Belize City is the largest city in Belize. It was once the capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2022 census, Belize City has a population of 63,999 people. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, which is a distributary of the Belize River. The Belize River empties into the Caribbean Sea from Belize City on the Philip Goldson Highway on the coast of the Caribbean. The city is the country's principal port and its financial and industrial hub. The city was almost entirely destroyed in October 1961 when Hurricane Hattie swept ashore. It was the capital of British Honduras (as Belize was then named) until the government was moved to the new capital of Belmopan in 1970.

History

Belize City was founded as "Belize Town" in 1638 Belize Town was ideal for the English as a central post because it was on the sea and a natural outlet for local rivers and creeks down which the British shipped logwood and mahogany. Belize Town also became the home of the thousands of African slaves brought in by the English (later the British, beginning in 1707) to toil in the forestry industry. It was the coordination site for the 1798 Battle of St. George's Caye, won by the British against would-be invaders, and the home of the local courts and government officials up to the 1970s. For this reason, historians often say that "the capital was the colony", because the center of British control was here.

This sentiment remains true today. Even though people like Antonio Soberanis Gómez, George Price and Evan X Hyde all lobbied to take their movements outside, and other ethnic groups such as the Garifuna and Mestizos sprang up elsewhere in the country, people looked to Belize Town for guidance. Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)

|source 2 = Deutscher Wetterdienst (sun, 1961–1990, humidity 1975–1989)

|date=August 2010

Educational institutions

Belize City has more educational institutions at every level than any other city in Belize. Most city children in Belize attend high school. The only three schools that are not coed are on the Northside: Saint John's College (boys), Saint Catherine's Academy (girls) and Pallotti High School (girls). One Southside school that was previously all girls, Sadie Vernon Technical (Belize Continuation), became coed in 2005.

There are three other private schools in Belize City: Belize Elementary School and its continuation Belize High School behind it, both on Princess Margret Drive, and the Hummingbird Elementary School.

Culture

Belize City's culture is considered similar to that of Caribbean capital cities such as St. George's, Grenada, or Georgetown, Guyana. The city has the hustle and bustle one would associate with a city of 70,800. Notable cultural events include Garifuna Settlement Day (November 19), Belize City Carnival (September), Baron Bliss Day (March 9).

Museums in the city include the Bliss Institute, the Maritime Museum and the Museum of Belize. There is an annual Street Art Festival.

Economy

The majority of working Belizeans travel to work in downtown offices or else ply their trade on the street sides. Belize City is home to branches of all the major banks of Belize and the Central Bank, as well as nearly all insurance centers, marketplaces and the like. Belize City is the hub for both national and international air, sea and road travel.

thumb|Belize Litoral.

Port of Belize

The city is home to the Port of Belize, the country's main port facility.

Government

Belize City is operated by a mayor-council form of government. The Belize City Council is composed of 10 councillors (generally reflecting the ten constituencies of Belize City) and a mayor, all elected in municipal elections held every third year in March. After the most recent municipal elections in 2024, the mayor is Bernard Wagner of the People's United Party.

The city is also home to the House of Culture, formerly the official residence of the Governor-General of Belize until 1984. The Supreme Court of Belize still sits in Belize City.

Transportation

Belize City will have railway lines southwestward to Spanish Lookout via Belmopan and northward to Orange Walk Town. Feasibility studies are being conducted by CRECG.

Air travel

The city is served by Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport, in Ladyville, northwest of Belize City, and by Belize City Municipal Airport, within the city itself.

Sister cities

  • Greensburg, United States
  • Ann Arbor, United States
  • Evanston, United States
  • Kaohsiung, Taiwan
  • Yeosu, South Korea
  • Prairie View, United States
  • San Benito, Guatemala

Notable residents

  • Moses Michael Levi Barrow (born Jamal Michael Barrow; 1978), better known by his stage name Shyne, Belizean rapper and politician
  • Isaiah Emmanuel Morter

See also

  • Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital
  • List of Belize-related topics

Notes

References

  • History of Belize City
  • Online Magazine on Belize City
  • History of Belize City
  • Belize City Council
  • Belize City Interactive map with Points of Interest