Freeport, Bahamas
Encyclopedia
Freeport is a city, district and free trade zone
located on the island of Grand Bahama
of the North-west Bahamas. In 1955, Wallace Groves, a Virginia
n financier with lumber interests in Grand Bahama
, was granted 50,000 acres (or 202 km2 of pineyard with substantial areas of swamp
and scrubland by the Bahamian
government with a mandate to economically develop the area. Freeport has grown to become the second most populous city in the Bahamas.The main airport serving the city is the Grand Bahama International Airport
. The Grand Bahama Port Authority
(GBPA) operates the free trade zone, under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement
signed in August 1955 whereby the Bahamian Government agreed that businesses in the Freeport area will pay no taxes before 2054. The area of the land grants has been increased to 138,000 acres ( or 526 km2.
The Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) operates the free trade zone, under special powers conferred by the government under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, which was recently extended until August 3, 2054. The agreement also increased the land grants to 138000 acres (558.5 km²).
and on the major EW - NS shipping routes. This has positioned it for tremendous growth as an ideal centre for international business. Consequently, a growing number of international companies use Freeport as its site for business.
s), while the summers are usually hot and wet.
, which topped over a million visitors a year but has considerably diminished since 2004 the year of two major hurricanes to hit the island. Several cruise ships stop weekly at the island. Much of the tourist industry is centered on the seaside suburb of Lucaya
, owing its name to the pre-Columbian Lucayan
inhabitants of the island evidence of whom has been found on the island. Freeport features at least two Junkanoo festivals near New Year's.
The city is often promoted as "Freeport/Lucaya". Most hotels on the island are located along the southern shore facing the Northwest Providence Channel. Primary shopping venues for tourists include the International Bazaar near downtown Freeport and the Port Lucaya Market Place in Lucaya. Recovery from two hurricanes has taken several years, but is now nearing full recovery.
In addition to tourism, the other major industries include one of the largest container ports in the world, servicing the eastern seaboard of the USA, and major drydocks for cruise ship refurbishing.
Free trade zone
A free trade zone or export processing zone , also called foreign-trade zone, formerly free port is an area within which goods may be landed, handled, manufactured or reconfigured, and reexported without the intervention of the customs authorities...
located on the island of Grand Bahama
Grand Bahama
Grand Bahama is one of the northernmost of the islands of the Bahamas, and the closest major island to the United States, lying off the state of Florida. Grand Bahama is the fifth largest island in the Bahamas island chain of approximately 700 islands and 2,400 cays...
of the North-west Bahamas. In 1955, Wallace Groves, a Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
n financier with lumber interests in Grand Bahama
Grand Bahama
Grand Bahama is one of the northernmost of the islands of the Bahamas, and the closest major island to the United States, lying off the state of Florida. Grand Bahama is the fifth largest island in the Bahamas island chain of approximately 700 islands and 2,400 cays...
, was granted 50,000 acres (or 202 km2 of pineyard with substantial areas of swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
and scrubland by the Bahamian
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
government with a mandate to economically develop the area. Freeport has grown to become the second most populous city in the Bahamas.The main airport serving the city is the Grand Bahama International Airport
Grand Bahama International Airport
Grand Bahama International Airport is a privately owned international airport in Freeport, Bahamas. The airport is a joint venture between Hutchison Port Holdings and The Port Group...
. The Grand Bahama Port Authority
Grand Bahama Port Authority
The Grand Bahama Port Authority is a privately held corporation that also acts as the municipal authority for Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, The Bahamas...
(GBPA) operates the free trade zone, under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement
Hawksbill Creek Agreement
The Hawksbill Creek Agreement was an agreement signed in 1955 between the Government of the Bahamas and Mr Wallace Groves to establish a city and free trade zone on Grand Bahama Island with an aim of spurring economic development in the region....
signed in August 1955 whereby the Bahamian Government agreed that businesses in the Freeport area will pay no taxes before 2054. The area of the land grants has been increased to 138,000 acres ( or 526 km2.
History
Freeport is a 230 square miles (595.7 km²) free trade zone on Grand Bahama Island, established in 1955 by the Government of The Bahamas. The city of Freeport emerged from a land grant comprising 50000 acres (202.3 km²) of swamp and scrub to become a cosmopolitan centre.The Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) operates the free trade zone, under special powers conferred by the government under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, which was recently extended until August 3, 2054. The agreement also increased the land grants to 138000 acres (558.5 km²).
Geography
Freeport is strategically located just 65 miles (104.6 km) off the coast of Palm Beach, FloridaPalm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
and on the major EW - NS shipping routes. This has positioned it for tremendous growth as an ideal centre for international business. Consequently, a growing number of international companies use Freeport as its site for business.
National parks
The Rand Nature Centre (named in honour of its founder James Rand), Petersons Cay a small isle about 300 yards off the shore of Grand Bahama and the Lucayan National Park founded by Peter Barratt a former Architect/Town Planner of Freeport. The Lucayan National Park is 40 acre (0.1618744 km²) in extent and includes five ecological zones stretching from the south shore to the pineyard. There is an extensive underwater cave system beneath the Park. One cave entrance is accessible by stairs at the national park. Other caves are accessible for certified scuba divers.Climate
Freeport enjoys a subtropical climate with mild winters. Seldom do temperatures drop below 60 °F (15.6 °C). Average temperatures range in the low to upper 80s, with water temperature varying between 72° and 78°F. The winters are usually cool (mid 60's to 70's) and dry (with the exception of some rainfall due to Cold FrontCold front
A cold front is defined as the leading edge of a cooler mass of air, replacing a warmer mass of air.-Development of cold front:The cooler and denser air wedges under the less-dense warmer air, lifting it...
s), while the summers are usually hot and wet.
Economy
TourismTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, which topped over a million visitors a year but has considerably diminished since 2004 the year of two major hurricanes to hit the island. Several cruise ships stop weekly at the island. Much of the tourist industry is centered on the seaside suburb of Lucaya
Lucaya, Bahamas
Lucaya is a suburb of Freeport, Bahamas a city on the Island of Grand Bahama approximately 105 mi east-northeast of Fort Lauderdale, Florida...
, owing its name to the pre-Columbian Lucayan
Lucayan
The Lucayan were the original inhabitants of the Bahamas before the arrival of Europeans. They were a branch of the Taínos who inhabited most of the Caribbean islands at the time. The Lucayans were the first inhabitants of the Americas encountered by Christopher Columbus...
inhabitants of the island evidence of whom has been found on the island. Freeport features at least two Junkanoo festivals near New Year's.
The city is often promoted as "Freeport/Lucaya". Most hotels on the island are located along the southern shore facing the Northwest Providence Channel. Primary shopping venues for tourists include the International Bazaar near downtown Freeport and the Port Lucaya Market Place in Lucaya. Recovery from two hurricanes has taken several years, but is now nearing full recovery.
In addition to tourism, the other major industries include one of the largest container ports in the world, servicing the eastern seaboard of the USA, and major drydocks for cruise ship refurbishing.
Notable natives and residents
- Justin HillJustin HillJustin Hill is an English novelist whose novels have been nominated for the Man Booker Prize three times. Born in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island in 1971, he grew up in Yorkshire. He was educated at the historic St Peter's School, York....
- British Writer - Janine AntoniJanine AntoniJanine Antoni is a contemporary artist whose work focuses mostly on process. She often uses her whole body or different parts of it, such as her mouth, hair, eyelashes, and brain as tools and with them performs everyday activities to create her artwork.She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College...
- Conceptual Artist - Robert AntoniRobert AntoniRobert Antoni is a West Indian writer who was awarded the 1999 Aga Khan Prize for Fiction by The Paris Review for "My Grandmother's Tale of How Crab-o Lost His Head".- Background :...
- Novelist, Professor - Sebastian BachSebastian BachSebastian Bach is a Canadian heavy metal singer who achieved mainstream success as frontman of Skid Row from 1987 to 1996. Since his departure from Skid Row, he has had many television roles, acted within Broadway plays, and leads a successful solo career.-Early life:Bach was born Sebastian...
- Skid Row singer - Christian Campbell - Poet
Further reading
- Barratt, Peter. Grand Bahama. IM Publishing, Freeport, 2002 (3rd edition) ISBN 0-9717351-0-7