St. John's

Before the town existed, a handful of houses lined a sheltered inlet known as the Cove. After a French invasion of Antigua in 1666 showed the value of the harbour, an act of April 1668 ordered a town built there, and in 1675 the island's legislature named St. John's one of six official places of trade. By 1689 it was as large as Falmouth, the earlier main settlement, and it went on to replace it. In 1736 a plot by a St. John's resident, Prince Klaas, to make Antigua an independent African kingdom was discovered; he was executed and 132 others were punished, and barracks were built in the town in the years that followed.

St. John's became the seat of government of the British Leeward Islands, a role it kept until the colony was finally abolished in 1959. It was repeatedly damaged — by a major fire in 1768, a hurricane in 1772 and another fire in 1782 — after which public buildings had to have brick walls and tiled or slate roofs. The Court House dates from 1747, Government House from the early 19th century, and the present cathedral from 1845, after earthquakes in 1683 and 1745 had destroyed its predecessors. Redcliffe Quay, the colony's main slave-trading point, was a slave compound until emancipation in 1834.

In the 20th century the city became the capital of an independent country in 1981, although no law formally names it as such. Heritage Quay opened for cruise passengers in 1988, and a new Parliament building opened in 2006 in the government complex at Botanical Gardens.

Carnival is the city's great festival. Created in 1957 to replace the Old Time Christmas Festival, it celebrates emancipation over thirteen days from late July, ending on Carnival Tuesday in early August. J'ouvert brings brass and steel bands into the streets from early morning, and the Calypso Monarch and Party Monarch contests, the Panorama steel band competition and the Parade of Bands follow, along with pageants, food fairs and concerts.

Cricket is close to a national faith. The Antigua Recreation Ground, the national stadium, hosted the West Indies' 1986 "Blackwash" series against England, the record Test run chase of 418 against Australia in 2003, and Brian Lara's record innings of 375 and 400 not out. Music and costumed entertainers in the stands have long been part of a day at the ground. The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, just east of the city, was built for the 2007 World Cup, after which no further Test cricket was expected at the old ground, and the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda displays Richards' bat.

The city's people are mostly of African and mixed African-European descent, with a European minority and a community of Levantine Christian Arabs. Redcliffe Quay is the centre of the country's art scene, with galleries and artisans in its old buildings, and Sunday church services and family meals remain central to the week.

More than 22,000 people live in St. John's, around a quarter of the country's population, and the surrounding parish of Saint John forms much of its metropolitan area. It is the centre of government, business and education: the Parliament, the High Court and most government agencies are here, along with the national library, Antigua State College, an open campus of the University of the West Indies and two medical schools. Investment banking has a strong presence, and the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority has its headquarters on Factory Road.

Cruise ships dock at Heritage Quay and Redcliffe Quay several times a week, and the downtown shops bend their days around them. The city also draws people from rural areas and from abroad looking for work, and it is among the poorest places in the country, even though its population has been falling for decades. Most of the country's people live along the All Saints Road corridor that begins in the city, and its economy has spurred nearby villages such as Piggotts and Cedar Valley. The low-lying coast is prone to flooding, and poor planning on the gentle slope makes wastewater runoff common.

Daily life moves by minibus between the city and the villages, with shopping at the market and downtown stores, and Sundays given to church and family.

The national dish is fungie and pepperpot: fungie is a cornmeal-and-okra dish similar to polenta, and pepperpot a slow-cooked stew. Ducana is a sweet dumpling of grated sweet potato and coconut, boiled in a wrapping of leaves or foil, and seasoned rice is another local staple. Breakfast often brings saltfish, eggs and eggplant, known locally as troba. On Sundays many families go to church and then cook a larger meal at home, often eaten in the early afternoon.

Antiguan butter bread, a soft, buttery loaf from small neighbourhood bakeries, is eaten at breakfast and throughout the day, often with cheese. Souse, a fiery pork soup, is sold by street vendors at Carnival, and the small, sweet Antigua Black pineapple grows on the south-western coast. The market on the south-western edge of the city sells fresh produce, meat and fish every day.

Rum and beer are made locally: the island's only rum distillery is at the Citadel in the city, and the local beer is Wadadli. Local soft drinks include tamarind, hibiscus and passion fruit juices, mauby and ginger beer.