Mobay as this city is affectionately called is the second-largest city in Jamaica and the second largest anglophone city in the Caribbean. The city’s history traces back to Pre-Colombian days when the Tainos referred to The Bay as ‘El Golfo de Buen Tiempo’ or Fair Weather Bay. When the Spaniards conquered the Tainos they started to refer to the now Montego Bay as ‘Bahia de Mantega’, because the port was used for large-scale exportations of pig’s lard. 

The parish of St. James was established in 1655 after Britain’s conquest of the Spanish, but Montego Bay was still a small town until that changed in 1720 when Captain Jonathon Barrett subdivided portions of his sugar cane field and created Charles Town and Barnett Town. The town’s expansion increased exponentially and its waterfront was significantly developed to promote the active trading that was taking place in the city. 

Montego Bay is now a fully developed and operational tourist resort stretching 20 miles along the coast. Its waterfront activities have expanded and the city now encompasses a port and an  International Airport (the largest in the English-speaking Caribbean). The airport was constructed after World War II and Mobay has then become a mecca for tourists. In 1980 Montego Bay was re-proclaimed a city by the act of parliament. 

The city has attracted billions in investment in recent years in Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)/call centre operations; construction and expansion of hotels; housing projects; construction of the health facilities; expansion of the Sangster International Airport; and upgrading of roads and bridges. Montego Bay’s history is a rich one and it is etched into its development and push as a fast-growing Municipal with major investments and business.

Sources:

https://jis.gov.jm/montego-bay-a-city-on-the-move/

https://www.britannica.com/place/Montego-Bay