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Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
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In August 1908, a white mob attacked Springfield, Illinois’s Black community, destroying homes and businesses and lynching two Black men. National outrage over the violence helped spur the movement that created the NAACP the following year.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
Castries | |
|---|---|
Aerial view of Castries Castries Harbour Downtown Castries Saint Lucia Government House | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Motto: Statio Haud Malefida Carinis ("A Safe Harbour for Ships")[1] | |
  Castries Location within Saint Lucia  Castries Location within North America | |
| Coordinates: 14°00′39″N 60°59′22″W / 14.01083°N 60.98944°W | |
| Country |  Saint Lucia |
| District | Castries District |
| Founded | 1650 as "Carenage" |
| Renamed | 1756 as "Castries" |
| Founder | the French |
| Named for | Charles Eugène Gabriel de La Croix, marquis de Castries |
| Government | |
| • Governing body | Castries City Council |
| • Mayor | Geraldine Lendor-Gabriel |
| Area | |
• Total | 79 km2 (31 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 2 m (6.6 ft) |
| Population (2013) | |
• Total | 20,000 |
| • Density | 250/km2 (660/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-04:00 (AST) |
| Area code | 758 |
| Website | www |
Castries (/kəˈstriːz/ ⓘ) is the capital and largest city of Saint Lucia, an island country in the Caribbean. The urban area has a population of approximately 20,000, while the eponymous district has a population of just under 70,000, as of May 2013. The city covers 80 km2 (31 sq mi).[4][5][6]
Castries is on a flood plain and is built on reclaimed land. It houses the seat of government and the head offices of many foreign and local businesses. The city is laid out in a grid pattern. Its sheltered harbour receives cargo vessels, ferries and cruise ships. It houses duty-free shopping facilities such as Point Seraphine and La Place Carenage.
Castries is the birthplace of Arthur Lewis, winner of the 1979 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, as well as of Derek Walcott, winner of the 1992 Nobel Prize for Literature.
The original name was Carénage ("safe anchorage" in French, in reference to the city's deep water port), and was given by the French in 1650, at the time of founding.[7] It adopted the name Castries in 1756, in honor of Charles Eugène Gabriel de La Croix, marquis de Castries, whose title relates to a commune in southern France; the origin for the commune's name is the Latin word castra, plural of castrum ("fortified field", or "strong castle, fortified city" by extension).[8]
In 1650, the fort auprès du Petit Cul-de-Sac et de la rivière du Carénage was founded by a group of 40 Frenchmen led by de Rousselan, when St. Lucia was purchased by Capt. du Parquet and Monsieur Houel from the French West India Company. The capital was moved to the south side of the harbor in 1769 by Gov. Baron de Micoud. In 1785, the village of Carénage was renamed Castries, after Charles Eugène Gabriel de La Croix, marquis de Castries, the French Minister of the Navy and Colonies.[7]
In 1835, the British built the western wharf in 1642 to facilitate the coal trade and the first steamship arrived in 1841, the RMS Solway.[7]: 163, 243–244
During World War II on 9 March 1942, the German U-161 sailed into Castries harbor at night and sank two allied ships,[7]: 275 [9] including the Canadian ocean liner RMS Lady Nelson, which was subsequently refloated in the harbour and taken to Canada to be converted to a hospital ship.
Castries has been rebuilt many times, following major fires on 15 October 1805, 6 April 1813, and most notably on 19 June 1948.[7]: 124–125, 289
Castries has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen: Af).[10]
| Climate data for George F. L. Charles Airport (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.0 (84.2) |
29.1 (84.4) |
29.7 (85.5) |
30.5 (86.9) |
31.1 (88.0) |
30.8 (87.4) |
30.9 (87.6) |
31.2 (88.2) |
31.5 (88.7) |
31.2 (88.2) |
30.4 (86.7) |
29.6 (85.3) |
30.4 (86.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.1 (79.0) |
26.1 (79.0) |
26.5 (79.7) |
27.3 (81.1) |
28.1 (82.6) |
28.1 (82.6) |
28.0 (82.4) |
28.1 (82.6) |
28.2 (82.8) |
27.9 (82.2) |
27.4 (81.3) |
26.6 (79.9) |
27.4 (81.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23.1 (73.6) |
23.0 (73.4) |
23.3 (73.9) |
24.2 (75.6) |
25.1 (77.2) |
25.3 (77.5) |
25.2 (77.4) |
25.0 (77.0) |
24.8 (76.6) |
24.5 (76.1) |
24.3 (75.7) |
23.7 (74.7) |
24.3 (75.7) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 105.0 (4.13) |
72.3 (2.85) |
66.1 (2.60) |
86.2 (3.39) |
105.1 (4.14) |
156.6 (6.17) |
199.0 (7.83) |
217.6 (8.57) |
206.1 (8.11) |
250.9 (9.88) |
233.8 (9.20) |
130.0 (5.12) |
1,828.7 (72.00) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 17.3 | 12.4 | 11.7 | 11.1 | 11.6 | 16.4 | 20.4 | 18.9 | 16.2 | 18.3 | 18.9 | 16.1 | 189.3 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 73.7 | 71.5 | 71.4 | 73.1 | 74.0 | 76.0 | 78.0 | 79.0 | 78.0 | 79.3 | 79.5 | 75.1 | 75.7 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 271.6 | 257.8 | 299.4 | 291.9 | 298.2 | 280.7 | 290.3 | 287.1 | 273.2 | 270.0 | 255.0 | 269.9 | 3,345.1 |
| Source 1: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration[11] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Weather.Directory[10] | |||||||||||||
One of the major tourist areas in St. Lucia, Castries is a port of call for cruise ships. They dock at Pointe Seraphine, to the north of the harbour.[12]
Landmarks include the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Derek Walcott Square (renamed from Columbus Square to honour the island's Nobel Prize-winning poet, Derek Walcott), the City Library, the Government House, Castries Market, and Fort Charlotte, at the top of Morne Fortune (an 845-foot or 258 m hill). Beaches include Vigie Beach, Malabar Beach, Choc Beach, and La Toc Beach.
Castries is served by George F. L. Charles Airport.[13] Passengers on longer flights arrive at Hewanorra International Airport, near Vieux-Fort. The drive between Hewanorra and Castries can take an hour and a half. Helicopter service between the airports shortens travel time.
Ferries run between Castries and Fort-de-France, Martinique. Yachts may dock in Castries, though they must clear customs first. When the customs area is full, yachts must anchor at the quarantine dock to wait; those that do not are fined. Afterward, yachts may anchor in front of Castries Town or Vigie Creek.
Standard bus routes run from Castries to all outlying districts on the island. The buses are private (not subsidized by the government) bearing green license plates with numbers that start with an M—for example, M456.
As well as being the capital city of Saint Lucia, Castries hosts the secretariat of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States.[14] Castries also hosts the headquarters of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.
The mayor of Castries is Geraldine Lendor-Gabriel, who took office in September 2021.[15]
A number of international embassies and consulates keep their headquarters in Castries. They include the Organization of American States, British High Commission, Mexican Embassy, embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) (in Rodney Bay), Dominican Republic Consulate, French Embassy, Italian Vice Consulate, Jamaican Consulate, Netherlands Consulate, Norwegian Consulate, Brazilian Embassy and Venezuelan Embassy.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
Castries ( ) is the capital and largest city of Saint Lucia, an island country in the Caribbean. The urban area has a population of approximately 20,000, while the eponymous district has a population of just under 70,000, as of May 2013. The city covers 80 km2 (31 sq mi). Castries is on a flood plain and is built on reclaimed land. It houses the seat of government and the head offices of many foreign and local businesses. The city is laid out in a grid pattern. Its sheltered harbour receives cargo vessels, ferries and cruise ships. It houses duty-free shopping facilities such as Point Seraphine and La Place Carenage. Castries is the birthplace of Arthur Lewis, winner of the 1979 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, as well as of Derek Walcott, winner of the 1992 Nobel Prize for Literature.
Castries (French pronunciation: [kastʁi] ; Occitan: Càstrias) is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.
Christian Marie Ferdinand de la Croix de Castries (11 August 1902 – 29 July 1991) was a French general and the commander of forces at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954.
Castries District is one of 10 districts (formerly called quarters) of the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia. According to the 2012 census, the population of the district was 80,573, having shown a slow but steady increase over the past ten years.[1] The capital of Saint Lucia, the city of Castries, is located in this district. During the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival, the city of Castries plays host to several stages.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.
