Do you know the Quartiers and parishes of Saint Barthélemy?

[JEK]

 

[george]

I'll give it a try

 

[andynap]

Very good george

 

[JimB]

Isn't Wikipedia great, George!
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Saint-Barthélemy_quartiers_map.svg

 

[Jeanette]

Morne Criquet is a totally new name for me!

 

[KevinS]

Morne Criquet is the peak/hill on the east end of St Jean. On one side it is the area where Liz Claibourne had her villas, and where Les Terrasses is located. On the other side, beyond Morne Criquet, is where Les Jardins d'Emmanuel (EMM) is located. That Liz Claibourne/Les Terrasses area has sometimes been called Haute St Jean by those who speak Real Estate.

 

[JEK]

Le Palidor was new for me.

 

[amyb]

Merlette for me-the interior locales it seems

 

[Islander]

After having spent 12 years full time on the island, I never heard of:

-La Grande Montagne
-Le Palidor
-Le Château
-Morne Criquet
-Morne de Dépoudré
-Barrière des Quatre Vents

Perhaps, I need another 12 years....

 

[KevinS]

Now if we could just get the "40 Quarters" map overlayed onto the topo map we could tell the rental agencies just where Colombier ends, and Corossol begins...

 

[amyb]

Really about 6 new designations for me.

 

[amyb]

True story.

About 5 years ago we made friends with a couple from Charleston, SC staying at Guanihani. we invited them to a visit with us at la Baleine, in Colombier.

Phil was giving directions. Pass the airport, head to Roundabout, bear right at the rotary etc etc.

We got hysterical when she said, "it's too complicated. Give me your address and I will ask the front desk to MAPQUEST!" Phil met them at Maya's to go and lead them in.

 

[KevinS]

True story.

About 5 years ago we made friends with a couple from Charleston, SC staying at Guanihani. we invited them to a visit with us at la Baleine, in Colombier.

Phil was giving directions. Pass the airport, head to Roundabout, bear right at the rotary etc etc.

We got hysterical when she said, "it's too complicated. Give me your address and I will ask the frint desk to MAPQUEST!" Phil met them at Maya's to go and lead them in.

SBH visitors come in many varieties. Among them are Hotel People and Villa People...

 

[Islander]

I think this is part of the charm of the island... Once I received a letter with the following address on it:

xxxx xxxxxxxx (my name)
97133 St Barth


Nothing else. And it made it all the way from France in just 3 days. Who said French postal service was bad?

 

[Earl]

About 5 years ago we made friends with a couple from Charleston, SC staying at Guanihani. we invited them to a visit with us at la Baleine, in Colombier.

And La Baleine was the first time we met you and Phil...a very nice and gracious event!

 

[fins85258]

It would be interesting to know a little more about how these areas and/or regions evolved. Are they strictly geographic in nature or do they have something to do with historical ownership or settlememt?

 

[JEK]

Indeed. I think I will ask Marius about that the next time I see him.

 

[cassidain]

It would be interesting to know a little more about how these areas and/or regions evolved. Are they strictly geographic in nature or do they have something to do with historical ownership or settlememt?

Toponymy twice here in little more than 24 hours. This will drive some readers of these pages to distraction.

 

[Islander]

Most of them are named following a geographic point.

"Morne" means hill or mountain.
"Cul de Sac" means "the end of" or "no way through" (literally the bottom of a bag)
"Anse" means bay or cove.
"Lézards" means lizard (possibly linked to iguanas?)
"Pointe" means sharp end (like a knife), related to the shape of land (like La pointe)
"Col" means mountain pass
"Tourmente" means storm (easy to understand due strong winds up there)
"Salines" could be translated as salt land or salt farm
"Carénage" means ship fairing, typically a place where ships would be dry docked for cleaning/repairing their hull
"Marigot": not too sure about this one, however this name is found in many other Caribbean islands including French St Martin.

Also:

"Gustavia", obviously linked to the Swedish history (Carl Gustav and the King family in Sweden)
"Lorient" probably named after the city of Lorient in France (descendants?)
"Flamands" means Flemish or people from North of France (in the old Empire, that included Northern Belgium where the Flemish people live). (also descendants?)

Maybe Rosita can assist for some?

 

[fins85258]

Toponymy is an interesting read, it seems to gather from a number of sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toponymy