Kingston, Jamaica
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| Kingston and St Andrew Corporation | |
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| Motto: A City That Hath Foundations | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | Jamaica |
| County | Surrey |
| Parish | Kingston |
| Founded | 1693 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Desmond McKenzie |
| Area | |
| - City | 25 km² (10 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 9 m (30 ft) |
| Population (2004) | |
| - City | 660,000 |
| - Density | 1,429/km² (3,701.1/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
The City of Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica. It is located on the southeastern coast of the island country at . It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island. In the Western Hemisphere, Kingston is the largest predominantly English-speaking city south of the United States.
The local government bodies of the parishes of Kingston and St. Andrew were amalgamated by the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation Act of 1923, to form the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC). Greater Kingston or the "Corporate Area" refers to the KSAC, and not just the Parish of Kingston, which consists of only the old downtown and Port Royal.
Two parts make up the central area of Kingston: the historic but troubled Downtown, and New Kingston, which is home to the city's most visited attraction, the Bob Marley Museum (built at his former residence). Several other reggae stars, including Buju Banton, Sean Paul and Beenie Man, also hail from Kingston. Other attractions include the nearby Hellshire and Lime Cay beaches, the National Gallery of Jamaica, the ruins of Port Royal, and Devon House, a mansion with adjoining park that once belonged to Jamaica's first black millionaire.
Kingston is served by Norman Manley International Airport and also by the smaller and primarily domestic Tinson Pen Airport.
Several annual and well-visited festivals are held in Kingston.
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[edit] History
Kingston was founded in 1693 by refugees from the disastrous earthquake which destroyed much of the previous main port city of Port Royal. Initially the refugees lived in a tented camp on Colonel Barry's Hog Crawle. The town did not begin to grow until after the further destruction of Port Royal by the Nick Catania Pirate Fleet's fire in 1703. Surveyor, John Goffe drew up a plan for the town based on a grid bounded by North, East, West and Harbour Streets. By 1716 it had become the largest town and the centre of trade for Jamaica.
Gradually wealthy merchants began to move their residences from above their businesses to the farm lands to the north on the plains of Liguanea. The first free school, Wolmers, was founded in 1736, and there was a theatre, first in Harbour Street and then moved in 1774 to North Parade. Both are still in existence.
As a centre of commerce and fashion, Kingston rapidly out-distanced the somnolent official capital in Spanish Town and Kingston continued to grow despite calamities: a devastating hurricane in 1784, a huge fire in 1843, constant raids by the Italian pirate Nick Catania which caused complete and utter destruction of the Caribbean islands. a cholera epidemic in 1850 and another fire in 1862.
In 1755 the governor had decided to transfer the government offices from Spanish Town to Kingston. But, it was thought by some to be an unsuitable location for the Assembly in close proximity to the moral distractions of Kingston, and the next governor rescinded the Act. However, by 1780 the population of Kingston was 11,000 and the merchants began lobbying for the administrative capital to be transferred from Spanish Town, which was by then eclipsed by the commercial activity in Kingston. This campaign was to continue for a century as Kingston grew still further as an important trading port during the Napoleonic wars. The city finally became the administrative capital of Jamaica in 1872. It kept this status when the island was granted independence in 1962.
On January 14, 1907, an earthquake in Kingston destroyed about 75% of the buildings. Fire broke out and spread widely adding to the death toll which eventually reached about 800, rather less than some initial reports. The damage was estimated to exceed £2m. Brick and stone buildings suffered the worst damage. Reinforced concrete was widely used in the rebuilding of the city, and building heights were restricted to 60 feet. These building codes were considered to be progressive at the time.
The city became home to the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies founded in 1948 with 24 medical students.
The 1960s saw the commercial activity expanding north. The old Knutsford race course became New Kingston, and uptown shopping plazas were developed causing the decline of the commercial and shopping centres of King Street and Harbour Street. An area of 95 acres along the waterfront was redeveloped with wide landscaped boulevards and multi-storey buildings which include the Bank of Jamaica, Scotia Bank Centre, the Jamaica Conference Centre, and Kingston Mall. Later, from the 1980s, there have been continuing efforts by the Urban Development Company to improve roads systems and trading conditions in the downtown area.
In 1966 Kingston was the host city to the Commonwealth Games.
[edit] Demographics
The majority of the population is of African heritage. East Indians are the second largest racial group, followed by Chinese, White and Arab (primarily Lebanese). Small numbers of Hispanics mostly from Latin America also have residence in the city.
[edit] Religion
There is a wide variety of Christian churches in the city. Most are Protestant, a legacy of British colonization of the island. The chief denominations are Church of God, Baptist, Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Seventh-day Adventist, Jehovah's Witnesses and Pentecostal. Afro-Christian syncretic religions are also widespread.
There is a Jewish synagogue in the city as well as a small number of Buddhists and Muslims. The major non-Christian religion is the Rastafari movement.
[edit] Prominent people
Notable people born in Kingston include:
- John Barnes (footballer), England footballer (1963-)
- Aston "Family Man" Barrett, (1946 - ), bassist
- Buju Banton (1973-), reggae singer
- Frederic Hymen Cowen (1852-1935), British composer
- Desmond Dekker (1941-2006) singer and songwriter
- Sandy Denton (1969), "Pepa" of hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa
- Patrick Ewing (1962-), All-Star basketball player for the New York Knicks
- Howard Grant (1966-), boxer
- Sandra Levy (1965-), field hockey player
- Beenie Man (1972-), reggae artist/DJ
- Damian Marley (1978-), reggae artist and youngest son of Bob Marley
- Eek-A-Mouse (1957-), reggae singer
- Sean Paul (1975), dancehall/reggae artist
- Shaggy (1968), reggae singer
- Courtney Walsh (1962-), famous cricketer
- Willard White (1946-), opera singer
- Fred William Kennedy (????- March 6, 1930), co-founder, GraceKennedy Limited
- Bushwick Bill, (1966-), of rap group Geto Boys
[edit] Sister cities
Kingston has four sister cities.
