Saint Andrew (capital: Half Way Tree) is a parish, situated in the southeast of Jamaica in the county of Surrey. It lies north, west and east of Kingston, and stretches into the Blue Mountains and at the 2001 census had the highest population of all the parishes in Jamaica. The Right Excellent George William Gordon (d. 1865), one of Jamaica's seven National Heroes, was born in this parish.
Within its borders are many places of attractions, historical sites, famous residents and the country's financial capital.
Music flows in this parish with many areas giving birth to musicians and the popular types of Jamaican music. The Studio One studio founded by Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd is another Saint Andrew creation. Mavado, Sean Paul, Buju Banton, Elephant Man, The Mighty Diamonds, Monty Alexander, Beres Hammond, Lady Saw, Sugar Minott, Bounty Killer, Mr. Vegas, Richie Spice are some of the parish's current residents The area of Trench Town was made famous because of its rise of people like The Wailers (Bunny Wailers, Peter Tosh and Bob Marley), and Toots Hibberts who gave credence to the birth of reggae music. Waterhouse, another area that has a who's who of musical residence; from Keith Hudson, King Tubby's, U Roy, Sir Jammy's, Black Uhuru, Dennis "Senitor" Allen, Early B. Super Cat, Ninja Man, Shabba, and Beenie Man; also the home of Olympic winner, Shelly-Ann Fraser.
Devon House, built in 1881, was the residence built by Jamaica's first black millionaire, George Stiebel. He gained his wealth in Venezuela and returned to Jamaica to become the Custos of Saint Andrew. His residence is restored and open to the public for tours and special events and houses the famous Devon House ice cream shop.
The Hope Estate (17th century) now provides the land space for Hope Garden (Royal Botanical Gardens), one of the oldest in the Western Hemisphere, and the University of the West Indies with part of its aqueduct still intact. Vale Royal, the residence of the Prime Minister and King's House the Governor General's residence are all historic buildings.[1] The area of Norbrook was once the plantation of George Willian Gordon. The Bob Marley Museum on Hope Road was once owned by Chris Blackwell and is now open for guided tours.
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St. Andrew was one of the first parishes to be established by law in 1867. Before being established, it was known as 'Liguanea'.
St Andrew is located at and covers an area of 455 km2 (176 sq mi). The parish lies just north of Kingston, bounded in the west by St. Catherine, north by St. Mary, northeast by Portland along the Blue Mountain range, and east by St. Thomas. In 1923, the parishes of St Andrew and Kingston were administratively merged to form the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC), with a single elected council and a mayor. Parts of the geographic area of Saint Andrew is often referred to as the "Corporate Area, town, Kingston Metropolition area, uptown Kingston, Kingston 2-20". The current mayor of KSAC is Desmond McKenzie.
Cross Roads, New Kingston, Half-Way-Tree, Matilda's Corner, and Constant Spring are important commercial centres in St. Andrew, but may be regarded as suburbs of Kingston. Coronation Market bordering both Saint Andrew and Kingston, is one of the largest, if not the largest outdoor market in this part of the island provides a venue for farmers throughout Jamaica. West St. Andrew, however, is a populous residential area. Total population of the parish is an estimated 540,715.
A lot of the parish is given over to agriculture. Its principal products include coffee, mangoes, cocoa, peas, beans, sugarcane, cattle; dairy goods, cigar and cigarette, vegetables and ground provisions. To encourage the movement of Industrial Plants from the business areas of Kingston, and to facilitate the establishment of new industries with local and overseas capital, the government has established an industrial estate in St. Andrew, bordering on Western Kingston. This Industrial Estate is over 1.2 km² (300 acres) in size. Tourism plays a major part in the economy of the parish. The major hotels in this southeastern part of the country can be found on Knutsford Boulevard, also known as The Strip. The area of New Kingston is seen as the financial capital of the island, with its large headquarters for banks and investment companies. The commercial areas, with their many malls, plazas and stores provide employment for many in the urban area of the parish. Gypsum is found in large quantities, in eastern St. Andrew, the largest deposits being in the area of Bull Bay, a mile and a half of the coast.
At the south of Papine, several miles northeast of Kingston is the University of the West Indies, occupying 2.6 km² (1 mile²) of the Liguanea Plain at the foot of Long Mountain. The University of Technology, Jamaica, formerly the College of Arts, Science and Technology, is located nearby. So too is the United Theological College of the West Indies. The Edna Manley School for the Visual Arts is also located in Saint Andrew, not far from the National Stadium.
The parish of Saint Andrew also boasts some of the top high schools on the island. Campion College, Jamaica College, Calabar High School, Ardenne High School, Immaculate Conception High School, Saint Andrew High School for Girls,Holy Childhood High School for Girls, Meadowbrook High School, Saint Hugh's School, Excelsior High School, and ironically, a campus of Kingston College, in Rollington Town, are some of those schools.
Saint Andrew provides the vibrancy that creates a city environement, nightlife, many fabulous restaurants, outdoor facilities, tourist attractions, making the city of Kingston what it is today.
The St. Andrew Juvenile Remand Centre of the Department of Correctional Services, Jamaica is located in Stony Hill, St. Andrew Parish.[2]
The primary roads through Kingston to the rest of the island all pass through St Andrew including the A1 to Lucea, A3 to Saint Anns Bay, A4 to Annotto Bay and B1 to Buff Bay via Newcastle. The Transport Center, located in Half-Way-Tree, Saint Andrew is a depot for public buses servicing many parts of the tri-parish area (Saint Andrew, Kingston and Saint Catherine)and the outlying areas.
The main railway line from Kingston to the rest of the island used to run through western St Andrew en route to Spanish Town. It is now closed.
Jamaica's primary airport, Norman Manley International Airport, on the Palisadoes Peninsula and Tinson Pen.
Plumb Point Lighthouse is located at Great Plumb Point on the Palisadoes Peninsula.
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