La Vallée (; ) is a commune in the

Jacmel Arrondissement Jacmel () is an arrondissement in the Sud-Est department of Haiti. As of 2015, the population was 338,728 inhabitants. Postal codes in the Jacmel Arrondissement start with the number 91. The arrondissement consists of the following communes: ...

, in the Sud-Est department of

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

. It has 36,188 inhabitants.

Geography

Situated between the communes of Jacmel et Bainet. The name La Vallée de Jacmel could translate as "The Valley of Jacmel" but it is located 800 meters above sea level.

Demography

As of March 2009 La Vallée had 36,188 inhabitants. The small urbanized area of Ridoré had 1039 people with 239 households, roughly about 3.13% of the total population. The area's population has a slightly higher than average mixed-race population. It is believed descended from French colonists and

Polish Haitians Polish Haitians are Haitian people of Polish descent, dating to the early 19th century; a few may be Poles of more recent native birth that have gained Haitian citizenship. Cazale, a small village in the hills about away from Port-au-Prince, i ...

, descendants of Polish soldiers who ended up siding with former slaves in the Haitians Revolution. La Vallée has an extensive diaspora in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

due to a substantial emigration beginning in the 1950s.

Administration

Ridoré is La Vallée's administrative district. The other sublocalities are: *Morne-à-Bruler *Muzac *Ternier.

History

La Vallée really started to gain importance by 1910 when it was raised as a parish. The first resident priest was Léon Bonnaud, from

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

, France. Father Bonnaud played a major part in the development of the area; he supervised construction of its first masonry buildings. These included the Presbytery in 1912, St

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

parish church, completed in 1922; the boys' school, école Léonce Mégie in 1926; and the girls' school, école St Paul, inaugurated in 1931. Bonnaud had been called to return to France shortly before the girls' school was completed. He also built the first dispensary, and restructured and enlarged the local open air market, one of the most important in the area. La Vallée was a pioneer in the Haitian "cooperative movement" with the founding of the historic "Caisse Populaire" in 1946. An association of locals created CODEVA in 1975, an organization that initiated many development projects, such as building the St Joseph hospital and the Lycée Philippe Jules.

Places of interest

* St

church, completed in 1922. * Bust of Fr. Bonnaud, founder of the parish. * L'Etang river and waterfalls * The Séjourné pit, one of the deepest in the Caribbean, 167 meters.

Notable residents

*Leon Bonnaud, a Roman Catholic priest from Brittany, was influential here for more than a decade. * Marie Carmelle Jean-Marie, Haitian minister of Economy and Finances *Marc L. Laroche, author, ''Anacaona.'' *Msgr. Pétion Laroche, former Roman Catholic bishop of Hinche. *Ing. François Laroche, highly talented architect engineer, and nephew of Msgr. Léonard Pétion Laroche. The magnificent Cathedral Immaculée Conception of Hinche is among his architectural works. He is the first Haitian to design and build such a construction. *Cardinal

Chibly Langlois Chibly Langlois (; born 29 November 1958) is a Haitian Catholic prelate who has served as Bishop of Les Cayes since 2011. He is also president of the Haitian Bishops’ Conference. Pope Francis elevated Langlois to the College of Cardinals ...

, bishop of

Les Cayes Les Cayes ( , ), often referred to as Aux Cayes (; ), is a commune and seaport in the Les Cayes Arrondissement, in the Sud department of Haiti, with a population of 71,236. Due to its isolation from the political turmoil of the capital, Port-a ...

, was born in La Vallée.

Facilities

The commune is home to the ''Saint Joseph'' hospital.

Sister cities

Covina Covina (Help:IPA/English, /koviːnə/) is a city in the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles The population was 51,268 according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

announced plans to become sister cities with La Vallée.Whittier Daily News
"Covina set to partner with Haitian sister city for support"
Maritza Velazquez, ''1 March 2010'' (accessed 6 March 2010)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:La Vallee, Haiti Populated places in Sud-Est (department) Communes of Haiti