Freeport, Bahamas

Freeport is a city, district and free trade zone on the island of Grand Bahama of the northwest Bahamas. In 1955, Wallace Groves, a Virginian financier with lumber interests in Grand Bahama, was granted 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of pineyard with substantial areas of swamp and scrubland by the Bahamian government with a mandate to economically develop the area. Freeport has grown to become the second most populous city in the Bahamas.

For other uses, see Freeport.
Freeport
City
City of Freeport
Nicknames: 
The Industrial Capital
The Second City
Freeport
Coordinates: 26°31′43″N 78°41′48″W
Country The Bahamas
IslandGrand Bahama
DistrictCity of Freeport
EstablishedAugust 4, 1955
Government
 • TypeDistrict Council
 • Chief CouncillorKendal Culmer
 • Deputy Chief CouncillorErnie Barr
Area
 • City558 km2 (215 sq mi)
Elevation
10 m (30 ft)
Population
 (2000)
 • City26,914
 • Density48/km2 (125/sq mi)
 • Metro
55,500
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern Time Zone)
Area code242
IATA airport codeFPO
ICAO airport codeMYGF
Websitehttp://gbpa.com/home/

The main airport serving the city is the Grand Bahama International Airport, which receives domestic flights from various islands of the Bahamas as well as several international flights from the United States, Italy, and Canada. Freeport is also served by domestic Bahamian ferry services to other islands, and an international ferry connection to Miami.

The Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) operates the free trade zone, under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement signed in August 1955 whereby the Bahamian government agreed that businesses in the Freeport area would pay no taxes before 1980, later extended to 2054. The area of the land grants within which the Hawksbill Creek Agreement applies has been increased to 56,000 hectares (138,000 acres).

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