The site of the present day city was founded by the British in 1628. Bridgetown is a major West Indies tourist destination, and the city acts as an important financial, informatics and convention centre in the Caribbean region.

History

It is suspected that this bridge was created by a people indigenous to the Caribbean known as the Arawak Indians. Upon finding the structure the British settlers began to call what is now the Bridgetown area, Indian Bridge.

It is widely believed that the Arawaks were driven from Barbados to the neighbouring island of Saint Lucia, during an invasion by another people indigenous to the region known as the Carib Indians tribe. Eventually after 1654 when a new bridge was constructed over the Careenage by the British, the town became known as The Town of Saint Michael and later Bridgetown, and the final name stuck.

Bridgetown serves as the principal centre of commercial activity in Barbados, as well as a central hub for the island's public transport system. Many of the ministries and departments of the island's government are also located in Bridgetown. The handsome Parliament Buildings, which stand at the heart of the city directly north of Heroes Square, house the third oldest parliament in the British Commonwealth. Indeed, at one point in its early history, Bridgetown was the most important city of all British possessions in the New World. Additionally, Bridgetown is the only city outside continental North America that George Washington visited. (George Washington House, the actual house where he stayed, is now part of the Garrison Historic Area)

Bridgetown has the qualities of a fully modern and thriving city. There is access to many services including a piped water supply (said to be naturally among the purest in the world), electricity, natural gas supply, cutting-edge telecommunications, wireless services, internet cafes, and a good overall infrastructure. The city is also served by an impressive conference facility the Sherbourne Conference Centre ( though still unfinished after ten years) in the suburb of Two Mill Hill just beyond the city's eastern limits. The City of Bridgetown played host to the 1994 United Nations Global Conference on Sustainable Development of Small Islands States. Bridgetown has branches of some of the largest banks in the world and English-speaking Caribbean and is internationally recognised as an emerging financial domicile. The city is currently experiencing a phenomenal spurt of redevelopment in preparation for the 2007 World Cricket Cup Finals to be held at the historic Kensington Oval. The Oval is being renovated to a state-of-the-art sports facility that will accommodate 30,000 spectators. Live viewership for the 2007 event is estimated to be in the region of 2 billion.

For a city of its size, Bridgetown is home to several prestigious educational institutions. The city serves as the seat of one of the three campuses of the University of the West Indies in the northern suburb of Cave Hill. The campus sits on a bluff offering a spectacular view of Bridgetown and its port. The Barbados Community College is located 3 miles east of the Central Business District in a suburb known as "The Ivy", while the sprawling campus of the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic is located just beyond the eastern limits of the city in a suburb known as "The Pine". In addition, the city houses such distinguished secondary schools as Harrison College and Combermere.

The city has access to daily flights via the island's Airport the Sir Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) located on the ABC Highway/Highway 7 in Seawell, Christ Church. Bridgetown was the only other city in the western hemisphere - after New York, U.S.A - to be served by regularly scheduled British Airways Concorde flights. Additionally, the GAIA has been chosen as one of only four global display sites for the retired supersonic aircraft. The Airport is currently in the final stages of an expansion project, which will also include the construction of an aviation museum to house the retired Concorde aircraft.

Around town

The main street which Bridgetown is known for is Broad Street which runs through the centre of the city, passes the Parliament Buildings and serves as a shopping area. Another major traffic artery into the city is Bay Street (which turns into Highway 7) and leads toward the South Coast of Barbados and the Parish of Christ Church. There are also other notable streets in Bridgetown, including:

• Swan Street - which is parallel to Broad Street, to the north.
• Roebuck Street - which leads towards Queens Park to the North, and East of Swan Street.

• Tudor Street - which comes from the north, intersects Swan Street and runs perpendicular to Broad Street.
• The Spring Garden Highway, which lies to the west of the city, plays host to over 85,000 bystanders and participants in the annual Kadooment Carnival Parade.

The city

Landmarks / points of interest

• National Heros Square (formerly Trafalgar Square) and Fountain Garden ^*
• Parliament Buildings of Barbados,
• The Cathedral Church of Saint Michaels and All Angels,
• The St. Mary's Anglican Church
• The St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral
• The Jewish Synagogue (one of the oldest in the Western world)
• The Pelican Village and Craft Centre
• Queen's Park
• The Nelson Statue
• The Barbados Museum
• Kensington Oval (currently undergoing major refurbishment)
• Carlisle Bay Beach
• Cheapside market
• The Tom Adams Financial Complex
• The Frank Collymore Hall of the Performing Arts
• The Cathedral Plaza
• The Cave Shepherd Department Store (No.10 Broad Street)
• The Sagicor Building (lower Broad Street)
• The Cheapside Gardens
• The Garrison Savannah and National Historic Area
• The Hilton Hotel

Attractions

• Pierhead Development Complex

Economy

Barbados' main exports are Sugar, rum, and molasses. The island is also involved in other industries namely tourism and the offshore sector.

The City of Bridgetown also has a well regulated stock exchange which lists securities for native and Caribbean companies and corporations.

Business / Specifics

The main banks are:

• Barclays Bank (see FirstCaribbean International Bank),
• Bank of Nova Scotia,
• Barbados National Bank,
• Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) (see FirstCaribbean International Bank),
• RBTT Bank and
• Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)

Cash dispensers (ATM)s are available.

Shops are open:

• 8am-6pm weekdays and
• 8am-noon Saturdays.

Electricity: 110 volts AC, 50 cycles. Most hotels have 220 AC.

Telecommunications: the international dialling code for Barbados is 1-246 followed by seven digits. On the island, use the seven digits alone. When on the island, to call anywhere in the United States or Canada simply dial 1+(area code) + seven digit phone number.

Emergency Numbers: Police: 211 (emergency only) Fire: 311 Ambulance: 511 Coast Guard and Defense Force: (246) 427-8819

Time: GMT-4

Transportation

All seven of Barbados's primary Highways begin close to the City of Bridgetown, in the Parish of Saint Michael. They all fan out to the North, South and East to other parts of the island. Driving is done of the left-hand side of the road with a speed limit of 60Km/h(around 38MP/h) in built-up areas. The speed limit on the ABC Highway is generally 80Km/h (50mph) except in built-up areas.

Public Buses

Route Taxis

Harbour

The Harbour port acts as one of the major shipping and transhipment hubs from international locations for the entire Eastern Caribbean. Recently the Bridgetown Port was dredged to allow safe access and berthing for the new league of "super cruise ships". The dredging project was completed in 2002 and the city can now host many of the largest cruise ships in the world.

The port of Bridgetown also handles goods for the domestic needs of the island. The island's main exports of mainly agricultural products also make use of the Harbour facilities.

Bridgetown also has a smaller canal in the centre of the city which is an inlet from the Caribbean Sea named The Careenage. It is a more shallow canal but is just large enough for pleasure craft and fishing boats. The Careenage should not be confused with the Deep Water Harbour, The Careenage has two main bridges near city center which spans the shallow Careenage.

Developments

• In 2004 the capital of Bridgetown celebrated its 375th Anniversary of Establishment, and did so with a year long calendar of events and twinning agreements with a town in Canada, and new city in the United States.

• The City of Bridgetown to be revamped (Tuesday, May 30th, 2006) - Barbados Advocate Newspaper

See also

• Demographics of Barbados
• Transportation in Barbados
• List of cities in Barbados
• Parishes of Barbados

Sister cities

• Bridgetown, Nova Scotia, Canada (July, 2004 twinning)
• Wilmington, North Carolina, USA (June 28, 2004)

External links

Facilities

• Deep Water Harbour Port
• Bridgetown Cruise Terminals
• Map overview of Bridgetown
• Overview of Bridgetown

Shops and malls

• The Pelican Craft Centre
• Cave Shepherd
• Colombian Emeralds
• Little Switzerland
• Diamonds International
• S.Y.Adams and Sons
• Harrisons
• Da Costas Mall
• Brydens
• Tri Mart
• Cafe Blue
• Wild Pair Shoe Store
• The Bionic Manshop
• Chefette Restaurants
• Norman Centre
• The Nelson Arms
• The Crystal Plaza
• Nu Look
• The Flame Store
• NVN Plaza
• Mall 34
• The Broad Street Mall
• City Centre Shopping Mall
• Tudor Street

Stock exchange

• Barbados Stock Exchange (BSE)

See also MapQuest zoom levels 8, 9, and 10.

You can find a detailed map of Bridgetown at Caribbean-On-Line.com

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