Gros Islet District, one of 10 first order subdivision (

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

, formerly quarters) of the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

island nation An island country, island state, or island nation is a country whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands. Approximately 25% of all independent countries are island countries. Island countries are historically ...

of Saint Lucia which includes the island's northernmost point, Cap Point and the notable Cap Estate, where the renowned St. Lucia Golf and Country Club is located. Whilst the town of

Gros Islet Gros Islet (English: ''Large Island'') is a community near the northern tip of the island country of Saint Lucia, in the Gros Islet Quarter. Originally a quiet fishing village, it has become one of the more popular tourist destinations in the coun ...

is an important administrative centre,

Rodney Bay Rodney Bay is a town and bay located in the Gros Islet District on the island of Saint Lucia. Gros Islet is one of the ten districts in the island. It can be found on the northwestern coast of the island above the Castries District, where the ...

is the main financial center of the district.

History

The

Arawak The Arawak are a group of Indigenous peoples of northern South America and of the Caribbean. The term "Arawak" has been applied at various times to different Indigenous groups, from the Lokono of South America to the Taíno (Island Arawaks), w ...

and Carib artifacts found in Gros Islet District date back to around 1000 A.D. The pirate François Le Clerc, nicknamed Jambe de Bois because of his wooden leg, used Pigeon Island as a base to attack Spanish ships in the 1550s. Peg-Leg Le Clerc was originally from Normandy and the first European to settle Saint Lucia. Because of the good anchorage at Gros Islet harbor, early French and British sailing ships often anchored at this port city. The French established 47 plantations for producing sugar in Gros Islet by 1775. The Marquis de Bouille captured Gros Islet in 1793 before he was forced to retreat by

George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB ( bap. 13 February 1718 – 24 May 1792), was a Royal Navy officer, politician and colonial administrator. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularl ...

from his base on Pigeon Island. During World War II, 221 acres of land at Gros Islet were turned into a U.S. Naval Air Station with seaplanes. All that survives today are the cement ramps used by the plane to come on land.

Government

The Gros Islet District is an electoral constituency and has been represented since July 2021 in the

House of Assembly of Saint Lucia The House of Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Saint Lucia, elected by popular vote. The upper house is the Senate. It has 17 or 18 members: 17 members elected for a five-year term in single-seat constituencies, and a speaker el ...

by Kenson Casimir, Parliamentary Representative for the Gros Islet electoral constituency.

Modern day events

The town of Gros Islet lies north of

Castries Castries () is the capital city, capital and largest city of Saint Lucia, an island country in the Caribbean. The urban area has a population of approximately 20,000, while the eponymous Castries Quarter, district has a population of just under ...

, the capital of Saint Lucia.

is the newest town in

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...

, having been promoted from a village to a town in 1985. It is the location of the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium where Twenty20 Internationals, One Day Internationals and

Test Cricket Test cricket is a Forms of cricket, format of the sport of cricket, considered the game’s most prestigious and traditional form. Often referred to as the "ultimate test" of a cricketer's skill, endurance, and temperament, it is a format of i ...

are played. Parts of the

2007 Cricket World Cup The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth Cricket World Cup, a One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007. There were a total of 51 matches played, three fewer than at the 2 ...

2010 ICC World Twenty20 The 2010 ICC World Twenty20 was the third edition of the Men's T20 World Cup, formerly known as the ICC World Twenty20, an international Twenty20 cricket tournament that was held in the West Indies between 30 April and 16 May 2010. It was wo ...

and

2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup The 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, co-hosted by Cricket West Indies and USA Cricket from 1 to 29 June 2024. It was the first major ICC tournament to include matches played in the United ...

have been played there. The town of Gros Islet features a Friday Night Street Party as its major tourist attraction. Also known as the jump-up, the Friday Night Street Party encompasses several blocks, which are informally cordoned off with the stalls of street vendors. Steamed fish, barbecue chicken and St. Lucia's own Piton beer can be purchased from these vendors. Locals and tourist both dance in a central cross section in the small streets to the sounds of calypso,

zouk Zouk is a musical movement and dance pioneered by the French Antillean band Kassav' in the early 1980s. It was originally characterized by a fast tempo (120–145 bpm), a percussion-driven rhythm, and a loud horn section. Musicians from Mart ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

and R&B. The

area further south differs greatly from the small, makeshift housing littering most of the town of Gros Islet. Catering mostly to the tourism populace, the areas surrounding the marina contain shops, malls, restaurants and night clubs that fall on the higher end of the spectrum compared to other local enterprises. Land development costs in Rodney Bay are extremely high. The exclusive beach front properties have almost all been purchased by small and large hoteliers, and restaurateurs, frustrating locals who continually see access to the public beaches being blocked by large construction projects. The historic Pigeon Island is a popular place for tourists because of it peacefulness and wildlife. A man-made causeway connects it to the mainland.

Sites of interest

The following sites of interest are in Gros Islet District: *Amerec (town), * American International Medical University, *Bon Air (town), *Bois d’Orange (town), * Bois d'Orange River, *Bois Verrelle (town), *Cas en Bas (town), *Des Bollières (town), *La Borne (town), *Calle Des (town), *Cap Estate (town), *Carrefe (town), *Choc (town), *Choc Bay, * Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, *Dauphin (town), * Daupin River, (mouth) *Desbarra (town), *Espérance Harbour (bay), * Esperance River, *Fourreur Island, *La Gare (town), *Garrand (town), *Grand Anse (town), *Grande Rivière (town), *L'Hermitage (town), * Louvet River, *Marisule Estate (town), *Marquis (town), *Massade Estate (town), * Monchy (town), * Marquis River (Saint Lucia), *Monier (town), *Moulin à Vent, *Mount Gaïac, *Paix Bouche (town), *Pays Perdu (town), * Pigeon Island, *Plateau (town), *Réduit (town), *La Rivière Mitan (town), *

(town and bay), * St. Joseph the Worker Church, Gros Islet, *Theatiste (town), *Union (town), *Upper Bonne Terre (town),

References

* {{Authority control Quarters of Saint Lucia Subdivisions of Saint Lucia