Freeport, Bahamas

Freeport is a city, district and free trade zone on the island of Grand Bahama in the northwest part of The Bahamas. In 1955, Wallace Groves, a Virginian financier with lumber interests in Grand Bahama, was granted of pineyard with substantial areas of swamp and scrubland by the Bahamian government with a mandate to economically develop the area. Freeport has grown to become the second most populous city in The Bahamas.

The main airport serving the city is the Grand Bahama International Airport, which receives domestic flights from various islands of The Bahamas as well as several international flights from the United States, Italy, and Canada. Freeport is also served by domestic Bahamian ferry services to other islands, and an international ferry connection to Miami.

The Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) operates the free trade zone, under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement signed in August 1955 whereby the Bahamian government agreed that businesses located in the Freeport area would pay no taxes before 1980, later extended to 2054. The area of the land grants within which the Hawksbill Creek Agreement applies has been increased to .

History

Freeport is a free trade zone on Grand Bahama Island, established in 1955 by the government of The Bahamas. The city of Freeport emerged from a land grant comprising of swamp and scrub to become a cosmopolitan centre.

The Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) operates the free-trade zone, under special powers conferred by the government under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, which was extended until August 3, 2054. The agreement also increased the land grants to .

The Hayward and St. George families own the GBPA, which they have used to fund estates in Great Britain such as Dunmaglass, the purchase of the football club Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., and to pay the multi-million dollar legal fees incurred due to disputes between the two families. Meanwhile, inheritance and contract disputes within the Hayward family has likewise incurred multi-million dollar fees. Bahamian politicians such as the FNM opposition leader Michael Pintard have described the legal dispute between the Haywards and St. Georges as damaging to Freeport's economy, while in March 2024 Prime Minister Philip Davis asserted that according to a PriceWaterhouseCoopers audit, the GBPA owes the Bahamian government $357 million USD. As of August 2024, GBPA has not paid what the government of The Bahamas says is due.

The city was severely impacted by Hurricane Dorian, which stalled above Grand Bahama for 12 hours, caused storm surges between 12-18 feet above normal, killed eight people in Grand Bahama, and destroyed up to thirteen thousand homes.

Geography

Freeport is located just off the coast of Palm Beach, Florida, and on the major EW–NS shipping routes. This has positioned it as an ideal centre for international business. Consequently, a growing number of international companies use Freeport as a business site.

National parks

Parks include the Rand Nature Centre, named after its founder James Rand; Petersons Cay, a small isle about 300 yards off the shore of Grand Bahama; and the Lucayan National Park founded by Peter Barratt, a former architect and town planner of Freeport. The Lucayan National Park is in extent and includes five ecological zones stretching from the south shore to the pineyard. There is an extensive underwater cave system beneath the park. One cave entrance is accessible by stairs at the national park, while other caves are accessible for certified scubas.

Climate

Freeport features a tropical rainforest climate, similar to South Florida's. According to Köppen Climate Classification (''Af''), more specifically with hot humid conditions that vary only a little throughout the year. Seldom do temperatures drop below . Average temperatures are around , with water temperature varying between . The winters are usually mild and dry (with the exception of some rainfall due to cold fronts), while the summers are usually hot and wet. Although a freeze has never been reported in The Bahamas, snow was reported to have mixed with rain in Freeport in January 1977 the same time that it snowed in the Miami area. The temperature was about at the time. The temperature of was tied, on 30 January 2022.

Economy

Tourism draws more than 1 million visitors per year, but has diminished since 2004, when major hurricanes Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Jeanne made landfall; in 2016, Hurricane Matthew hit the island. In early September 2019, Hurricane Dorian moved over the area and stalled for over a day, causing extensive devastation. Several cruise ships stop weekly at the island. Much of the tourist industry is centered on the seaside suburb of Lucaya, owing its name to the pre-Columbian Lucayan inhabitants of the island evidence of whom has been found on the island. Freeport features at least two Junkanoo festivals near New Year's.

The city is often promoted as Freeport/Lucaya. Most hotels on the island are located in Lucaya along the southern shore facing the Northwest Providence Channel. The primary shopping venue for tourists is the Port Lucaya Marketplace in Lucaya. Recovery from the 2004 Hurricanes Jeanne and Frances took nearly a decade and led to closure of the older shopping venue International Bazaar and neighboring Bahamas Princess Resort and Casino.

Notable natives and residents

* Janine Antoni - conceptual artist
* Robert Antoni - novelist, professor
* Sebastian Bach - Canadian singer, frontman of the band Skid Row
* JoBeth Coleby-Davis - Bahamian Progressive Liberal Party politician, attorney
* Andre Deveaux - NHL player
* Joanna Evans Olympian Swimmer
* Tynia Gaither - sprint Olympian
* Jeffery Gibson - 400mH world champ medalist & Olympian
* Shavez Hart - sprint Olympian
* Jack Hayward - British businessman
* Raymond Higgs - Olympian Jumper
* Buddy Hield - NBA player
* Jonquel Jones - WNBA player
* Johnny Kemp- Singer/Songwriter
* Justin Hill - British writer
* Michael Mathieu - sprint Olympic medalist
* Demetrius Pinder - sprint Olympic medalist
* Mate Pavić - Croatian professional tennis player
* Vasek Pospisil - Canadian professional tennis player
* Magnum Rolle - NBA Player
* Alonzo Russell - sprint Olympian medalist
* Nivea Smith - Sprint athlete
* Teray Smith - Sprint Olympian
* Michael Strachan - NFL player
* Donald Thomas - high jump world champion and Olympian
* Andrae Williams - sprint Olympic medalist
* LaToy Williams - sprint athlete
* Chavez Young - baseball player

Twin towns – sister cities

Freeport is twin towns and sister cities with Lucaya

* Concord, North Carolina, United States, since 2019
* Newark, New Jersey, United States, since 1990

Gallery

File:TheInternationalBazaarEntrance.JPG, The International Bazaar
File:PortLucayaMarketplaceEntrance.jpg, Port Lucaya Marketplace
File:TheGardenOfTheGrovesEntrance.JPG, The Garden of the Groves
File:TheGardenOfTheGrovesBridge.JPG, Bridge in the Garden of the Groves
File:TainoBeachFreeportBahamas.JPG, Seagulls at Taino Beach
File:TainoBeachFreeport.JPG, Taino Beach
File:LucayanNationalParkBoardwalk.JPG, Boardwalk at Lucayan National Park
File:LucayanNationalParkWater.JPG, Lucayan National Park
File:GrandBahamaHighway.JPG, Grand Bahama Highway
File:BananaBayKitesurf.JPG, Kitesurf at Banana Bay
File:Freeport Harbor.agr.jpg, Freeport Harbor
File:Freeport_Cruise_Ship_Terminal.jpg, Freeport Cruise Ship Terminal
File:Freeport_Cruise_Terminal_Shops.jpg, Freeport Cruise Terminal Shops

See also

* Mary Star of the Sea Church, Freeport

References

Further reading

*Barratt, Peter. ''Grand Bahama''. IM Publishing, Freeport, 2002 (3rd edition)

External links

*
Freeport
( 2009-11-01)," Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2008.
* "Fast Facts," Grand Bahama Port Authority, http://www.gbpa.com/index.php/freeport, c.2008.

{{Authority control

Districts of the Bahamas
Populated places in the Bahamas
Grand Bahama
Populated places established in 1955
1955 establishments in the British Empire