Manchester Parish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Manchester
Manchesta
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Parish
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Manchester in Jamaica
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| Country | Jamaica |
| County | Middlesex |
| Capital | Mandeville |
| Major towns | Christiana Porus Williamsfield |
| Area | |
| • Total | 830 km2 (320 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 6th |
| Population | |
| • Total | 190,812 |
| • Density | 229.9/km2 (595/sq mi) |
Manchester is a parish in west-central Jamaica. Think of a parish like a county or a region. Its main town, called Mandeville, is a busy place for businesses. Mandeville is also home to a special church, St. Paul of the Cross Pro-Cathedral, which is important for the local Catholic community.
Contents
History of Manchester Parish
People have lived in Manchester for a very long time. In 1792, a surveyor found three ancient carvings in a cave. These carvings are called Zemi and were made by the Taino or Arawak people. Today, you can see these carvings in the British Museum.
Manchester Parish was created in 1814. It was one of the newest parishes in Jamaica at the time. It was formed from parts of St. Elizabeth and Clarendon parishes. People living in areas like Mile Gully and Carpenters Mountain asked for this change. They felt they were too far from their old administrative centers.
The parish was named after William Montagu, 5th Duke of Manchester. He was the Governor of Jamaica for 19 years, which was a record! The capital town, Mandeville, was started in 1816. It was named after the Governor's oldest son, Lord Mandeville.
Unlike some other parts of Jamaica, Manchester did not have large sugar farms. Instead, people worked on coffee farms. After slavery ended, many former slaves became independent coffee farmers. The irish potato was first grown in Jamaica in a town called Bethany in Manchester. A special fruit called the ortanique was also created here in 1920. It's a mix between an orange and a tangerine.
Many important Jamaican businesses started in Mandeville. The Mandeville Hotel, which opened in 1875, is one of the oldest hotels in the Caribbean. Jamaica's first "Free Library" was also set up here in 1938. It is still the oldest Parish Library.
Mandeville grew a lot when the Alcan Bauxite Company started working there. This company built homes for its workers and offered good jobs. This attracted many skilled Jamaicans to the town. Mandeville is still growing fast today. Many people think it is one of the most attractive and cleanest towns in Jamaica.
Mandeville has many shops, with 14 shopping centers. It also has two hospitals, one public and one private. This means it offers some of the best medical services on the island, second only to Kingston.
Population and Leadership
The total population of Manchester Parish is 190,812 people. The main town, Mandeville, has a population of over 30,485. The mayor of Mandeville is Donovan Mitchell, and the deputy mayor is Rohan Kennedy.
Geography of Manchester
Mandeville, the capital, is located at latitude 17°51'N and longitude 77°38'W. Manchester is bordered by St. Elizabeth to the west. To the east, it borders Clarendon. To the north, it borders Trelawny.
Manchester covers an area of 830 square kilometers. This makes it Jamaica's sixth-largest parish. It has three mountain ranges: the Carpenters Mountains, the May Day Mountains, and the Don Figuerero Mountains. The highest point is 2,770 feet (844 meters) above sea level in the Carpenters Mountains. Manchester is divided into four political areas: North-West, North-East, Central, and Southern Manchester.
Most of the parish's surface is made of limestone. This means you can find many interesting natural features. These include cockpits, sinkholes, caves, and underground passages. Gourie Cave, near Christiana, is the longest cave in the parish. It is also the longest known cave in Jamaica, stretching 3,505 meters. Smokey Hole Cave is the deepest known cave on the island, going down 194 meters.
Manchester also has large amounts of bauxite. Bauxite is a rock used to make aluminum. Parts of the parish have been mined for bauxite, especially in William's Field, Hope, and Blue Mountain.
The parish has different types of climate, plants, and scenery. Mandeville is located at an elevation of 626 meters (2,054 feet). The town is known for its pleasant climate. Temperatures usually range from 12.7°C (55°F) in winter to 33°C (91°F) in summer.
There are not many large rivers in Manchester. The rivers that exist are quite small. Some of them include Alligator Hole River, Gut River, and Hector's River. Hector's River flows along the border of Manchester and Trelawny. Despite these rivers, getting enough water can sometimes be a challenge. The southern parts of the parish often experience drought.
Economy and Commerce
Large-scale farming of crops is not common in Manchester. This is because the area is mostly mountainous. Crops like sugar cane need large, flat areas of land. However, other crops are grown here. These include Bananas, coffee, pimento, annatto, and ginger. The parish is especially known for its citrus fruits. Oranges, ortaniques, and grapefruit are grown, and many are sent to other countries.
Christiana is the second-largest town in the parish. It is about 28 kilometers (17 miles) north of Mandeville. The Christiana Land Authority helps with farming development in this area. A lot of irish potato is grown around Christiana. It is also a major area for growing bananas and ginger.
Manchester is a key center for the bauxite mining industry. The first bauxite mining companies here were Alcan and Alpart. Alcan, a big Canadian company, was a major employer. It offered good salaries and benefits, attracting many Jamaicans. Alpart, which stands for Aluminum Partners of Jamaica, was originally a joint project. It is still operating in St. Elizabeth parish today.
In 2007, the parish created the Manchester (Jamaica) Local Sustainable Development Plan. This plan aims to improve the community over the next 20 years.
Television Channels
- ZQI-TV (TVJ) Channel 13, Spur Tree, Jamaica
- Hype TV
- CVM
- NCU Television (Ch. 188- Flow)
Special Places to Visit
- Captain Alexander Woodburn Heron's tomb is at the top of Shooter's Hill. Locals now call it "Heron Hill."
- Roxborough Estate is a very important place. It is the birthplace of Norman Washington Manley. He was a Jamaican National Hero and the first Premier of Jamaica.
Education in Manchester
Manchester Parish has many schools and colleges.
High Schools
Secondary High Schools
- Belair High
- Bellefield High
- Bishop Gibson High (for girls)
- Christiana High
- Cross Keys High
- DeCarteret College
- Manchester High
- May Day High
- Mile Gully High
- Mount St Joseph High School
- New Forest High
- Porus High
- Winston Jones High
Technical High School
- Holmwood Technical High
Private High Schools
- Sacred Heart
- St Michael's Institute
- Beaumont High
- Bethel Christian
- Victor Dixon High
Universities and Colleges
There are several important colleges and universities in Manchester.
- Northern Caribbean University (NCU) is a Seventh-day Adventist institution. It used to be called West Indies College.
- Church Teacher's College, Mandeville
- The Catholic College
- Knox Community College (with campuses in Cobbla and Mandeville)
- Regent College of the Caribbean (formerly Jamaica Bible College)
- Bethel Bible College
Famous People from Manchester
Many talented people come from Manchester Parish:
- Donovan Bailey, a retired Olympic sprinter
- Annastasia Baker, a UK-based Gospel, R&B, and soul singer
- Kemoy Campbell, a distance runner and athlete
- Nesta Carter, an athlete
- Ce'cile, a musician
- Charmaine Crooks, an Olympic athlete
- General Degree, a DJ
- Heavy D (Dwight Arrington Myers), a rapper
- Derrick Evans, also known as "Mr. Motivator," a fitness instructor
- Ijahman Levi, a reggae musician
- Luciano, a reggae musician
- Norman Washington Manley (1893 - 1969), Jamaica's first Premier and a National Hero
- Winston McAnuff, a reggae musician
- Lovel Palmer, a Jamaican and international footballer
- Sheryl Lee Ralph, an actress and singer
- Tony Rebel, a reggae musician
- Garnett Silk, a reggae musician
- Sherone Simpson, an athlete
- Elaine Thompson, an athlete
- Christopher Williams, an athlete
Images for kids
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Manchester in Jamaica
See also
In Spanish: Parroquia de Mánchester para niños
