From Jamaica Wiki
Jamaica’s sixth largest parish is Manchester Parish, located in the county of Middlesex. Manchester Parish was established in 1814 when the inhabitants of other small towns such as Mile Gully complained that they were too far away from an administrative body. As a result of this complaint, three parishes were brought together by an Act of the House of Assembly. The sacrifice of the St. Elizabeth’s Parish, Clarendon Parish and Vere Parish created what is now Manchester Parish for the good of the local people. As of 2001, the population of Manchester Parish is over 190,000 people.
'The parish was named in honor the Duke of Manchester, who served as governor for a record 19 years. The capital town of Manchester Parish is Mandeville. It was established in 1816 and was named after the Duke of Manchester’s eldest son, Lord Mandeville. It is bordered by St. Elizabeth, Clarendon and Trelawney. The heart of Manchester Parish’s business district is Mandeville and it is home to one of the oldest hotels in the Caribbean, the Mandeville Hotel. The hotel opened in 1875 and still operates today. Mandeville is also home to the oldest Parish Library which is also the first Free Library in Jamaica. It was established in 1938. As of 2001, the population of Mandeville is over 30,485. The capital town now has a Ministry of Local Government with the office of Mayor now ranking as the top local official.
Tourism, agriculture, manufacturing and mining make up the main industry for Manchester Parish. Mandeville’s early beginnings as a business center continued with the opening of the Alcan Bauxite Company. The company manufactured homes and paid a relatively high wage, thus attracting educated Jamaicans to its employ. Most of the homes were built initially for the expatriate staff of the Alcan Bauxite Company. It was established early on that Europe and Jamaica were the areas with the most bauxite; an ore used in the production of aluminum. In Jamaica, bauxite is found on limestone which makes up over 90% of the rugged Manchester Parish terrain. Mining efforts have left some of the terrain stripped away. Unlike other parishes in Jamaica, Manchester Parish is not located on the coast or near any large rivers. Small rivers snake near and around the parish, but they have proven not to be adequate as the people and crops of the parish have suffered drought, especially the southern regions.
Manchester Parish is the home to three mountain ranges. The highest point belongs to Carpenters Mountains and is 2,770 feet above sea level. The other mountain ranges are named the May Day Mountains and the Don Figuerero Mountains. The popular agricultural staple of sugar cane can not be cultivated here because of the mountainous terrain. Agriculture is limited to citrus fruits, coffee, bananas, ginger and the parish’s very own creation, the ortanique. The ortanique was developed by Charles Jackson in 1920 and is a hybrid of the orange and the tangerine.
For speleologists (scientists that study and explore caves), Manchester Parish is a haven and an important site of limestone caverns. There are over 100 caves, sinkholes, cockpits and underground passages to be explored. The longest known cave in Jamaica, the Gourie Cave, can be found here. The caves are plenty and deep and may have been the home to the now extinct bat species, P. aphylla.
The parish is lauded with beautiful scenery as well as a pleasant year round climate. During December and January, the low temperatures have reached 12.7°C (55° F). The warmer temperatures in July and August have reached 33°C (88° F). The parish is lauded with a pleasant year round climate, picturesque scenery and is a popular tourist destination.
