May Pen

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May Pen town centre; the large open-air market is just behind the buildings on the left
May Pen town centre; the large open-air market is just behind the buildings on the left

May Pen is the capital and largest town in the parish of Clarendon in the county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It is located on the Rio Minho river, and is a major market centre. The population is estimated at around 60,000. The town has a mayor.

May Pen was established as a plantation settlement by the British between 1660 and 1683 on a crossing point of the Rio Minho River. May Pen is now said[who?] to be the fastest growing rural town close to Kingston. It is well located from an administrative point of view in the centre of a largely agricultural parish, and as a midpoint on the Kingston to Manchester road.

May Pen is also an important citrus packing centre, famous for 'Trout Hall' oranges. The Denbigh agricultural showground is a short distance from May Pen.

It is the birthplace of reggae and ska legend Frederick "Toots" Hibbert frontman of Toots and the Maytals.

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Coordinates: 17°58′N, 77°14′W

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