Oranjestad, Aruba

Oranjestad
Centre of Oranjestad
Oranjestad Oranjestad
Coordinates: 12°31′08″N 70°02′13″W / 12.519°N 70.037°W / 12.519; -70.037Coordinates: 12°31′08″N 70°02′13″W / 12.519°N 70.037°W / 12.519; -70.037
State	Kingdom of the Netherlands
Country	Aruba
Established	1796
Population (2008 Calculation)
– Total	33,000 (est. of 2,008)

Oranjestad (Dutch, literally "Orangetown") is the capital and largest city of Aruba, which is in the Caribbean north of Venezuela. Oranjestad is located on the southern coast near the western end of the island country. In the local language, Papiamento, Oranjestad is often referred to simply as "Playa".

History and culture

The town was built around Fort Zoutman shortly after it was built in 1796 . Initially the town had no official name, being known only as the town on the Bay of Horses (Paardenbaai in Dutch) - a fitting designation for the place from which many native-bred and raised horses left for neighboring Curaçao. The town has ever since been the capital city of the island. The fort is still one of the town's attractions, others being the tax-free harbour and the Willem III Tower, located near the fort.

The city is named after the first King Willem van Oranje-Nassau (William of Orange-Nassau) - the first heir to the Dutch House of Orange. The name was conferred on the city in the 1820s when interest in Aruba increased due to the discovery of (alluvial) gold deposits.

Small portions of the city are formed from a series of man-made expansions of land into the sea. Present-day Renaissance Marketplace (formerly Seaport Marketplace), as well as the adjacent Queen Wilhelmina Park, lies within part of this expansion.

Dutch colonial architecture is less visible than on the neighbouring island of Curaçao, but several modern recreations have emerged, including the outdoor shopping mall at Royal Plaza, and a few scattered buildings along Main Street and on the Main Square. Due to increased government interest in maintaining the island's cultural heritage, a number of old buildings and houses in the center of town have been transformed into colorfully restored landmarks, such as the lime-colored Civil Registry on Wilhelminastraat.

Transport

Oranjestad is served by the Queen Beatrix International Airport, 2.5 kilometers from the city center.

Caya G. F. Betico Croes, also called Main Street, is Aruba's main shopping street in Oranjestad, however in the past few years shoppers have increasingly turned to Lloyd G. Smith Boulevard, the main thoroughfare in the city. This is in part because the boulevard is closer to the cruise ship terminal and harbour area.

The MV Celebrity Mercury docked in Oranjestad.

Oranjestad houses the largest port on the island capable of docking up to five large vessels. In 2003, over 200 container ships called at the Oranjestad port. A smaller port for shorter cargo vessels is at Barcadera, five kilometers to the east. Plans have been proposed to increase loading capacity at Oranjestad, and for the construction of a marina to make up for inadequate docking space available for yachts and fishing boats.

Hospital in Oranjestad.

Traffic in the center of town, though less of a problem than on several other Caribbean islands, is a growing issue for island commuters. The government is under pressure to make improvements to the periphery, which runs around the city. In late 2006 planning began for the installment of a roundabout, along the main boulevard and next to the Free Zone, at one of the island's most troublesome intersections.The plans were completed in 2008. In the meantime, several businesses and government departments have relocated their offices outside of the city centre, spurring a boom in construction and modernisation.

Education

Oranjestad is home to the Universiteit van Aruba, which offers programs in law and economics, and to the island's largest secondary school (Colegio Arubano), both modeled on the Dutch system. Many students enroll into universities in the Netherlands for graduate and postgraduate degrees.

Oranjestad is also the location of Xavier University School of Medicine, Aruba, a U.S. based curriculum medical school. The school offers a 2-year pre-medicine and 4-year medical program leading to an M.D. degree (Doctor of Medicine). All classes are taught in English.

Economy

Prior to its disestablishment, Air Aruba had its headquarters in the Brown Invest Building in Oranjestad.^[1] Air Aruba suspended its operations as of October 23, 2000.^[2]

References

1. ^ World Airline Directory. Flight International. March 17-23 1999. "46.
2. ^ Overview. Air Aruba. March 2, 2001. Retrieved on October 6, 2009.

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