Grand Bahama

Grand Bahama

Geography
Grand Bahama (Bahamas )
Location	Atlantic Ocean
Coordinates	26°39′N 78°19′W / 26.65°N 78.317°W / 26.65; -78.317
Archipelago	Bahamas
Area	1373 km²
Highest point	40 ft ()
Country
Bahamas
Largest city	Freeport
Demographics
Population	approx 75,000 (as of 2007)
Density	34 /km2 (88 /sq mi)

Grand Bahama is one of the northernmost of the islands of the Bahamas, and the closest major island to the United States, lying just 55 mi (90 km) off the state of Florida. Grand Bahama is the fourth largest island in the Bahamas island chain of approximately 700 islands and 2,400 cays. The island is approximately 96 miles (154 km) long west to east and 17 miles (27 km) at its widest point north to south.

Administratively the island consists of the Freeport Bonded Area and the districts of East Grand Bahama and West Grand Bahama

History

Pre-Contact & Early Spanish Contact

The Spanish gave the island the name Gran Bajamar, meaning "Great Shallows", and what the eventual name of the Bahamas islands as a whole is derived from. Grand Bahama's existence for almost two centuries was largely governed by the nature of these "great shallows" - the coral reefs surrounding the island were treacherous, and repelled its Spanish owners (who largely left it alone apart from infrequent en-route stops by ships for provisions) while attracting pirates, who would lure ships onto the reefs where they would run aground and be plundered. The Spaniards took little interest in the island after enslaving the native Lucayan inhabitants.

British Rule

The islands were claimed by Great Britain in 1670. Piracy continued to thrive for at least half a century after the British takeover, though the problem was eventually brought under control.

Grand Bahama was to remain relatively quiet until the mid-nineteenth century, with only around 200-400 regular inhabitants in the capital, West End. In 1834, the towns of Pinder’s Point, Russell Town and Williams Town were established by former Bahamian slaves after the abolition of slavery in the British empire. The island was still little developed until a brief boom in economic activity during the American Civil War, when it was a center for blockade runners smuggling goods (mostly weaponry, sugar and cotton) to the Confederacy. A second brief smuggling boom occurred during the years of prohibition in the USA.

Hawksbill Creek Agreement Era

By the middle of the 20th century, Grand Bahama's population numbered around 500 and the island was one of the least developed of the Bahamas' islands. However the island finally gained a stable source of income when in 1955 a Virginian financier named Wallace Groves began redevelopment with the Bahamian government to build the city of Freeport under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement and create the Grand Bahama Port Authority Soon after, the ambitious Edward St. George, with the financial help of Sir Jack Hayward, took the company to new frontiers. Seeing the success of Cuba as a tourist destination for wealthy Americans, St. George was eager to develop Grand Bahama in a similar vein. The city grew rapidly, with St. George adding a harbour, an airport (the largest privately owned airport in the world) soon after the city was founded, and the tourist center of Port Lucaya in 1962. Grand Bahama became the second most populous island in the Bahamas (over 50,000 in 2004).

Economy

High-rise condominium building

Tourism is the mainstay of the island's economy. The resort area at Port Lucaya and visits by cruise ships provide the bulk of this activity. Grand Bahama's tourism sector is complemented by an oil bunkering facility owned by Vopak and a transshipment/container port partly owned by Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa and the Grand Bahama Port Authority. There are also quarrying operations on the island and a large shipyard.

Administrative Regions

Grand Bahama is divided in to three Districts and seven Town areas for administrative purposes.Each district is runned by a Chief Councillor, and each Town Area or Township is runned by a Chairperson.As of 1996 Grand Bahama has three districts.

• East Grand Bahama
• West Grand Bahama
• The City of Freeport

Important Settlements

Freeport is the major city and capital of Grand Bahama Island. As mentioned above, it holds the commercial ship harbour and the main airport. Freeport has many good shops and roads, and is very clean. Foreign investors are just now waking up to the large number of pristine ocean and canal front properties that exist in the Freeport area. As of April 2007, premium waterfront lots can be found for as little as 20% of their counterparts on the Florida coast. Construction in the Freeport area is picking up quickly as a result. An attractive feature of Freeport property is that it's covered by the Hawksbill Creek agreement. Under this agreement, personal real estate is tax free until 2015.

Lucaya is an important tourist destination on Grand Bahama Island. It has beautiful beaches and contains several big hotels including the most popular, five-star Our Lucaya hotel chain made up of the Reef Village and Radisson hotels and the Lanai Suites located at Lighthouse Point. Count Basie Square in Port Lucaya provides regular live entertainment targeted at cruise ship patrons. Fishing, snorkeling, sight seeing, and "booze cruise" trips leave from Bell Channel Harbour on a daily basis.

West End is the oldest town and westernmost settlement on the island. It first achieved notoriety as a Rum-running port during prohibition. In the 1950s it became home to the Jack Tar marina and club. However, over the years the marina fell into disrepair and the whole city of West End was of little economic import to Grand Bahama. In 2001, the marina was bought out by a group which renamed it Old Bahama Bay ^[1]. Significant renovations followed including complete refurbishment of the docks, many new canals cut for luxury home sites, luxury condos built, and restaurants built. In March 2007, Ginn Resorts took over operation of Old Bahama Bay. Ginn is investing heavily in the West End area, having purchased 1,720 acres (7.0 km²) which it will turn into a luxury resort, marina, and home sites at a cost of 5 billion USD. The project is called Ginn Sur Mer.

McLeans Town is the eastern most settlement and a 30 minute ferry ride from the northernmost settlement of the Island of Abaco.

References

1. ^ Hotel Online Report

External links

• Official Tourism Site of The Islands of the Bahamas
• Official Site of the Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board
• BASRA - Bahamas Air-Sea Rescue Association
• Grand Bahama Power Company