Kingston, Jamaica

"New Kingston" redirects here. For the hamlet in the state of New York, see New Kingston, New York. For the band, see New Kingston (band).

Kingston
Capital city
The port of Kingston in 2004
The port of Kingston in 2004
Motto: 
A city which hath foundations[1]
Kingston is located in Jamaica
Kingston
Kingston
Location of Kingston shown within Jamaica
Kingston is located in North America
Kingston
Kingston
Kingston (North America)
Coordinates: 17°58′17″N 76°47′35″W / 17.97139°N 76.79306°W / 17.97139; -76.79306
CountryJamaica
CountySurrey
ParishKingston
St. Andrew
Established22 July 1692
Government
 • MayorAndrew Swaby[3]
Area
 • Parish
480 km2 (190 sq mi)
Elevation
9 m (30 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Parish
662,435[2]
 • Rank65th in North America
1st in Jamaica
 • Metro
1,190,000
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (Eastern Time Zone)
 • Summer (DST)(Not Observed)
Websiteksamc.gov.jm

Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island. Kingston is the largest English-speaking city south of the United States in the Western Hemisphere.[4]

The local government bodies of the parishes of Kingston and Saint Andrew were amalgamated by the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation Act of 1923, to form the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC). Greater Kingston, or the "Corporate Area" refers to those areas under the KSAC; however, it does not solely refer to Kingston Parish, which only consists of the old downtown and Port Royal.[5] Kingston Parish had a population of 89,057, and St. Andrew Parish had a population of 573,369 in 2011[2] Kingston is only bordered by Saint Andrew to the east, west and north. The geographical border for the parish of Kingston encompasses the following communities: Tivoli Gardens, Denham Town, Rae Town, Kingston Gardens, National Heroes Park, Bournemouth Gardens, Norman Gardens, Rennock Lodge, Springfield and Port Royal, along with portions of Rollington Town, Franklyn Town, and Allman Town.[6][7]

The city proper is bounded by Six Miles to the west, Stony Hill to the north, Papine to the northeast, and Harbour View to the east, which are communities in urban and suburban Saint Andrew. Communities in rural St. Andrew such as Gordon Town, Mavis Bank, Lawrence Tavern, Mt. Airy, and Bull Bay would not be described as being in Kingston city.[8]

Two districts make up the central area of Kingston: the historic Downtown and New Kingston. Both are served by Norman Manley International Airport and also by the smaller and primarily domestic Tinson Pen Aerodrome.[9]

  1. ^ KSAC lauds contribution of century-old churches downtown Archived 27 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b "Population usually resident in Jamaica by parish":2011". Statistical Institute of Jamaica. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  3. ^ "Williams as Kingston Mayor, Ennis his deputy". Jamaica Observer. 4 December 2016. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Five Things You Didn't Know About Kingston, Jamaica". Caribbean Journal. 17 July 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2022.[unreliable source?]
  5. ^ "Brief history of Kingston, Jamaica". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  6. ^ "Electoral Commission of Jamaica". Archived from the original on 5 January 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  7. ^ "University of Texas, Perry–Castañeda Library Map Collection". Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  8. ^ "Map of Kingston Jamaica – Jamaica's Capital City". Jamaica Land We Love. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  9. ^ "Airports". www.visitjamaica.com. Retrieved 21 June 2022.