Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica

From Jamaica Wiki

Saint Ann is the largest and one of the most populous among the fourteen parishes of the country of Jamaica. The parish is situated almost halfway between the western and eastern ends of the island of Jamaica bordering the northern coastline. St. Ann belongs to the county of Middlesex and has several parishes including Clarendon, St. Catherine, St. Mary and Trelawny as its neighbors. The St. Ann parish is nicknamed the ‘The Garden Parish of Jamaica’ because of its immense natural beauty. The capital of St. Ann is at St. Ann’s Bay and other major towns include Ocho Rios, Browns town, Claremont and Runaway Bay.

The earliest recorded settlement in the history of Jamaica is in the parish of St. Ann. It is believed that the Taino/Arawak people established a settlement in the present area known as St. Ann around 600-650 AD. Christopher Columbus led the first of the Spanish explorers into Jamaica in 1494, where they made their first landfall in St. Ann. Columbus also came to St. Ann during his fourth voyage when he was marooned for almost a year in the island. He gave St. Ann’s Bay the name of Santa Gloria. Spanish made their first settlement in Jamaica at Sevilla la Nueva (now known as Sevilla) quite close to St. Ann’s bay. This made St. Ann’s bay the third capital set up by the Spanish in the Americas. The Spanish also started sugar production in Jamaica in 1526.

But in 1655, the English took over St. Ann’s bay from the Spanish. Under them, St. Ann’s bay became a fishing port with a number of warehouses and wharves. They also gave St. Ann’s bay its name as a tribute to Lady Ann Hyde, the first wife of King James II. In the twentieth century, the town of Ocho Rios also began evolving into a modern town and a well-known tourist attraction. This change was initiated by the building of a deep-water pier, to export bauxite, by the Reynolds Jamaica mines.

At 1212.6 sq km, St. Ann is Jamaica’s largest parish closely followed by St. Elizabeth at 1212.4 sq km. As of 2001, approximately 168,726 people live in St. Ann. St. Ann has a number of sizeable towns in St. Ann’s Bay, Ocho Rios, Discovery Bay and Brown’s town. The land of St. Ann is relatively flat with the highest point located in the Dry Harbour Mountains with an elevation of 762 meters above sea level. The major rivers flowing through the parish are the White River, St. Ann, and Negro. St. Ann is also famous for its 59 caves and many sinkholes present in the limestone formations.

The economy of St. Ann depends on agriculture, bauxite and tourism like many other Parishes of Jamaica. St. Ann mainly produces bananas, pimentos, sugar, coffee, limes corn, ginger and several other crops. Livestock farming especially cattle, horses and hog is also practiced. Since the discovery of bauxite in St. Ann in 1942, many companies like Reynolds Jamaica mines Ltd. and Kaiser Aluminium had opened shop there. Today Kaiser Aluminium is Jamaica’s largest single taxpayer and contributor of foreign exchange.

Tourism is St. Ann’s biggest industry with several destinations that interest the tourists. The town of Ocho Rios is the biggest crowd puller with several attractions, like the Dunn’s River falls and the Puerto Seco beach, located in and around it. The Dunn’s River falls is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Jamaica. It is located at the point where the Dunn’s river empties into the Caribbean Sea. Fern Gully, a national park, and the Runaway caves, a vast system of caves and tunnels, are other interesting places to visit. For the fans of Reggae, there is a Bob Marley museum at Nine Mile, place where Marley was born and buried. The Seville Great House and the Edinburgh Castle are also places worth visiting.