Orange Walk Town facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Orange Walk Town
Town
Orange Walk Town
Nickname(s):  Sugar City
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Country	Belize
District	Orange Walk
Municipality	Orange Walk Town
Area
• Urban	18.9 km2 (7.28 sq mi)
• Metro	15 km2 (6 sq mi)
Elevation	33 m (108.3 ft)
Population
• Town	13,708
• Estimate  (2016)	13,683
• Urban	13,750
• Metro	25,767
Demonym(s)	Orange Walkeño(a)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central)
Climate	Aw
Website	http://owtc.org/

Orange Walk Town is the fourth largest town in Belize. About 13,400 people live here. It is the main city of the Orange Walk District. You can find Orange Walk Town on the left side of the New River. It's about 53 miles north of Belize City. Even though its name is English, most people here speak Spanish. They are called Mestizos.

A Look Back in Time: History of Orange Walk Town

In ancient times, during the Maya civilization, this area was known as Holpatin. The district is home to the largest Maya temple from the early Maya period. The Maya people here first met Europeans in the 1530s. They often fought over land.

In 1848, many Maya and Mestizo people came from Mexico. They were escaping a big conflict called the Caste War of Yucatán. This caused the town's population to grow very quickly. In 1872, a famous fight called the Battle of Orange Walk happened here.

You can find two very old Maya ruins near Orange Walk: Lamanai and Cuello. Lamanai means "submerged crocodile" in the Mayan language. Cuello means "neck" in Spanish. Cuello is actually the oldest Maya settlement in Belize. It dates back to about 2000 BC!

In the 1800s, Orange Walk was a small town. It was mostly on the western side of the New River. Most buildings were made of thatch and wood. The town grew from a stop for logwood, mahogany, and chicle workers. They used the New River to transport their goods. This logging camp was known as Orange Walk. The town kept growing, especially after the Caste War in Mexico. Many people escaping the war settled here. In 1963, a sugar mill opened. This brought even more workers from other parts of Belize and nearby countries. They came looking for jobs and land. This made Orange Walk Town's population grow even more.

What Makes Orange Walk Town Tick? Economy

Orange Walk Town Sugar Cane Processing Plant

The Maya and Mestizo people brought many traditions with them. One important thing they brought was sugar cane. Over the years, sugar cane became one of Belize's most important industries. Today, this industry is still very strong here. That's why Orange Walk Town is nicknamed "Sugar City"!

The local Tower Hill Sugar Factory handles all the sugar cane grown in Belize. Rum is also made from this local cane. Companies like Cuello Refinery Ltd and Caribbean Refinery make rum. Most of this rum is sold in Belize.

Besides sugar, people also grow other crops. Tourism is also important to the economy. Orange Walk has one of Belize's strongest economies. This means people here often have a good quality of life.

Most tourism in Orange Walk is ecotourism. This means visitors come to enjoy nature and learn about the environment.

Climate in Orange Walk Town

The weather in Orange Walk is usually dry and warm. When it rains, the storms are often short.

People and Cultures: Demographics

Orange Walk is home to many different groups of people. Most residents are Mestizo or Yucatec Maya. You'll also find Kriols, Mennonites, Chinese, Taiwanese, Indians, and people from other parts of Central America.

About 78% of the people identify as Indigenous Latino. About 11% are Mennonite. Other groups include Maya, Garifuna, East Indian, Creole, White, and Asian. Orange Walk is mostly Hispanic, making it less diverse than some other cities in Belize.

Faith and Community: Religion

Religion is important to many people in Orange Walk. There are many churches and ministries here. A large number of residents, about 65%, are Roman Catholic. About 22% are Protestants. Other religions include Jehovah's Witnesses, Hindu, Buddhist, Islam, Mormons, and Salvation Army.

There are about fifty registered churches in the Orange Walk area. Some of these include:

• Iglesia de Dios Pentecostes "Lirio de los Valles"
• Harvest Bible Chapel
• Orange Walk Church of the Nazarene
• Lighthouse Mennonite Church
• Immaculate Conception Catholic Church
• Betel Evangelical Church
• Iglesia Cristiana Josue AD
• Full Gospel Church of God (IDEC)
• La Inmaculada Roman Catholic Church
• Koinonia Ministries
• Jesus Deaf Church
• Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses OW
• Awakening Ministries
• St Michael Catholic Church
• Alfa y Omega Church
• Maranatha Seventh Day Adventist Church
• Carmelita Baptist Chapel
• Mision Internacional Vida Abundante
• Temple Missionary Baptist Church
• United in Christ Evangelical Church
• Shalom Mennonite Church
• World Wide Missionary Movement Church
• Rio Hondo Mennonite Church

Speaking Up: Language in Orange Walk

The main language spoken in Orange Walk Town is English. However, Spanish is also very common, and almost everyone speaks it. Official numbers from 2010 show that 85.6% of people speak Spanish. About 62.2% speak English. Other languages spoken include Kriol, German (Low German), Maya/Indigenous languages, Chinese, and Garifuna.

Homes and Families: Population and Housing

In 2010, Orange Walk Town had 13,400 residents. This included 6,642 males and 6,758 females. There were 3,361 households, with about 4.4 people per home. Most people (88.1%) live in a full private house. Some live in part of a house or an apartment.

About 14% of Orange Walk residents rent their homes. About 59.4% own their houses without a mortgage. Many buildings in the city were built between 1990 and 1999. Over half of these are made of cement blocks, and a quarter are made of wood. Most roofs are made of sheet metal. Homes in Orange Walk are generally well-maintained.

The town council says Orange Walk is getting more crowded. More people are choosing to live in apartment flats instead of traditional houses.

Learning and Growing: Education

The quality of education in Orange Walk is very good. Students from Orange Walk often do well on exams both in Belize and other countries.

The ability to read and write, called the literacy rate, is 72.6% in Orange Walk. This is the second-lowest rate in the country.

About 55% of boys and 45% of girls attend primary school. For high school, it's about 50% boys and 50% girls. For college, about 40% of males and 60% of females attend.

In Orange Walk, about a quarter of all students score over 70% on their exams. Orange Walk also has the highest number of trained teachers in Belize, second only to Corozal.

Even with good education, Orange Walk has the second-highest rate of children aged 5–13 who are not in school.

Orange Walk has one of the lowest budgets for students in the country. Most residents pay for education themselves. They spend about 12% of their money on education.

Primary Schools in Orange Walk

• Louisiana Government School
• Chapel School
• New Life Presbyterian Primary School
• Solomon's SDA School
• La Inmaculada Primary School
• St Peter's Anglican School
• Carmelita Government School

High Schools in Orange Walk

• Orange Walk Technical High School
• New Hope High School
• Bishop Martin High School
• Muffles High School
• San Juan Bautista High School

Colleges and Universities in Orange Walk

• Orange Walk ITVET
• Muffles College
• University of Belize Orange Walk Campus
• Galen University

Fun and Relaxation: Parks and Public Spaces

Orange Walk has many parks, public spaces, and green areas. You can see large, old trees all over the city.

Parks to Explore

The Town Council has created many parks in the area. They are usually clean and great for families.

• Queen Elizabeth Park and Market Area
• Union Town Park
• Louisiana Nature Park
• San Lorenzo Site Park
• Trial Farm Park
• Orange Walk Central Park
• Independence Park

Public Areas for Activities

• Multipurpose Complex
• East Sports Center
• People's Stadium
• Trial Farm Basketball and Sports Area

Monuments and Historical Sites to Visit

• Marcos Canul Monument near the Town Barracks
• La Inmaculada Church and Monolith
• Unnamed Soldier World War 2 Statue in Independence Park
• Trenches built to protect the colonial settlement in 1876
• Fort Mundy
• Colonial Anglican Church and other old British-style buildings
• Ancient colonial water tower downtown, showing British influence
• The police station sits on top of a buried Mayan Pyramid. This site was called Dzuluinicob, or “land of foreigners,” long ago.
• Statue of a Yucatec Maya woman breastfeeding in Queen Victoria Park

Getting Around: Transportation

Orange Walk has its own airport, the Orange Walk Airport (ORZ). Buses run about every half-hour to and from Belize City (south) and Corozal Town (north). Taxis and minibuses are also available to get around the city and to nearby villages. Many large tour buses pass through Orange Walk. This is because it's a middle stop between Belize City and Chetumal, Mexico.

The streets in Orange Walk town are well-paved in most areas. There are also some speed bumps and traffic lights at main intersections. Traffic lights are not very common in Belize.

Transportation Facts

The Orange Walk Transport Authority says about twenty buses come into Orange Walk each day from nearby areas. About fifty buses leave Orange Walk for other towns, villages, and even Quintana Roo, Mexico.

Community Life: Social Issues

Orange Walk is generally a safe city. Very few people are homeless here.

Orange Walk has a low rate of internet access, at 22.3%. This is lower than Belize City, which has 38.2%.

Orange Walk has one of the highest marriage rates in the country. About 43.7% of all people are married.

A small number of people living in the city were born in other countries (10.8%). This is lower than the national average of 14.5%.

Staying Healthy: Healthcare

The town has the Northern Regional Hospital, which used to be called the Orange Walk Hospital. There is also a private hospital called Northern Medical Specialist Plaza. Orange Walk has good quality healthcare. The infant mortality rate is low, and the death rate is also low.

Several clinics are available in Orange Walk, including:

• La Asuncion Radio-Diagnostic Center & Medical Lab on Asuncion Street
• Sonoscan Ultrasound Care on Baker's Street
• Eve's Specialty Clinic on Ketz Lagoon Street
• Davila's Ultrasound on Corozal Street
• Sugar City Medical Center
• Polaris Medical Clinic on Cinderella Street
• Genesis Medical Clinic on San Antonio Road
• Brigido's Medical and Dental Clinic
• Osorio's Family Health Clinic on Queen Victoria Street
• The Dental Clinic of Dr Silvia Rios on Otro Benque Street
• Dialisis de Belice (Belize-Corozal Road)

There are also many pharmacies:

• Alex Pharmacy (Alex Lopez) (157 Belize Corozal Rd)
• De La Fuente Pharmacy (16 Main St)
• Pharmacy Lucille (Beytias St)
• De La Fuente Pharmacy - Holy Trinity Branch (Holy Trinity St)
• Prisma's Pharmacy (San Antonio Rd)
• MediGreen Pharmacy (28 Belize-Corozal Road)
• DR's Pharmacy Ltd. (Santa Ana St.)
• Selene's Pharmacy (Progress Street)
• RAD's Pharmacy (San Antonio Road)
• DKNN's Pharmacy (Main Street)
• 123 Supermarket (Liberty Avenue)

See also

In Spanish: Orange Walk Town para niños