Point Fortin, officially the Republic Borough of Point Fortin, the smallest
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle A ...
in
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
is located in southwestern
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
, about southwest of
San Fernando, in the
historic county of Saint Patrick. After the discovery of
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
in the area in 1906 the town grew into a major oil-producing centre. The town grew with the oil industry between the 1940s and 1980s, culminating in its elevation to borough status in 1980. After the end of the
oil boom Point Fortin was hit hard by economic recession in the 1980s and the closure of its
oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, lique ...
. Construction of a
Liquefied Natural Gas
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled down to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the vol ...
plant by
Atlantic LNG in late 1990s boosted the economy.
History and development
At the beginning of the 20th century (before the discovery of oil), Point Fortin was an agricultural community with three distinct and separately owned cocoa and coconut estates.
These estates were sparsely populated. Employment was provided for a small number of workers who depended on the estates for their living accommodation as well as their food and other supplies. Travel in and out of Point Fortin was by coastal steamers as there was no road into or out of the area. The inhabited area was located along the seacoast.
In 1907, the Trinidad Oilfields moved into Point Fortin on an expedition for the exploration of oil and sank its first oil well on the La Fortunee Estates. That company turned out to be the only one that survived successfully, although there had been several similar expeditions by other oil companies.
The company later changed its name to the United British Oilfields of Trinidad then became Shell Trinidad Limited. In 1974 it was acquired by the Government and named TRINTOC or the Trinidad and Tobago Oil Company, today known as Petrotrin.
The change from an agricultural to an oil based economy made a significant impact in Point Fortin. There was rapid development in the construction of dwelling houses, plant, pipelines and oil tanks in the area. Point Fortin was booming and labour, particularly skilled labour for the new technology, was scarce and posed a major problem. Trinidadians did not seem to be attracted to the area.
Although people migrated from all over the country, the population in 1931 was less than 500. There were very few houses, no schools, and recreational and other facilities. As a result, Trinidadians who went to work in Point Fortin never took their families with them.
However, this changed when the company realised that in order to attract and retain workers, they needed to develop the area. This encouraged families to settle in the area, and coupled with a growth in the commercial sector, brought about such facilities as a post office, police station as well as other governmental agencies and banks.
In the 1960s the town began to see a decline due to massive retrenchment. The Government tried to revive the economic activity and eventually succeeded in establishing the Dunlop Tyre Factory. However the economic revival was only achieved in the early 1970s as a result of the Oil boom and the acquisition of Shell Trinidad Limited by the government. Point Fortin's Mayor is Saleema McCree Thomas (
PNM).
The MP for Point Fortin is Kennedy Richards Jr. (PNM).
Demographics
Ancestry
Notable natives
Culture
*
Fay-Ann Lyons Alvarez – Soca Artiste
*Austin Lyons (
Superblue) – Calypsonian / Soca artist/ father of
Fay-Ann Lyons Alvarez and her sister
Terri Lyons
*Kelvin Pope (
The Mighty Duke) – Calypsonian
*Keegan Taylor Soca artist/Stick Fighter
*Lady Tiny- Calypsonian
*Iwer George - Calypsonian/ Soca artist
*Naya George - Soca artiste
Sports
*
Atiba Charles
*
Avery John
Emery Avery John CM (born 18 June 1975) is a Trinidad and Tobago former professional footballer who played as a defender.
Career
Youth and College
John was born in Point Fortin. He attended Vessigny ntillesGovernment Secondary School and ...
*
Kenwyne Jones
Kenwyne Joel Jones CM (born 5 October 1984) is a Trinidadian football manager and retired professional player who played as a forward. He currently manages the Trinidad and Tobago women's national team. He began his football career with Joe ...
*
Keyeno Thomas
*
Warren Archibald
*
Steve David
Steve David (born 11 March 1951 in Point Fortin, Trinidad) is a Trinidadian former North American Soccer League and international football player.
Club career
David began his professional career with Police in Trinidad and Tobago. In 1974, he ...
*
Anthony Douglas
*
Randy Samuel
Randolph FitzGerald Samuel (born 23 December 1963) is a Trinidad-born Canadian former soccer player who played as a defender. His 82 international caps were a Canada national team record until he was surpassed by Paul Stalteri in September ...
- Canadian footballer
*
Public service
*Lionel Blake – first mayor
*Victor Chin Kit – past mayor
*Cyril Rogers – longest-serving MP
*John Cupid – cultural researcher
*Francis Bertrand – longest-serving mayor (Boro Day Pioneer)
Others
*Arthur Joseph -
''Deal or No Deal'' (US game show) winner
*Manchand Teeluck - professional wrestler
Ring of Honor and
New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV ...
*Kailash Seemegona - color commentator
Ring of Honor and
New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV ...
*Keston Jones - special effects assistant (Ash vs Evil Dead)
*Blake Ramires - radio co-host pirate radio podcast (US Internet radio/podcast show)
*Phillip Mitchell - radio host Univ of Hartford. CT.USA (West Indian Rhythms)
WWUH
WWUH is a non-commercial radio station licensed to the University of Hartford in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States. The station was started on July 15, 1968 and has a Public Alternative Radio format.
WWUH operates on 91.3 MHz from a ...
*Lance Knight - Video Game Developer/Programmer and Program Development Coordinator for
Waseda University
, mottoeng = Independence of scholarship
, established = 21 October 1882
, type = Private
, endowment =
, president = Aiji Tanaka
, city = Shinjuku
, state = Tokyo
, country = Japan
, students = 47,959
, undergrad = 39,382
, postgrad ...
Waseda University
, mottoeng = Independence of scholarship
, established = 21 October 1882
, type = Private
, endowment =
, president = Aiji Tanaka
, city = Shinjuku
, state = Tokyo
, country = Japan
, students = 47,959
, undergrad = 39,382
, postgrad ...
Education
Primary schools
* Point Fortin Roman Catholic Primary School
* Point Fortin S.D.A Primary School
* Egypt Village Government Primary School
* Point Fortin Anglican Primary School
* Point Fortin A.S.J.A Primary School
* Cap-de-Ville Government Primary School
* Fanny Village Government Primary School
Secondary schools
* Point Fortin East Secondary School (formally known as PFC)
* Point Fortin West Secondary School (formally known as the Junior Secondary)
* Holy Name Convent'
Other Educational/Training Institutions
* Manchand Teeluck's Squared Circle Grappling Academy - Professional Wrestling Academy
* Lu-Wong Dance Academy
* Com Sa Choi - Asian Culinary Institute
* Club Malibu - Pole Dancing Academy
Electoral districts
* Egypt Village
* Techier/Guapo Village
* Mahaica/New Lands Village
* Cap-De-Ville/Fanny Village
* New Village
* Hollywood Village
References
*
{{Authority control
Populated places in Trinidad and Tobago
Ports and harbours of Trinidad and Tobago
Municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago
Populated coastal places in Trinidad and Tobago