Vieux Fort is one of 10

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 ...

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 country 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 ...

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 ...

. Vieux Fort is also the name of the main town in the district. It is the home of the second-largest town in Saint Lucia and is the home of Saint Lucia's international airport, Hewanorra International Airport (Hewanorra is the island's old Amerindian name).

Geography

It has several small communities which include Augier, Pierrot, Belle Vue, Black Bay, Grace, La Resource, Pierrot, St. Urban, La Tourney, Vige, and Zaboo.

Economy

Every Friday and Saturday is market day where you can buy local goods such as spices, ground provisions and fruits. It also houses St. Lucia's biggest fish market, and you can go to the mall every day which sells fashion products.

History

Dutch sailors built a fort here, though the first fort in St. Lucia was built by the ''Oliphe Blossome'' settlers in 1605. In the second half of the 18th century, Vieux Fort was the center of Saint Lucia's sugar industry; today it is more industrial. Part of Vieux Fort is called Black Bay. It got its name because legend has it that the infamous pirate

Blackbeard Edward Teach (or Thatch; – 22 November 1718), better known as Blackbeard, was an English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of Britain's North American colonies. Little is known about his early life, but he ma ...

used this part of the country to stash his ill-gotten gains. During the Second World War, Vieux Fort became a base for American troops. Some of the evidence can still be seen around town, such as the

tunnel A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

that runs from Clark Street all the way to St. Judes Hospital in Augier. This tunnel was used for storage of supplies and also a quick route to the hospital. Many people who reside in Vieux-Fort today have no idea about such a tunnel. In recent years a new modern part of Vieux Fort has been erected to reflect the modern world, yet if you walk along Clark Street and its surrounding roads, you will still see what is known as The Old Town. Here you will see historic colonial houses that give Vieux Fort a touch of Old

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

(albeit they do need a bit of renovation now). In recent times Black Bay has become a haven for

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

Government

The Vieux Fort district is divided into two electoral constituencies represented in the

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible g ...

. The electoral constituencies has been represented since July 2021 by Moses Jean Baptiste (Vieux Fort North) and Kenny Anthony (Vieux Fort South) as Parliamentary Representatives. The district elected their representatives during the countries recent general election.

Tourism

Whilst the majority of tourist activity in Saint Lucia is based on the west coast, some hotels are located in Vieux Fort District. A notable tourist attraction is the Maria Islands Nature Reserve, managed by the Saint Lucia National Trust, which is a nesting ground for leatherback turtles and is home to a species of

iguana ''Iguana'' (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti, J.N. Laurenti in ...

indigenous to St. Lucia.

References

Citations

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