Quote:
Originally Posted by Urbanguy
I would love to see more pics of Jamaica especially of its major cities/towns. It's not very often that Jamaica is ever shown by anyone on this site. Does anyone have any recent pics?
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I wish that I had taken my camera on my last trip this summer. I will try to show you what I can find. For any of you who don't know about Jamaica in general, the pictures and quotes are from discoverjamaica.com.
Kingston
"Kingston is the capital and the commercial, administrative and cultural heart of the island. It is the largest English-speaking city in the Caribbean, has the seventh largest natural harbor in the world, and lies on a wide plain with the sea to the south and the St. Andrew Mountain as its backdrop to the north."
Realistically, Kingston is Jamaica without the tourist backdrop. It is relatively small and built in and has a metro population of just over a million. The new highway system will effectively make most of the south coast towns and cities suburbs of the capital in the near future. There are a few mid-rises in the city, but it has never been a big thing in Jamaica to build up. Considering the convenience of cars, low population growth, and the vast amounts of undeveloped land, the popularity of apartments never caught on and there was an oversupply of offices for a long time. In the next decade, this is due to change, but for now, most large projects in the city are retail and infrastructure related.
The city has a historic downtown area with a few mid-rises and an extended grid street network and a newer mid-rise area called New Kingston where most of the new development takes place. New Kingston is centered on a single main road called "the strip" that branches out in a small grid network. The rest of the city doesn't have a grid system.
The portion of the city on the harbor is the industrial district and is lined with factories and warehouses, many of them with private wharfs for importing raws or exporting goods.
The mountains that overlook the city are lined with mansions. Literally thousands of them each with the best view you could ever imagine. I still wonder how its possible for so many to exist.
The city has two airports: Norman Manley International across the harbor and the general aviation Tenson Pen in the industrial district. The international airport is undergoing a major renovation right now and there is talk about the port absorbing Tenson Pen.
The nearby bedroom community of Portmore is the fastest growing on the island and is connected to Kingston proper by a bridge that has been recently upgraded. There has been controversy over the toll element of the bridge project because the residents of Portmore are limited to either taking the bridge or the much longer route that goes around the bay. Most residents feel that they should not have to pay to enter or leave their community.
Montego Bay, the second city.
"Montego Bay, or Mo Bay as it is popularly known, is deservedly one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world. Over the years it has attracted the rich and the famous, and been the haunt of royalty. Many of their luxury villas still grace the hills with fabulous sea views. The bay offers wonderful beaches and the town has lots to offer. The town of Montego Bay is divided into two distinct areas, the residential and the tourist. The former is largely to the south of Sam Sharpe Square and west of St. James Street until its junction with Barnett Street. The main tourist part of town, paced with vendors, stall, higglers and hustlers, is east of Sam Sharpe Square nearer the waterfront, and most of the main resorts and hotels are to the north, between the town and the Sir Donald Sangster International Airport, or east of it."
Montego bay is the center of tourism in Jamaica. Its airport is largest in the island and the hub for the national carrier Air Jamaica and millions visit the city or the north coast every year. It has been undergoing expansions, upgrading, and renovations for as long as I can remember. The city has a corporate free zone that has attracted a lot of foriegn companies to move in. If you are visiting as a tourist, I suggest you start here.
This city is one terminus of the new highway and will connect Kingston and Montego Bay efficiently and realistically for the first time. In the 90s the trip could take as long as 10-12 hours if you traveled at a bad time.
As for buildings, most of the taller buildings here are hotels as you might expect. Domestic corporations mostly move to Kingston where you have access to more of the population.
As for deveopment. There is a lot of investment going on in the city aided by the freezone. I'll try to find some projects for you guys.
Mandeville, inland city.
"Mandeville is the chief town of Manchester parish, Jamaica's mountain resort, one of the island's largest urban center. The town was laid out in 1816 and many of the original buildings can still be seen. Although only 64 miles (103km) from Kingston, Mandeville has a charm - and a climate - all of its own, as if it has been sheltered against al the developments in the capital and around the coast. It has a town square, parish church and clock tower, and many large, elegant early nineteenth-century houses to see along the winding streets. The square is more like a village green and Mandeville has been described as the most English town on Jamaica."
Mandeville is 2000 feet above sea level and enjoys a cool climate for its latitude. Its very pretty to visit, but is mostly another business center. Not many tourists find their way here and the city is fueled by the huge aluminum industry as Mandeville sits on the largest open bauxite source in the world. Mandeville is known as the money center of Jamaica and is home to several financial institutions.
It is one of the cities that will become part of Kingston's commutable area in the future as the highway has already made it halfway between the two cities and has cut the travel time considerably.
Developments in the city are few actually despite the tripling of the population in the last decade. Mandeville has essentially become a pedestrian city based on it's old infastructure with hundreds or thousands of people in the streets during the day. Walking is by far the easiest way to get around. The major private developments are mostly consumer oriented to take advantage of the large centralized shopping districts.