Saint Mary Cayon Parish
This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2011) |
Saint Mary Cayon | |
---|---|
Parish | |
Country | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
Capital | Cayon |
Area | |
• Total | 15 km2 (6 sq mi) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 3,435[1] |
• Density | 229/km2 (590/sq mi) |
Saint Mary Cayon is one of 14 administrative
Land
The parish's 6 square miles (16 km2) offer forest-draped mountains in the northern interior, with the more scrub-like covered Canada Hills near the southern interior borders. The coastline is marked by the beautiful (but dangerous due to Atlantic waves) black-sand beach of Hermitage Bay on the North Coast. Sheer cliffs dominate the rest of the coastline, but to the extreme South of this lies a 6-mile (9.7 km) long continuous strip of sand that stretches from Saint Mary Cayon, into
There are many notable ravines in the parish, indicating that it may be one of the oldest parts of island, after the
Town/Villages
The parish capital is the town of Cayon. Other villages are Key's, Ottley's and Lodge. There are all located near the main road in the parish central zone. The fertile farmlands are also in the zone.
Capital - Cayon
Other Villages:
- Lodge
- Ottley's
- Little Italy
- Spooner's
- Keys
Economy
The Saint Mary Cayon Parish was historically one of the main industrial areas in Saint Kitts, home to the island's cotton ginnery, which was opened in 1901. It made history as its home estate, Spooner's Estate, became the first one in the Caribbean to successfully change from sugar production to cotton. The factory remained open until its acquisition by the government in 1970, shortly after which it was closed down. Since then, no significant industrial development has taken place in the parish, despite Cayon being a sizeable town.
Agriculture dominates today's parish economy. The main crops produced are fruits and ground provisions, with livestock production in the parish being especially high. The second industry of the parish is tourism. A mile inland from Ottley's village lies Ottley's Plantation Inn, a former plantation house and one of the premier hotels on the island. The parish is also noted for its large water stores, which supply much of the East Coast.
Education
Community festival
There is the famous Green Valley Festival which is celebrated from May to June. The festival is mainly held in Cayon. This festival is one of the many village community festivals held all around St. Kitts, but is largely considered to be one of the best. The festival normally ends with J'ouvert
References
- ^ "2011 Census". Department of Statistics, St. Kitts and Nevis.
- ^ "Windsor University School of Medicine - Contact Us". windsor.edu. Retrieved 2011-09-12.