Kingston City Map Poster

About Kingston

The national stadium, the National Stadium, is in New Kingston. Kingston was founded in July 1692 as a place for survivors of the 1692 earthquake that destroyed Port Royal. Before the earthquake, Kingston’s functions were purely agricultural serving as a centre for food production and distribution to Port Royal and other towns around Jamaica; however after this event it became an important port-town with commercial interests developing along with its strategic position on trade routes from Spanish Town (then capital of Jamaica) to Havana (Cuba). In 1755 it was made the capital of Jamaica. The British wanted to call their new city "New London", but decided against it when locals suggested "King's Town". It has been said that King's Town would have been too similar to existing cities like London or Cambridge; so they opted for Kingstown instead which later shortened by folk etymology became known simply as Kingston.