Tour Jamaica

Portland

Portland is the seventh largest parish in Jamaica. It is located on the north coast of the Island, between the parishes of  St. Thomas and St. Mary. The parish was created in 1723 and was named after the 1st Duke of Portland, an English Governor of Jamaica (1722-1726). Portland is noted for its lush green vegetation, beautiful beaches, picturesque coves and caves, and abundant rainfall.

Portland became a prosperous parish with the rise of the banana trade in the 1880s. Port Antonio, its capital, could be described as Jamaica's first tourist resort town. In the 1950s, it became a popular resort for famous writers, movie stars, such as Errol Flyn, and tycoons, who stayed at the Titchfield Hotel and the glamorous Frenchmans Cove Hotel.

Portland is known as the home of "Jerk Meat", particularly, its famous jerk pork. The annual Jerk food festival is held in the month of July, at the Great Folly House, in Port Antonio. There is also the annual International Blue Marlin fishing tournament, held in the same town.

OVERVIEW OF PARISH

1. Name Orign : The Parish was named after the 1st Duke of Portland, an English Governor of Jamaica
2. Capital : Port Antonio
3. Size : 814 sq km - or 314.3 sq. miles
4. Population : Estimated, 81,000
5. Main Commercial Activities : Tourism and Agriculture
6. Main Towns : Port Antonio, Boston Bay, and St. Margaret's Bay 
7. Attractions/Places of Interest : River Rafting on the Rio Grande, Navy Island, Folly Great House, Blue Lagoon, Reach Falls, Somerset Falls and Boston Beach.