May Pen
Encyclopedia
May Pen is the capital and largest town in the parish of Clarendon in the Middlesex County, Jamaica
. It is located on the Rio Minho
river (Jamaica's longest), and is a major market centre for the Parish. The population is estimated at around 60,000, with the surrounding suburbs of Sandy Bay, Mineral Heights, Hazard, Palmers Cross, Denbigh (Race Track), and Four Paths all accounting for an estimted 82,000. The town has a mayor
.
point of view in the centre of a largely agricultural parish, and as a midpoint on the Kingston to Manchester
road. Boasting a large open air market and transportation centre along Main Street and Sevens Road, the town's centre is often chaotic with activities of shoppers, vendors daily and motorized traffic. May Pen also has many banks, hardware stores, pharmarcies and eateries, including "Juicy Beef Patties". The town also has a large post office and court house.
May Pen is also an important citrus
packing centre, famous for 'Trout Hall' oranges
and a hybrid citrus fruit called an ugli. The Denbigh Agricultural Showground is located approximately three miles west of the centre of the town. May Pen's geographical position is situated at near the centre of the entire island. May Pen has long been viewed as one of Jamaica's most important agriculture towns. During its heyday of Jamaica Bauxite Mining, Citrus and Sugar productions, Clarendon was among Jamaica leading parishes in economic activity. With the now defunct (Jamaica Railway Corporation) May Pen which had served as the crossroads of Jamaica natural resources, connecting FrankField and its Citrus in the north of the parish, with Lionel Town and its sugar production in the South. The Alcoa mining and refinery in partnership with the Jamaican government (Jamalco), located south of the town, is the single largest employer of the town, and along with Trout Hall Citrus. The Denbigh Agircultural Show Ground is the largest in the English-speaking Caribbean, and has served to promote regional farmers agriculture, textile and livestock production. Held annually during Jamaica's Independence Celebration weekend, Denbigh often attracted large crowds from all parts of the island to see Jamaica's best in show and enjoy festive activities.
It is the birthplace of reggae
and ska
singer Frederick "Toots" Hibbert
, frontman for Toots & the Maytals
.
May Pen has no universities, but does have several public and private schools, including Central High School, Denbigh High School, Glenmuir High School
(Anglican), Glenmuir Preparatory School (Anglican primary), May Pen High School (private), May Pen Primary School, and St. Thomas Moore Preparatory School (Catholic primary).
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. It is located on the Rio Minho
Rio Minho (Jamaica)
At the Rio Minho is the longest river in Jamaica. It rises close to the island's geographic centre, flows generally south-southwest and reaches the Caribbean Sea at Carlisle Bay in the central south coast, to the west of the island's southernmost point, Portland Point.The town of May Pen,...
river (Jamaica's longest), and is a major market centre for the Parish. The population is estimated at around 60,000, with the surrounding suburbs of Sandy Bay, Mineral Heights, Hazard, Palmers Cross, Denbigh (Race Track), and Four Paths all accounting for an estimted 82,000. The town has a mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
.
Description
May Pen was established as a plantation settlement by the British between 1660 and 1683 on a crossing point of the Rio Minho River. May Pen is well located from an administrativeAdministration (government)
The term administration, as used in the context of government, differs according to jurisdiction.-United States:In United States usage, the term refers to the executive branch under a specific president , for example: the "Barack Obama administration." It can also mean an executive branch agency...
point of view in the centre of a largely agricultural parish, and as a midpoint on the Kingston to Manchester
Mandeville, Jamaica
Mandeville is the capital and largest town in the parish of Manchester in the county of Middlesex, Jamaica. In 2005, the town had an estimated population of 50,000, and including the immediate suburbs within a radius of the total population is about 72,000. It is located on an inland plateau at an...
road. Boasting a large open air market and transportation centre along Main Street and Sevens Road, the town's centre is often chaotic with activities of shoppers, vendors daily and motorized traffic. May Pen also has many banks, hardware stores, pharmarcies and eateries, including "Juicy Beef Patties". The town also has a large post office and court house.
May Pen is also an important citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
packing centre, famous for 'Trout Hall' oranges
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
and a hybrid citrus fruit called an ugli. The Denbigh Agricultural Showground is located approximately three miles west of the centre of the town. May Pen's geographical position is situated at near the centre of the entire island. May Pen has long been viewed as one of Jamaica's most important agriculture towns. During its heyday of Jamaica Bauxite Mining, Citrus and Sugar productions, Clarendon was among Jamaica leading parishes in economic activity. With the now defunct (Jamaica Railway Corporation) May Pen which had served as the crossroads of Jamaica natural resources, connecting FrankField and its Citrus in the north of the parish, with Lionel Town and its sugar production in the South. The Alcoa mining and refinery in partnership with the Jamaican government (Jamalco), located south of the town, is the single largest employer of the town, and along with Trout Hall Citrus. The Denbigh Agircultural Show Ground is the largest in the English-speaking Caribbean, and has served to promote regional farmers agriculture, textile and livestock production. Held annually during Jamaica's Independence Celebration weekend, Denbigh often attracted large crowds from all parts of the island to see Jamaica's best in show and enjoy festive activities.
It is the birthplace of reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
singer Frederick "Toots" Hibbert
Toots Hibbert
Frederick Nathaniel "Toots" Hibbert is a ska and roots reggae singer and leader of the reggae band Toots & the Maytals.-Biography:...
, frontman for Toots & the Maytals
Toots & the Maytals
Toots and the Maytals, originally called simply The Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group and one of the best known ska and reggae vocal groups. According to Sandra Brennan at Allmusic, "The Maytals were key figures in reggae music...
.
May Pen has no universities, but does have several public and private schools, including Central High School, Denbigh High School, Glenmuir High School
Glenmuir High School
Glenmuir High School is a secondary institution in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica. The school was founded on September 15, 1958 as a private co-educational secondary school of the Anglican Diocese. The founder was the late Rt. Reverend Percival Gibson, Bishop of Jamaica...
(Anglican), Glenmuir Preparatory School (Anglican primary), May Pen High School (private), May Pen Primary School, and St. Thomas Moore Preparatory School (Catholic primary).