TheSangster International Airport, the busiest airport inJamaica and theAnglophone Caribbean and one of two international airports on the island, is located in Montego Bay.
The parish is bordered byTrelawny in the east,St. Elizabeth in the south andHanover andWestmoreland in the west. It covers an area of 594.9 km2, making it one of the smallest parishes in Jamaica. The population was 184,662 in 2012.[1]
About two-thirds of the parish consists oflimestone. The Nassau Mountains, which rise from St. Elizabeth, south of the parish, extend diagonally across St. James. The range then declines to a point just south ofMontego Bay. Its highest point is approximately 1524 metres abovesea level.
Great River, which serves as the boundary between St. James and its neighboring parishes Hanover and Westmoreland, and the Montego River, which rises in central St. James and flows north, then west to Montego Bay, are the two mainrivers.
The city of Montego Bay may be roughly divided into two sections: the tourist area, which occupies the northern section of thebay along the shore line, and thecommercial andindustrial sections, which are second only to Kingston in size and volume oftrade.
Saint James Parish has fiveMPs based in fiveconstituencies;Saint James Central,Saint James East Central,Saint James North WesternSaint James Southern andSaint James West Central.
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 an alternative to the overpopulated Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporate Area.
Agricultural activities includeforestry, and the production ofsugar cane and other domestic crops. There are approximately 60 manufacturing establishments in the south of the parish, mainly forgarment,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 ofemployment in the parish; one in four persons are employed in tourism. The major forms of employment in tourism are:
There are many famous hotels located in the parish of St. James, most of them in the Rose Hall area, includingDoctors Cave Beach Hotel, Riu Hotels, Wyndham Rose Hall, Sandals and Beaches Resorts, the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Hyatt Ziva, Riu, Holiday Inn, Half Moon Hotel and the Iberostar Hotel located in Lilliput.
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