Ocho Rios

Ocho Rios
Town
View of Ocho Rios
Ocho Rios
Location in Jamaica
Coordinates: 18°25′N 77°07′W / 18.417°N 77.117°W / 18.417; -77.117Coordinates: 18°25′N 77°07′W / 18.417°N 77.117°W / 18.417; -77.117
Country Jamaica
County Middlesex
Parish Saint Ann
Population
 • Total 16,671 (2,011 census)
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
Area code(s) +1-876
+1-658 (Overlay of 876; active in November 2018)
View of Ocho Rios, taken from Shaw Park Gardens – 2010
Ocho Rios Chapel, Jamaica (1850)[1]

Ocho Rios (Spanish for "Eight Rivers") is a town in the parish of Saint Ann on the north coast of Jamaica. Just outside the city, travelers and residents can visit Columbus Park, where Columbus supposedly first came on land, and see maritime artifacts and Spanish colonial buildings.

It was once a fishing village but now caters to tourists.[2][3]

It is a port of call for cruise ships[4] as well as for cargo ships loading sugar, limestone, and in the past, bauxite.[5] [6] Scuba diving and other water sports are offered in the town's vicinity.

The name "Ocho Rios" is a possibly misnomer, as there are not currently eight rivers in the area. It could be a British corruption of the original Spanish name "Las Chorreras" ("the waterfalls"),[7] a name given to the village because of the nearby Dunn's River Falls.

The North Coast Highway from the international airport at Montego Bay to Ocho Rios has been improved since 2007 and the journey is now an hour and forty five minutes drive. On 26 August 2011, the Jamaican government announced a $21 million revitalization plan for the resort area.[8] Since March 2016, with the opening of the North-South portion of Highway 2000 (whose North terminus is located at Mammee Bay, a suburb of Ocho Rios), driving and commute times into the nation's capital, Kingston, has gone from over 2 hours to a little under an hour. The opening of this highway has reduced traffic on the old route between Jamaica's two cities (through the town and onto Fern Gully) immensely.

The town has restaurants, and in Margaritaville and Dolphin Cove nightclubs where tourists swim and interact with dolphins. Another major point of interest is Fern Gully. Fern Gully is the result of a 1907 earthquake that destroyed one of the river beds in the area. Fern Gully stretches about 3 miles of great rocky gorge where travellers can see over 540 variety of ferns. In 1907, the British government paved over the destroyed river bed to create what is currently known as The Fern Gully Highway.

The town is perhaps most notable for its use in Dr. No, the very first James Bond film, which was released in 1962. It was the home of Miss Taro, played by Zena Marshall, who was an adversary of Bond (Sean Connery) and in alliance with the main villain Dr. Julius No (Joseph Wiseman).[9]

The town was featured on three episodes of Season 8 of Bravo's The Real Housewives of Atlanta reality show in early 2016.

In 2016, the Rio Chico resort just outside of Ocho Rios was featured on the 20th season of ABC's reality TV show The Bachelor.[10]

Resorts

References

  1. ↑ "Ocho Rios Chapel, Jamaica". Wesleyan Juvenile Offering. London: Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society. VII: 80. July 1850. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  2. ↑ "Where to visit: Ocho Rios". Visit Jamaica. 2010-11-20. Archived from the original on 2011-08-30. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
  3. ↑ "165 Search Results for "Ocho Rios"". Visit Jamaica. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  4. ↑ Caribbean Port Reviews, Ocho Rios. Caribbeanportreviews.com. Retrieved on 2011-09-15.
  5. ↑ "Development of the Bauxite/Alumina Sector". Jamaica Bauxite Industry. Retrieved 11 May 2017. Reynolds began exporting bauxite from Ocho Rios in June 1952, and Kaiser followed a year later from Port Kaiser on the south coast.
  6. ↑ Davis, Carlton E (2012-06-06). "60 years of bauxite mining in Ja – Part II". The Jamaica Gleaner (2012-06–06). Retrieved 11 May 2017. All three of the founding companies have since left Jamaica: Reynolds, in 1984; Alcan, in 2001; and Kaiser in 2004.
  7. ↑ The Town of Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Mobay.com (2011). Retrieved on 2017-05-11.
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ Dr No factfile. 007.info (1962-10-05). Retrieved on 2011-09-15.
  10. ↑ "Sandals Resorts In Jamaica To Be Featured In ABC's Hit Romance Reality Series The Bachelor". 2016-02-23.
  11. ↑ "Ocho Rios All Inclusive Family Resort in Jamaica – Beaches Ocho Rios Resort & Golf Club". All Inclusive Resorts and Caribbean Vacations for the Whole Family – Beaches Caribbean Family Resorts. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  12. ↑ "Couples Resorts – An All-Inclusive Couples Resorts in Jamaica". Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  13. ↑ "Rooms on the Beach – The Best Hotel Deal in Jamaica". Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  14. ↑ "ClubHotel Riu Ocho Rios – Jamaica All Inclusive Vacations – RIU Hotels & Resorts". Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  15. ↑ "Jamaica All-Inclusive Resort – The Jewel Dunn's River – Ocho Rios Jamaica". jewelresorts.com. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  16. ↑ Moon Palace Jamaica Grande Resort and Spa
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