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The Two Jamaican Cities
(Montego Bay & Kingston)

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Did you know that, officially, there are only two Jamaican cities - Kingston and Montego Bay? Apparently not many persons know and such is does creates some confusion.

Portmore, which is spoken of as the third city, and in fact, it is also called 'The Sunshine City', has not been formally ascribed the city status as yet. Be sure to read the article, 'What goes into the making of a city? " by The Jamaica Observer.

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Other areas are almost equally popular, but the two above, plus Portmore, are the only established ones- for now.

Kingston the capital of Jamaica, located in the southwestern part of island, is considered the administrative, cultural and industrial hub of Jamaica. It is also the largest city in Jamaica.

Click Here to see the complete Town And City Listing

Port Of Kingston

Montego Bay is a sprawling city with Jamaica's largest airport, shopping and cruise line terminal. Montego Bay's coast land boasts numerous tourist resorts.

The famous "White Witch's" Rose Hall property is one of the most popular historic attraction in Montego Bay. By the way, Rose Hall is well known for being the spot of many of James Bond thrillers.

Portmore , the city in the making, was awarded the prestigious status of Municipality in 2003, which is just one level down from city status.

And rightly so, it was the fastest growing area in Jamaica. Just 11 miles west of the city of Kingston, it was estimated to be home to an estimated 170,000 low to middle-income families.

For a general list of other major towns and parish capitals in Jamaica, click here.

According to Wikipedia, Portmore began as a large area for schematic residential development in the late 1960s, as the WIHCON organization built thousands of prototype housing units in an effort to alleviate the over-population of Kingston.

It has since grown as a suburban city to Kingston, as its large population travels via the Causeway Bridge into Kingston daily, for work, schooling, and many other essential services.

It has its own City Council and Mayor, following the British-based model of other Jamaican cities' governments.

While Portmore is not marketed as a tourist destination for the millions of incoming travelers to Jamaica every year, there are many places for entertainment, eating, relaxing and enjoyment.

Today, Portmore is one of the most important towns in the island nation and comprises of approximately 10% of the population of the Kingston Corporate Area.

Negril, Ocho Rios & Port Antonio are other notable areas of the country that, though not official cities, are highly popular to our tourists.

Negril is easily the most popular though, it is almost a little Jamaica by itself! With a little more infrastructural work, don't be surprised if you hear that the town of Negril becomes a city too!

Don't miss my famous places in Jamaica page for details on other prominent and famed areas of the island.

Major Towns And Parish Capitals In Jamaica

Town/City	Parish
Anotto Bay	Saint Mary
Black River	Saint Elizabeth
Brown's Town	Saint Ann
Bull Savanna	Saint Elizabeth
Falmouth	Trelawny
Half Way Tree	Saint Andrew
Kingston	Kingston
Lucea	Hanover
Mandeville	Manchester
May Pen	Clarendon
Montego Bay	Saint James
Morant Bay	Saint Thomas
Negril	Westmoreland
Ocho Rios	Saint Ann
Port Antonio	Portland
Port Maria	Saint Mary
Portmore	Saint Catherine
St. Ann's Bay	Saint Ann
Savanna la Mar	Westmoreland
Spanish Town	Saint Catherine

Pages Related To Jamaican Cities

References:

The Portmore Municipal Council, https://portmoremc.gov.jm/
Just what goes into the making of a city? - Jamaica Observer, http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Just-what-goes-into-the-making-of-a-city-_77608

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About The Author

A patriotic Jamaican who adore its culture, Wellesley has been using this medium to share what he calls 'the uniqueness of Jamaica with the world' since April 2007.

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His efforts have earned this site featured positions in local publications, including the Jamaica Gleaner's Hospitality Jamaica, Carlong Publishers, as well as recognition from numerous prestigious international agencies and universities. Read more about him here.

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