From Jamaica Wiki
Saint Andrew is one of the most populous (according to the 2001 census) among the fourteen parishes in Jamaica. The parish is located north of Kingston, the capital of Jamaica and comes within the county of Surrey. St. Andrew had been one of the first Jamaican parishes to be officially formed in 1867. The parish, formerly known as ‘Liguanea’ has the town of Half Way Tree as its capital.
Saint Andrew, covering an area of only 455 sq km, is one of the smallest parishes in Jamaica. Its neighboring parishes are St. Catherine in the west, St. Mary in the north, Portland in the northeast and St. Thomas in the east. In 1923, a law merging the administration of the parish of St. Andrew and Kingston was passed. This combined entity is called the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) and has a single elected mayor and council. The term ‘Corporate Area’ is often used to refer to the KSAC. Mr. Desmond McKenzie currently holds the post of the mayor of KSAC. Cross Roads, New Kingston, Half Way Tree, Constant Spring and Mathilda’s corner are major commercial centers in St. Andrew that are also regarded as suburbs of Kingston. West St. Andrew is a thickly populated residential area.
Unlike many other parishes in Jamaica, St. Andrew’s economy doesn’t depend on tourism. St. Andrew is a major agricultural region in Jamaica and produces coffee, mangoes, cocoa, peas, beans, sugarcane and vegetables among other things. The Jamaican Government has recently established industrial estate almost 300 acres in size to encourage the industries to move from the commercial areas of the city of Kingston and to promote the establishment and growth of new industries. St. Andrew also has large deposits of gypsum especially in the area of Bull Bay.
St. Andrews is also the location of the University of West Indies. It occupies an area of 2.6 sq km northeast of Kingston in the Liguanea plain. The University of Technology (formerly College of Arts, Science and Technology) is also located close by. St. Andrews is also the location of several important areas like the Governor General’s residence and the Prime Minister’s residence.
