George Town is a town in the
Bahamas
The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
, located on the island of Great Exuma in the
Exuma
Exuma is a district of The Bahamas, consisting of over 365 islands, also called cays.
The largest of the cays is Great Exuma, which is 37 mi (60 km) in length and joined to another island, Little Exuma, by a small bridge. The capital ...
district of the Bahamas. It had a population of 2,488 based on 2012 estimates.
The Government Building is a popular tourist attraction inspired by the architecture of the Government House in
Nassau
Nassau may refer to:
Places Bahamas
*Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence
Canada
*Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792
*Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...
. The deep water of Elizabeth Harbour is a popular spot for sea-faring travelers. Pirates used the harbor in the 17th century and plantation owners from Virginia settled the town in the 18th century. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the US Navy used the port.
Services in George Town include shops, restaurants, liquor stores, a gas station, insurance companies, churches, schools, a police station, a hospital and various other small businesses, along with a
BTC and
Aliv telecommunications office and the "iconic" Peace & Plenty Hotel and a small library. In 2015 the town's historic straw market caught fire and burned down due to an electrical fault and no fire trucks were available to combat the blaze.
Lake Victoria lies in the center of George Town, on the edges of which are a boat rental company, boat ramp, and a dock adjacent to one of the grocery stores in town. Water access to Lake Victoria from Exuma Harbour is under a small bridge in the downtown area.
George Town relies heavily on tourism as a source of income for its businesses and residents, and hosts an annual "Winter Residents' Reception" to welcome seasonal residents and boaters.
George Town hosts the Bahamas' National Family Island Regatta each year, but for the first time in 67 years it was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns. The annual Run for Pompey is also a major tourist attraction held annually in George Town but due to COVID-19 was held as a virtual race.
References
External links
The Exumas
Populated places in the Bahamas
Exuma
{{Bahamas-geo-stub