📖 About Grenville

Grenville is Grenada's second-largest town and the capital of St. Andrew Parish, located on the island's eastern coast facing the Atlantic Ocean. With approximately 2,500 residents, this working town serves the agricultural communities of eastern Grenada while offering visitors an authentic alternative to tourist-focused St. George's. The Saturday market is the island's largest outside the capital.

The town centers on Grenville Bay, where fishing boats and ferries to the sister islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique operate. Unlike the Caribbean Sea coast where most tourists stay, the Atlantic-facing east coast features rougher waters and more rugged scenery. The lush interior reaches of St. Andrew Parish produce much of Grenada's famous spices.

For visitors seeking authentic Grenadian life, Grenville provides immersion in market culture, fishing traditions, and community rhythms away from resort areas. The road over the mountains connecting Grenville to St. George's passes through spectacular rainforest scenery.

🏛️ Top Attractions

💼 Economy & Culture

Grenville's economy centers on agriculture and fishing. The Saturday market serves as the commercial hub for eastern Grenada's farmers. Fishing boats land catches for local sale and export. Nutmeg and cocoa processing facilities employ workers. The ferry terminal generates some service economy activity. Unlike tourism-dependent St. George's, Grenville maintains a more traditional economic base.

Grenadian culture in Grenville reflects the island's African-Caribbean heritage. The town maintains strong community bonds, with churches, market, and fishing cooperatives organizing social life. Creole patois and local expressions distinguish speech. Traditional cooking—oil down (the national dish), callaloo, fish dishes—continues in homes and local eateries. The annual Rainbow City Festival celebrates Grenville's identity with music, food, and community events.

📜 History

French colonists developed Grenville as a sugar and spice-producing area during the 1600s. British capture (1763) continued plantation agriculture. The eastern parish remained more agricultural than the commercial west coast around St. George's. Enslaved Africans and later free workers cultivated nutmeg, cocoa, and other crops that created Grenada's "Spice Island" reputation.

Independence (1974) and subsequent political changes, including the 1983 U.S. invasion, affected all Grenada but Grenville continued as a working town. Hurricane Ivan (2004) devastated the nutmeg industry, with recovery ongoing. Today's Grenville maintains its role as eastern Grenada's market center and agricultural hub while preserving authentic Caribbean character that mass tourism has altered elsewhere.