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Ocho Rios

Ocho Rios
Town
View of Ocho Rios
View of Ocho Rios
Nickname: 
Ochi
Ocho Rios is located in Jamaica
Ocho Rios
Ocho Rios
Location in Jamaica
Coordinates: 18°25′N 77°07′W / 18.417°N 77.117°W / 18.417; -77.117
Country Jamaica
CountyMiddlesex
ParishSaint Ann
Population
 • Total16,671 (2,011 census)
Time zoneUTC-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, and is more widely referred to as Ochi by locals. Beginning as a sleepy fishing village, Ocho Rios has seen explosive growth in recent decades to become a popular tourist destination featuring duty-free shopping,[2] a cruise-ship terminal,[3] world-renowned tourist attractions[4] and several beaches and acclaimed resorts.[5] In addition to being a port of call for cruise ships,[6] Ocho Rios also hosts cargo ships at the Reynolds Pier for the exportation of sugar, limestone,[7] and in the past, bauxite.[8][9] The estimated population of the town in 2011 was 16,671, which is nearly 10% of the total population of St. Ann.[10] The town is served by both Sangster International Airport (97 km west of Ocho Rios) and Ian Fleming International Airport (17 km east of Ocho Rios). Scuba diving and other water sports are offered in the town's vicinity.

The name "Ocho Rios" is a possible 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"),[11] a name given to the village because of the nearby Dunn's River Falls.

  1. ^ "Ocho Rios Chapel, Jamaica". Wesleyan Juvenile Offering. VII. London: Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society: 80. July 1850. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  2. ^ "Shopping in Ocho Rios | Frommer's". www.frommers.com. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  3. ^ Zucando.com. "Ocho Rios Cruise Ship Pier, Ocho Rios, Jamaica". jcvtt.com. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  4. ^ "11 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Ocho Rios | PlanetWare". www.planetware.com. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  5. ^ "About the City - Ocho Rios". www.discoverjamaica.com. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  6. ^ Caribbean Port Reviews, Ocho Rios Archived 24 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Caribbeanportreviews.com. Retrieved on 15 September 2011.
  7. ^ "$230M Renovation for Reynolds Pier". Jamaica Information Service. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ Davis, Carlton E (6 June 2012). "60 years of bauxite mining in Ja – Part II". The Jamaica Gleaner. No. 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.
  10. ^ "Ocho Rios grows as St Ann's Bay slows". jamaica-gleaner.com. 4 April 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  11. ^ The Town of Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Mobay.com (2011). Retrieved on 11 May 2017.