Belize Cities and Towns
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This is a virtual tour of the Belize Cities and Towns, from North to South, East to West, including the Cayes. You will discover something that`s worth a visit in each individual settlement
Belize City
Belize Town itself, which used to be the capital, is the first one most of us will descend upon if we are flying into Philip Goldson International Airport. A mouthful, I know!
This city with a population of 70.800 plus inhabitants, is a bustling hub, a gateway to many of the main tourist attractions in Belize. You enter the Northern Highway here which takes you to the Corozal and Orange walk districts, and the Western highway which leads to the Cayo district, with access to the Hummingbird and Coastal highways leading South to the Stann Creek and Toledo Districts. People pool in Belize City also to board water taxis that ferry them across to the Cayes just offshore.
There are mixed feelings about this city. People are drawn to it to see the stelae and jade artefacts held in the museum, to the Barron Bliss monument, to the old colonial buildings, Colton House being one of the least mentioned which was lifted up by hurricane Hattie and placed on the other side of Memorial Park, and even more astonishing, was rolled back again on barrels. But on the other hand, they are disturbed by the menacing presence in the streets and the run down appearance in some parts of the town. If your looking for paradise, then it`s not in this neck of the Belizean "woods". What you will find here is a diverse and interesting cultural mix of peoples, most of whom are not looking to pickpocket your wallet or swipe your camera.
If you find the place too intimidating, then lodge outside the city and just come and visit while passing through, but keep your eye on your belongings, like you need to do in most cities around the world.
Belmopan
From Belize City, Belmopan with a population of 18,100, is the nearest of the main Belize cities. It`s is now the capital after Belize city was devastated by a hurricane in 1961 and the Government moved Parliament here.
If you observe the National Assembly building, it resembles a Mayan Temple. This is a deliberate architectural feature, structured to look pre-Columbian. But Belmopan doesn`t feel much like a capital city but there are adequate hotels to be found there to accommodate it`s visitors.
It is rather quiet, and on the surface seems uninteresting, but don`t judge a book by it`s cover, this city does have some curiosity to appease the tourists, apart from the ever expanding "Garden City". In fact, it has Ancient Mayan treasures hidden deep within the Belmopan Vaults that have been waiting to be exhibited to the world. Now the project to build a large museum in Belmopan has finalized, and is up and running, where you can clap your eyes on a window of the Mayan past. This "Aladdin`s Cave" sits directly across from the Caribbean City for Climate Change (CCCC) and North of the Belize National Collection Library.
Talking about caves, most of the attractions are not in the city itself but in the surrounding countryside. One of the main Belize attractions is the amazing cave network which you can explore by tubing. It can get rather crowded at peak times, so ask a guide when is it likely to be less busy.
Orange Walk Town
Although there is roughly the same population as Belmopan, Orange Walk, the Capital of Orange Walk District, is classed as a town with 18,000 residents.
It is nick-named "Sugar City" due to the sugar cane industry, Belize`s main industry.
Are there any curiosities to be found here? Yes! People flock to Orange Walk Town to take a boat trip down to the Lamanai Ruins, but there is more to discover while you wait for the boat. If you take a walk along to the town centre, there you will see what`s left of fort Mundy and Cairns. The plaques have a little history about Caste War of Yucatán from 1847–1901, between the early settlers and the Icaiche Maya people. That war was to have a profound effect on the culture of Northern Belize.
Corozal
As one of the most overlooked and underestimated of the Belize Cities and towns, Corozal Town doesn`t fool the expats and repats. They heard in the grape vine of it`s beauty and peacefulness. It enjoys the best weather if you like it temperate and it is pretty cheap compared to the rest of Belize, and it has some Maya ruins nearby to attract the visitor. But something strange happens every evening at dusk in this quiet, sleepy town. Around the clock tower square, the Great tailed Grackle flocks, and like delinquent youths, they stir up the town with their noise of bird calls.
The next day you would never know there had been so much rumpus, as everything has quietened down again. Just as well! Now the traveller can enter into the town hall and quietly contemplate the scenes of a mural painting, depicting that same Caste War of Yucatan.
Other Main Belize Cities and Towns are -
...more towns to come!
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