Town of Frederiksted | |
|---|---|
 Along Company Street In Downtown Frederiksted | |
| Nickname: Freedom City | |
  Town of Frederiksted | |
| Coordinates: 17°42′42″N 64°52′55″W / 17.71167°N 64.88194°W | |
| Sovereign state |  United States |
| Territory |  United States Virgin Islands |
| Island | Saint Croix |
| ZIP code | 00840, 00841 |
| Area code | 340 |
Frederiksted (the Danish translation of "Frederik's Place") is both a town and one of the two administrative districts of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. It is a grid-planned city, designed by surveyor Jens Beckfor, originally to 14x14 blocks but built 7x7 to enhance the island commerce in the 1700s. Fewer than 1,000 people live in Frederiksted proper, but nearly 10,000 live on the greater western side of the island. Christiansted (mid-island on the north) is about 30 years older, but commerce was limited by its natural, shallow protective reef. Frederiksted was built in the leeward side of the island (shadow of the wind) for calm seas and a naturally deep port. It is home to Fort Frederik, constructed to protect the town from pirate raids and attacks from rival imperialist nations and named after Frederick V of Denmark, who purchased the Danish West Indies in 1754.
Locals often call Frederiksted "Freedom City". This nickname has to do with the fact that the town was the site of the emancipation of slaves in the then-Danish West Indies. On July 3, 1848, freed slave and skilled craftsman Moses Gottlieb, also known as "General Buddhoe", led the uprising, organized slaves on St. Croix's West End plantations, and marched on Frederiksted. The emancipation of slaves was proclaimed on July 3, 1848, at Fort Frederik on the waterfront at the northern edge of Frederiksted by Governor-General Peter von Scholten.
Frederiksted is home to one of two deep water ports on St. Croix and is the sole port for cruise ships visiting the island. Passengers disembark at the Frederiksted Pier, where they may explore the town, enjoy the beaches, rent a car, or catch a taxi that to other points of interest on St. Croix. The other deep water port is at the South Port and includes the tank farm of the former Hovensa oil refinery and Renaissance Industrial Park. Several government offices occupy historic buildings in the town.
In the early 2000s, Frederiksted was briefly a port for Seaborne Airlines seaplanes, which are based in Christiansted.[1] Seaplane service ended after less than a year when a tropical storm damaged the port facility.
- ^ "FLIGHTS TO LINK FREDERIKSTED, CHARLOTTE AMALIE | St. Croix Source". Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-13.