Oranjestad, Aruba

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Center of Oranjestad

Oranjestad (English: "Orange City"), with a population of 26,355 (2000), is the capital and most important city of Aruba located on the southern coast near the western end of the island.

The town was built around Fort Zoutman, shortly after it was built in 1796 and Oranjestad has been the capital of Aruba ever since. The fort is still one of the town's attractions, others being the tax-free harbour and the Willem III Tower, located near the fort.

The city is named after the first King Willem van Oranje-Nassau (William of Orange-Nassau), the first heir to the House of Orange.

Oranjestad is served by the Queen Beatrix International Airport, 2.5 kilometers from the city center.

Caya G. F. Betico Croes, also called Main Street, is Aruba's main shopping street in Oranjestad, however in the past few years shoppers have increasingly turned to Lloyd G. Smith Boulevard, the main thoroughfare in the city. This is in part because the boulevard is closer to the cruise ship terminal and harbour area.

Oranjestad houses the largest port on the island capable of docking up to five large vessels. In 2003, over 200 container vessels were docked at the Oranjestad port. A smaller port for shorter cargo vessels is at Barcadera, five kilometers to the east. Plans have been proposed to increase loading capacity at Oranjestad, and for the construction of a marina to make up for inadequate docking space available for yachts and fishing boats.

Small portions of the city are formed from a series of man-made expansions of land into the sea. Present-day Renaissance Marketplace (formerly Seaport Marketplace), as well as the adjacent Queen Wilhelmina Park, lies within part of this expansion.

Dutch colonial architecture is less visible than on neighbouring island Curacao, but several modern recreations have emerged, including the outdoor shopping mall at Royal Plaza, and a few scattered buildings along Main Street and on the Main Square.

Oranjestad is home to the Universiteit van Aruba, which offers programs in law and economics, and to the island's largest secondary school. Due to increased government interest in maintaining the island's cultural heritage, a number of old buildings and houses in the center of town have been transformed into colorfully restored landmarks, such as the lime-colored Civil Registry on Wilhelminastraat.

Traffic in the center of town, though less of a problem than on several other Caribbean islands, is a growing issue for island commuters. The government is under pressure to make improvements to the periphery, which runs around the city. As of late 2006 the planning stages have begun for the installment of a roundabout, along the main boulevard and next to the Free Zone, at one of the island's most troublesome intersections. In the meantime, several businesses and government departments have relocated their offices outside of the city center, spurring a boom in construction and modernisation.

In the local language, Papiamento, people often refer to the capital simply as "playa".