Montego Bay (Jamaica)

Montego Bay is Jamaica's busy 2nd city on the northwest coast. It owed its past prosperity to sugar, bananas and butter, but today it's tourism. The city has a population of around 110,000 inhabitants (2011 census).

• Montego Bay is the capital of the St James parish and is also the only other officially incorporated city of Jamaica, referred to as The Second City and more widely popular as MoBay in local lingo and Bay by the locals. However, the city is the 4th largest urban area by population following Kingston, Spanish Town, Portmore, all of which form Greater Kingston Metropolitan Area, home to more than half a million people. Montego Bay is the 2nd-largest Anglophone Caribbean city, after primate city, Kingston.
• Montego Bay is a famous tourist destination which features duty-free shopping, cruise terminal and a number of resorts and beaches. The city is served by Donald Sangster International Airport, the busiest in the Anglophone Caribbean, located within official city limits. The port city is enclosed in watershed, drained by a number of rivers, such as Montego River.
• Sam Sharpe Square is the heart of Montego Bay. It is named in honour of the slave who in 1831 led the bloody "Christmas Rebellion", which helped to expedite emancipation on Jamaica. Sam Sharpe Square is a popular gathering spot, where vendors offer snacks, refreshments and T-shirts.
• Montego Bay features excellent examples of Georgian architecture, emphasizing classic proportions. The Town House is a favourite. It was built for a wealthy sugar planter in 1765.
• Outside Montego Bay visitors will discover the famous Doctors Cave beach or try some river-rafting on Martha Brae.
• Dunn's River Falls are a must. Located west of downtown Ocho Rios, the mountain waters plunge 600 ft to smooth limestone beds and then stream under the roadway before mingling with the Caribbean Sea.
• Explore a little of the culture with a visit to the 18th century Jamaica of plantation houses like famous Rose Hall, the most renowned estate on the island, or Appleton Sugar Estate.