Pignon ( ht, Piyon) is a commune in the

Saint-Raphaël Arrondissement Saint-Raphaël ( ht, Sen Rafayèl) is an arrondissement in the Nord department of Haiti. As of 2015, the population was 169,867 inhabitants. Postal codes in the Saint-Raphaël Arrondissement start with the number 14. Communes The arrondissement c ...

, in the

Nord Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to: Acronyms * National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American nonprofit organization * New Orleans Recreation Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, US Film and televis ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

. It has 29,327 inhabitants.

Government

Pignon's territory includes the ''Sections Communales'' of Savanette and La Belle Mère. During the October 25, 2015 election, Mr. Peter Castin Constantin was elected as the Deputy for Pignon, Lavictoire, and Ranquite for 4 years. As for mayor Nicolas Victorin is Principal Mayor, aided by ''Maire Adjoint'' Henri-Claude Crepin and ''Mairesse Adjointe'' Mme.Jeanie Phenelus.

History

Pignon is located at the border of the Central Plateau and North Departments. When France first acquired the western third of the island from Spain, Pignon laid right at the border of French and Spanish territories. It was founded in 1699 by Jean Guillaume de Pignon, one of the first French tradesmen and plantation owners who settled the western portion of Hispaniola after the Treaty of Ryswick with Spain. The vast valleys were suitable for tobacco, sugar cane, coffee, banana, mangoes, cocoa and animal production for export to France and trade with the Spanish neighbors in Hinche. The mountain chain overlooking the valleys provided protection against tropical storms and tornadoes, made the area even more desirable to Guillaume. Later, with over 700 male slaves in different plantations throughout the area, he and his family turned the area into a commercial trading hub of sort. He and his family settled the village, right at the foot of the mountain which bears his name to this day.

Facilities

Transportation

Pignon Airport, a grass landing strip is served by charter and scheduled air service, mostly to and from Port-au-Prince.

Mission Aviation Fellowship Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is a Christian organization that provides aviation, communications, and learning technology services to more than 1,000 Christian and humanitarian agencies, as well as thousands of isolated missionaries and indi ...

operates scheduled flights to Pignon from Port-au-Prince out of the small Guy Malary Terminal at Toussaint Louverture International Airport on 1 PM on Mondays and Fridays. A tap-tap van also runs between Pignon and Port-au-Prince, usually picking up passengers in the afternoon in front of the International Terminal at Toussaint Louverture International Airport and traveling along RN3 through

Mirebalais Mirebalais ( ht, Mibalè) is a commune in the Centre department of Haiti, approximately 60 km northeast of Port-au-Prince on National Road 3. The city was established in 1702. American Rotarians have made a number of mission-type trips t ...

and

Hinche Hinche (; ht, Ench; es, Hincha) is a commune in the Centre department Haiti. It has a population of about 50,000. It is the capital of the Centre department. Hinche is the hometown of Charlemagne Péralte, the Haitian nationalist leader who ...

before returning to Pignon at night. Numerous other shared-ride trucks and buses run between Pignon and smaller surrounding communities. Shared trucks from a cooperative depot in Pignon provide transportation for merchants to sell their goods in the larger markets of Port-au-Prince and on different market days in other cities.

Education

Secondary schools

* Collège de la Grace, Caleb Lucien, Director *Collège Frederick Marcellin, Jephthe Lucien, Director *Lycée National de Pignon *Collège Henry Christophe de Pignon *Troisième Cycle Toussaint Lourverture *Collège Mixte l'Union de Pignon *Collège HAFF de Bohoc *Collège Nouvelle Vision de Lajeune *Collège Foi Chrétien de Lajeune *Collège Notre dame du bon secours (CNDBS)

Primary schools

*École Saint Joseph *École Nationale Capois La Mort *École Baptiste Conservatrice *École Baptiste Jerusalem *Institution Vallee d'Adoration et Benediction (IVAB) *Augmentation d'informations *Collège Henry-Christaphe de Pignon CHCP

Health

Pignon has relatively high quality health care in the nation. Hôpital Bienfaisance is a well-equipped hospital with modern technology, many personnel and other resources to provide a wide range of advanced medical services. The Dispensaire St. Joseph de Pignon provides free and low-cost primary care, plus basic laboratory tests and dentistry, and maintains an on-site pharmacy. Bon Secours Agrovet provides veterinary services and medications to Pignon and the surrounding region.

Economy

Pignon is one of the country's top suppliers for sugarcane and alcohol. There are many and vast plantations of sugarcane. Back in the days, farmers used to make their living by providing syrup and molasses to companies like Welch. Now, planters use their sugarcane to make clarin and sell it to the local market and throughout the nation. Pignon has its own electric grid and cooperative.Electrification of Pignon, Haiti: NRECA International

References

{{Communes of Haiti Populated places in Nord (Haitian department) Communes of Haiti