Kingston, Jamaica Totally Explained

Everything about Kingston Jamaica totally explained

The City of Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica. It is located on the southeastern coast of the island country. 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, with a population of 651,880 (2001 census).
   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; however, it doesn't refer to Kingston Parish, which only consists of the old downtown and Port Royal. Kingston Parish had a population of 96,052, and St. Andrew had a population of 555,828 in 2001. and there was a theatre, first one in Harbour Street and then moved in 1774 to North Parade. Both are still in existence. In 1755 the governor had decided to transfer the government offices from Spanish Town to Kingston. 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an unsuitable location for the Assembly in close proximity to the moral distractions of Kingston, and the next governor rescinded the Act.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.
   At the end of the 18th century, more than 3000 brick buildings were in the city. The harbor fostered trade and naval wars of the 18th century. Kingston took over the functions of Spanish Town (the capital at the time). These functions included, agriculture, commercial, processing, and a main transportation hub to and from Kingston and other sections of the island. The government passed an act to transfer the government offices to Kingston from Spanish Town, and in 1872 the capital was transferred from Spanish Town to Kingston. It kept this status when the island was granted independence in 1962
   In 1907, 800 people died in another earthquake known as the 1907 Kingston earthquake, destroying nearly all the historical buildings south of Parade in the city. That was when a restriction of no more than 60 feet was instated on buildings in the central business district. These three story high buildings were built with reinforced concrete. Construction on King Street in the city was the first area to breach this building code. During the 1930s, island wide riots lead to the development of trade unions and political parties to represent workers.
   The city became home to the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies founded in 1948 with 24 medical students.
   It wasn’t till the 1960s that major change occurred in the redevelopment of Kingston’s central business district. The international attention of reggae music at that time coincided with the expansion and development of 95 acres of the Downtown Kingston water front area.
   These developments lead to an influx of shops and offices, and the development of a new financial center – New Kingston, which replaced the Knutsford Racetrack. Multi-story buildings and boulevards were placed within that section.
   In 1966 Kingston was the host city to the Commonwealth Games.
   The westward section of the city wasn't the focus of development, and that area proved to be a tense area in political times. The 1970s then saw deteriorating economic conditions that led to recurrent violence and a drop off in tourism which later affected the island.
   In the 1980 general elections, the democratic socialist People's National Party (PNP) government was outvoted. The subsequent governments have been open market oriented since the 1980s. Within a global urban era, the 1990s saw that Kingston has made efforts to modernize and develop its city structure and functions. Various organizations such as The Kingston Restoration Company, the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and the Port Authority of Jamaica, along with the Port Royal Development Company, among others sought to develop the urban structure of the city.

Modern Structure

Today, the city of Kingston sees that the original waterfront area along Harbour Street, once redolent with the aromas of colonial West Indian trade in rums and spices, has been re-developed and shipping has moved out to Newport West, adjacent to the extensive Kingston Industrial Estate.
A great deal of Kingston is pure shanty town, but again one sees striking contrasts, especially in New Kingston, situated between the teeming downtown and mid town areas and the fading but still gracious suburbs of St. Andrew.
The city’s wealthy is situated in the suburbs to the northern section of Kingston, closer to the hills and Mountains of the Blue Mountains range. The functions of the wealthy are met with in the New Kingston area, thus the downtown is now used mostly used by the low-income population. New Kingston is a business area which embodies the best of modern tropical town planning, graciously combining high rise buildings and well-groomed gardens with the soaring Blue Mountains as a backdrop.

Demographics

The majority of the population is of African heritage. East Indians are the second largest racial group, followed by Chinese, White, Arab (primarily Lebanese). A small number of Hispanics, mostly from Latin America, also reside in the city.

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, and Pentecostal. Afro-Christian syncretic religions are also widespread.
There is a Jewish synagogue in the city as well as a large number of Buddhists and Muslims.

Geography

Kingston is surrounded by the Blue Mountains, Red Hills, Long Mountain and the Kingston Harbour. The city is sited on the Liguanea Plain, an alluvial plain located next to the Hope River. Kingston experiences frequent earthquakes, including the 1907 earthquake.

Climate

Kingston has a tropical climate, characterized by a wet season from May to November, which coincides with the hurricane season, and a dry season from December to April. During the dry season, there isn't much rainfall, however, cold and stationary fronts occur at this time, and often bring heavy showers, especially in March. Kingston is located in the rain shadow of the Blue Mountains, therefore, little to none of the moisture the Northeast Trade Winds carry falls over Kingston, causing Kingston to be very dry in comparison to Portland and Saint Mary on the windward side of the Blue Mountains. Kingston is on a coastal location, hence it comes under the influence of the sea, though dense urban development can negate this effect. In the 21st century, Kingston has experienced temperatures as high as 34°C (93.2°F) and temperatures as low as 25°C (77°F). Between 1895 and 1990, the total average rainfall was recorded at 909.7 mm (35.8 inches), the highest monthly average rainfall recorded in October at 181.1 mm (7.1 inches), and the lowest monthly average rainfall recorded in March at 22.7 mm (0.9 inches).

Neighbourhoods and Districts

Six Miles
New Haven
Duhaney Park
Pembroke Hall
Olympic Gardens
Constant Spring
Liguanea

Cross Roads

Molynes Gardens

Three Mile

Four Mile

Havendale

Cockburn Gardens

Waterhouse

Newport West

Delacree Park

Trench Town

Whitfield Town

Greenwich Town

New Kingston

Kencot

Richmond Park

Vineyard Town

Mountain View Gardens

Meadowbrook

Eastwood Park

Grants Pen

Barbican

Cherry Gardens

Norbrook

Mannings Hill

Red Hills

Hope Pastures

Mona Heights

Beverly Hills

Rollington Town

Bournemouth Gardens

Norman Gardens

Harbour View

Maxfield

Law

The Jamaica Constabulary Force, Jamaica's police force, is based on Old Hope Road near Liguanea. Smaller police stations, such as Hunt's Bay, Matilda's Corner and Half-Way-Tree, are dispersed across the Corporate Area. The Supreme Court of Jamaica is also located in Kingston. Other courts, such as the Half-Way-Tree Resident Magistrate's Court, Gun Court, Traffic Court and Family Court, make Kingston their home. The Jamaica Defence Force has its headquarters at Up Park Camp near New Kingston and Cross Roads.

Media and Communications

The Gleaner Company, the Jamaica Observer and the Sunday Herald, three of Jamaica's large newspaper companies, make their home in Kingston. Several television and radio stations including Television Jamaica (TVJ), CVM TV, RJR 94 FM, Hitz 92 FM, FAME 95 FM, LOVE TV, ZIP 103, Kool 97 FM and LOVE FM, are all based in Kingston. Kingston generally has an adequate telecommunications service, administered by either Cable and Wireless or Flow Jamaica. Cellular phone service is also very strong in Kingston, especially since Cable & Wireless, Digicel and MiPhone, Jamaica’s three cellular providers, are all based in the city.

Services

Kingston, as the capital, is the financial, cultural, economic and industrial centre of Jamaica. Many financial institutions are based in Kingston, and the city boasts the largest number of hospitals, schools and cultural attractions of any urban area on the island.

Hospitals

Kingston Public Hospital

Victoria Jubilee Hospital

National Chest Hospital

University Hospital of the West Indies

Bustamante Hospital for Children

Medical Associates Hospital

St. Joseph's Hospital

Andrews Memorial Hospital

Bellevue Hospital

Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre

Nuttall Memorial Hospital

Maxfield Park Medical Centre

Secondary Schools

Co-educational

Ardenne High School

Campion College

Mona High School

Tarrant High School

Clan Carthy High School

The Priory School

Kingston Technical High School

St. Andrew Technical High School

Donald Quarrie Technical High School

Papine High School

Lister Mair-Gilby High School (for the deaf)

Hillel Academy

Meadowbrook High School

Trench Town High School

Camperdown High School

All-Boys

Kingston College

Calabar High School

Jamaica College

Wolmer's Boys School

St. George's College for Boys

All-Girls

The Queen's School for Girls

Wolmer's Girls School

Immaculate Conception High School for Girls

St. Andrew High School for Girls

St. Hugh's High School for Girls

Merl Grove High School for Girls

Holy Childhood High School for Girls

Convent Of Mercy Academy, Alpha

Tertiary Institutions

University of the West Indies (Mona) (External Link

)

University of Technology, Jamaica (External Link

)

Jamaica Theological Seminary

Caribbean Maritime Institute (External Link

)

Excelsior Community College

Edna Manley School of the Visual and Performing Arts

St. Joseph's Teachers College

Mico University College

University College of The Caribbean(UCC) (External Link

)

Creative Production and Training Centre (CPTC)(External Link

)

Jamaica-German Automotive Training School (JAGAS)

National Tool and Engineering Institute (NTI)

Vocational Training and Development Institute (VTDI)

United Theological College of the West Indies

Northern Caribbean University N.C.U (External Link

)

Hotels

Hilton Kingston Hotel

Jamaica Pegasus

Courtleigh Hotel and Suites

Knutsford Court Hotel

Christar Villas

Medallion Hall Hotel

Blue Mountain Inn

Morgans Harbour Hotel (Port Royal)

Terra Nova Hotel

Four Seasons Hotel

Restaurants

Island Grill

Indies Pub and Grill

Strawberry Hill (Irish Town)

Golden Bowl

Jade Garden

TGI Fridays

Akbar

Dragon Court

Habibi Latino

Kabana

Columbus Italian (Jamaica Pegasus)

Japanese Restaurant (Hilton Kingston Hotel)

Local Fast Food chains

Tastee

Mothers

Juici Patties

Captain's Bakery

International Fast Food chains

KFC

Burger King

Subway (restaurant)

Wendy's

Pizza Hut

Denny's

Domino's Pizza

Popeye's

TGI Fridays

Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates

Argentina

Brazil

Canada

PRC

Colombia

Costa Rica

Cuba

Denmark

Dominican Republic

France

Germany

Haiti

India

Japan

Mexico

Nigeria

Russia

South Africa

Spain

Sweden

Trinidad and Tobago

United Kingdom

United States of America

Venezuela

Prominent people born in Kingston

John Barnes (1963-), English footballer

Aston "Family Man" Barrett (1946-), bassist

Buju Banton (1973-), reggae singer

Bushwick Bill (1966-), of rap group Geto Boys

Dennis Brown (1957-1999), reggae singer

Frederic Hymen Cowen (1852-1935), British composer

Chili Davis (1960-), Major League Baseball player

Desmond Dekker (1941-2006) singer and songwriter

Sandy Denton (1964-), "Pepa" of hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa

Coxsone Dodd (1932–2004), reggae music producer

Sly Dunbar (1952-), reggae musician, dub music producer

Eek-A-Mouse (1957-), reggae singer

Patrick Ewing (1962-), All-Star basketball player for the New York Knicks

Chris Gayle (1979-), famous cricketer

Howard Grant (1966-), boxer

Lisa Hanna (1975-), Miss World 1993, politician

Vybz Kartel (1976-), dancehall artist

Bounty Killer (1972-), dancehall artist

Sandra Levy (1965-), field hockey player

Beenie Man (1972-), reggae artist

Elephant Man (1975-), dancehall artist

Damian Marley (1978-), reggae artist and youngest son of Bob Marley

Ziggy Marley (1968-), reggae artist and son of Bob Marley

Mavado (1981-), dancehall artist

Sean Paul (1973-), dancehall/reggae artist

Junior Reid (1965-), reggae singer

Shaggy (1968-), reggae singer

Robbie Shakespeare (1953-), reggae musician, dub music producer

Courtney Walsh (1962-), famous cricketer

Devon White (1962-), Major League Baseball player

Willard White (1946-), opera singer

Sister cities

Kingston has five sister cities:

Miami, USA

Kalamazoo, USA

Coventry, UK

Guadalajara, Mexico

Shenzhen, PRC

Kingston, MA, USA

Attractions and landmarks

Bob Marley Museum

Coins and Notes Museum

Coke Methodist Church

Devon House

Emancipation Park (External Link

)

Hellshire Beach

Hope Botanical Gardens

Institute of Jamaica

Jamaica Defence Force Museum

King's House

National Heroes Park

Nelson Mandela Park

Old Jewish Cemetery

Plumb Point Lighthouse

Rockfort Mineral Spa

St. William Grant Park

National Gallery of Jamaica

University College of The Caribbean

University of Technology, Jamaica

University of the West Indies

Ward Theatre Further Information

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