# Black River, Saint Elizabeth Parish – Communities & Villages > Source: https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/black-river/ Development area · Saint Elizabeth Parish # Black River Black River is a development area (Social Development Commission) of Jamaica in Saint Elizabeth Parish. It covers **336.6 km²**. Its main town is Black River. It is divided into 16 communities. 106 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 143 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools. - 337km² - 16communities - 143mapped services ## Where is Black River? Black River lies in [Saint Elizabeth Parish](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/), [Jamaica](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/). It borders 5 other development areas: [Junction](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/junction/), [Maggotty](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/maggotty/), [New Market](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/new-market/), [Santa Cruz](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/santa-cruz/) and [Whitehouse](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/westmoreland/whitehouse/). By area it is the 5th largest of 131 development areas in Jamaica. It covers 27.8% of [Saint Elizabeth Parish](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/). The centre of Black River is about 105 km in a straight line from Kingston, the capital. The centre point is at 18.0048° N, 77.7858° W. Source: [Jamaica Social Development Commission (sdc.gov.jm) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-jam). ## Things to see in and around Black River OpenStreetMap lists 30 named sights in Black River: 20 caves; 8 attractions; 1 museum; 1 gallery. - Natural History Museum · museum - Boat: Welcome to Treasure Beach · attraction - Bubbling Spring Mineral Bath · attraction - Great Bay Cultural Center · attraction - J. Charles Swaby's Black River Safari · attraction - Turtle House, Turtle Sanctuary · attraction - Waterloo Guest House · attraction - Y.S. Falls Visitor Centre · attraction - YS Falls Office · attraction - Ackee Tree Hole · cave - Alligator Hole · cave - Arlington Cave · cave - Bag Bush Cave · cave - Bat Hole · cave - Big Ground Cave #1 · cave - Big Ground Cave #2 · cave - Brucefield Cave · cave - Cunnigan Cave · cave - David Spring · cave - Fullerswood Sink · cave - George Bay Cave · cave - Houndslow Cave · cave - Loam Mould Hole · cave - Money Cave · cave - Mystery Hole · cave - Pedro Bluff Caves · cave - Smith Cave And Sink · cave - Southampton Cave · cave - Spaniard's Cave · cave - The Mud Palace Gallery · gallery Source: [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright). Named attractions, museums, viewpoints, historic sites and natural features mapped in OpenStreetMap. Places of worship are not listed. ## Know before you go: Black River - Time zoneUTC−5, no daylight saving · America/Jamaica - CurrencyDollar (JMD) - Country calling code+1-876 - LanguagesEnglish - Plug typesType A, B - Driving sideLeft ### Nearest airports - Sangster International Airport (MBJ) · Montego Bay57 km - Ian Fleming International Airport (OCJ) · Boscobel97 km ### Nearest railway station Ipswich Railway Station (Disused) (Merrywood), about 22 km from the centre. ### Daylight Days are longest in Jun (about 13.2 hours, sunrise around 05:35) and shortest in Dec (about 11.1 hours, sunrise around 06:34, sunset around 17:38). Source: [GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0)](https://www.geonames.org/); [Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-02](https://www.wikidata.org/); [OurAirports (public domain)](https://ourairports.com/data/). Airports with scheduled passenger flights; straight-line distances. Daylight is calculated for the 15th of each month in local standard time. Check entry and visa rules with official government sources before travelling. ## Communities of Black River Community Area km² Localities Services [Barbury Hall](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/black-river/barbury-hall/) 10 6 0 [Bigwoods](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/black-river/bigwoods/) 14 2 0 [Black River](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/black-river/black-river/) 41 12 40 [Brompton](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/black-river/brompton/) 22 10 0 [Cotterwood](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/black-river/cotterwood/) 20 6 0 [Crawford](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/black-river/crawford/) 17 4 2 [Fullerswood](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/black-river/fullerswood/) 25 5 1 [Middle Quarters](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/black-river/middle-quarters/) 18 8 4 [Mountainside](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/black-river/mountainside/) 22 11 0 [Newell](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/black-river/newell/) 9.2 6 1 [Parottee](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/black-river/parottee/) 25 3 1 [Pedro Plains](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/black-river/pedro-plains/) 19 10 0 [Pondside](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/black-river/pondside/) 6.3 3 0 [Slipe](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/black-river/slipe/) 44 3 1 [Treasure Beach](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/black-river/treasure-beach/) 30 14 93 [Watchwell](https://wherepedia.org/jamaica/saint-elizabeth/black-river/watchwell/) 14 6 0 Source: [Jamaica Social Development Commission (sdc.gov.jm) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-jam); [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/); [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/). ## Villages and localities in Black River Open gazetteers list **106 villages, towns and localities** in Black River. The largest with a recorded population: Black River (4,229). Settlements here lie between about 5 m and 416 m above sea level (median 38 m). - Alscot - Arlington - Ashton - Baptist - Barbary Hall - Beacon - Bent Hill - Bigwoods - Billy's Bay - Black River - Bluntas - Blunters - Brompton - Brooklyn - Brown Berry - Brucefield - Calabash Bay - Cambridge - Campbells Run - Cataboo - Claremont Park - Colter - Content - Cotterwood - Crawford - Dallingtober - Develders Pass - Downs Valley - Farenough - Flagaman - Font Hill - Forest Mountain - Fort Charles - Frenchman - Frenchman's Bay - Fullerswood - Fullerswood Park - Fustic Grove - Fyffes Pen - Gainsborough - Geneva - Grandvale - Part of - Great Bay - Green Vale - Heavy Sands - Hermitage - Hill Top - Hodges - Hodges Land - Hopewell - Hounslow - Hounslow Bigwoods - Industry Pen - Isaac Pond - Jenny Pond Run - Johns Lodge - Kildare - Kilmorey - Lewis Town - Little Park - Locklyn - Longacre - Luana - Luana Gardens - Middle Quarters - Mount Charles - Mount Pleasant - Mountainside - New Holland - Newcombe Valley - Newell - Paradise - Parottee - Pedro Beach - Pedro Cross - Pedro Pen - Pond Side - Rectory - Redgate - Reynolds Run - Ridge Pen - Rockfield - Rose Hill - Round Hill - Salt Spring - Sandy Bank - Sandy Ground - Scotland - Selington - Senior Run - Shrewsbury - Slipe - Speculation - Spring Park - Stilton - Success - Thatchfield - Treasure Beach - Vineyard - Wallywash Great Pond - Watchwell - White Hall - Williamsfield - Wilton - Winchester - Y.S. (Wiess) Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/); [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright). ## Landscape and landmarks of Black River Named natural and historic features inside Black River, from the GeoNames gazetteer. ### Water 6 rivers and streams. - Cashew River - Frenchmans River - Middle Quarters River - Punches River - Spanish Gully - Y.S. River ### Coast and islands 9 headlands; 2 beaches. - Billys Bay - Black Spring Point - Drodse Point - Great Bay - Great Pedro Bluff - Longacre Point - Malcolm Point - Merrimans Point - Moco Point - Parottee Point - Shorthaul Point Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/). Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate. ## Weather in Black River and the best time to visit In Black River, the warmest month is Aug (average 28 °C) and the coolest is Jan (25 °C). About 964 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Oct (162 mm) and the driest Feb (23 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are **November to April and June to August**. - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec Month Average °C Rain mm Jan 25 43 Feb 26 23 Mar 26 36 Apr 27 51 May 28 126 Jun 27 91 Jul 28 69 Aug 28 95 Sep 28 128 Oct 27 162 Nov 26 92 Dec 26 49 Source: [NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29](https://power.larc.nasa.gov/). ## Hospitals, banks and other services in Black River Places mapped inside Black River in open map data, by type — each number opens the full list with locations. - Hospitals1 - Banks4 - ATMs2 - Petrol pumps14 - Hotels74 - Schools10 - Pharmacies4 - Restaurants32 - Police stations1 - Dental clinics1 Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/). Coverage depends on what has been mapped; contact details are not shown. ## Quick answers - Where is Black River?In Saint Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica - What borders Black River?Junction, Maggotty, New Market, Santa Cruz and Whitehouse - What is there to see in Black River?Ackee Tree Hole, Alligator Hole, Arlington Cave, Bag Bush Cave - What time zone is Black River in?UTC−5 - What currency is used in Black River?Dollar (JMD) - What language is spoken in Black River?English (main languages nationally) - How many villages are in Black River?106 named settlements (GeoNames, OpenStreetMap) - What is the elevation of Black River?Settlements lie between 5 m and 416 m - What is the best time to visit Black River?November to April and June to August - How many hospitals are in Black River?1 mapped - How many banks are in Black River?4 mapped - How many ATMs are in Black River?2 mapped - How many petrol pumps are in Black River?14 mapped - What is the P-code of Black River?JM0902 (OCHA common operational dataset)