San Nicolas, Aruba
Encyclopedia
San Nicolaas is 19 kilometres (11.8 mi) southeast of Oranjestad
, and is Aruba
's second largest city. As of 2008 it has a population of 18,126, most who originate from the British Caribbean. Known as the island's Sunrise Side, San Nicolaas was once a bustling company town, when Lago Oil and Transport operated its oil refinery from 1924-1985. The refinery was closed from 1985 to 1990, when Coastal Corp reopened the oil refinery. It was then sold to Valero, and it was open for a number of years, and closed in 2009; in December 2010, Valero announced plans to reopen the refinery.
San Nicolaas was named after a Mr. Nicolas van der Biest (1808-1873), who owned a big piece of the land there. Landowners were then addressed by their subordinates by their first names preceded by 'Shon' meaning 'master'. So he was called 'Shon Nicolas', as was the area. It is thought that the change from Shon Nicolas to San Nicolaas was due to the influence of Spanish. (Source is Dr. J Hartog, Aruba's historian and Aruba Tourism Authority.)
On August 22, 2010, San Nicolaas, Aruba, won the Senior League World Series on Saturday in Bangor, Maine.
Close to San Nicolaas, a Dutch marine camp is off Commanders Bay near the fishing village of Savaneta.
Charlie's Bar, in operation since 1941, once had a colorful reputation as a hangout for rowdy sailors and oil refinery
workers. The establishment is known for its variety of bric-a-brac. Pictures, business cards and license plates grace the walls of the bar while the hundreds of items hanging from the ceiling include hat
s, frisbees, an inner tube, a life jacket and even shirts from the Boston Braves
and Brooklyn Dodgers. Charlie's Bar and the town of San Nicolaas are featured in two novels by American author Daniel Putkowski, An Island Away (2008) and Under a Blue Flag (2011).
A section of San Nicolaas' main street has been converted to a picturesque promenade with shops containing souvenir
s, crafts and local snacks. In nearby Seroe Colorado, there is a small natural bridge
, not to be confused with the bridge at Andicuri. To view the bridge follow the road to its terminus, then hike approximately 200 feet (61 m) down old lava
and coral
formations.
Only in San Nicolaas is prostitution
legal on Aruba.
Oranjestad, Aruba
Oranjestad is the capital and largest city of Aruba, which is in the Caribbean north of Venezuela. Oranjestad is located on the southern coast near the western end of the island country...
, and is Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
's second largest city. As of 2008 it has a population of 18,126, most who originate from the British Caribbean. Known as the island's Sunrise Side, San Nicolaas was once a bustling company town, when Lago Oil and Transport operated its oil refinery from 1924-1985. The refinery was closed from 1985 to 1990, when Coastal Corp reopened the oil refinery. It was then sold to Valero, and it was open for a number of years, and closed in 2009; in December 2010, Valero announced plans to reopen the refinery.
San Nicolaas was named after a Mr. Nicolas van der Biest (1808-1873), who owned a big piece of the land there. Landowners were then addressed by their subordinates by their first names preceded by 'Shon' meaning 'master'. So he was called 'Shon Nicolas', as was the area. It is thought that the change from Shon Nicolas to San Nicolaas was due to the influence of Spanish. (Source is Dr. J Hartog, Aruba's historian and Aruba Tourism Authority.)
On August 22, 2010, San Nicolaas, Aruba, won the Senior League World Series on Saturday in Bangor, Maine.
Close to San Nicolaas, a Dutch marine camp is off Commanders Bay near the fishing village of Savaneta.
Charlie's Bar, in operation since 1941, once had a colorful reputation as a hangout for rowdy sailors and oil refinery
Oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas...
workers. The establishment is known for its variety of bric-a-brac. Pictures, business cards and license plates grace the walls of the bar while the hundreds of items hanging from the ceiling include hat
Hat
A hat is a head covering. It can be worn for protection against the elements, for ceremonial or religious reasons, for safety, or as a fashion accessory. In the past, hats were an indicator of social status...
s, frisbees, an inner tube, a life jacket and even shirts from the Boston Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
and Brooklyn Dodgers. Charlie's Bar and the town of San Nicolaas are featured in two novels by American author Daniel Putkowski, An Island Away (2008) and Under a Blue Flag (2011).
A section of San Nicolaas' main street has been converted to a picturesque promenade with shops containing souvenir
Souvenir
A souvenir , memento, keepsake or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. The term souvenir brings to mind the mass-produced kitsch that is the main commodity of souvenir and gift shops in many tourist traps around the world...
s, crafts and local snacks. In nearby Seroe Colorado, there is a small natural bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
, not to be confused with the bridge at Andicuri. To view the bridge follow the road to its terminus, then hike approximately 200 feet (61 m) down old lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
and coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
formations.
Only in San Nicolaas is prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
legal on Aruba.