Marigot, Saint Martin
Marigot is the main town and capital in the French Collectivity of Saint Martin. The area has been inhabited since the 17th century and fortifications were erected in 1789. The population has been in decline for decades.
History
In the 17th century the area that is now Marigot was the village of Quartier d'Orléans. The name Marigot is derived from the surrounding marshes. Fort Louis was constructed in 1789, in order to defend the warehouses in the port. A prison was built in 1789, and used until it was converted into a fire station in 1968.In 1840, a church was constructed in Marigot and had 800-900 parishioners, with over 500 being slaves. The St. Martin of Tours' Church on rue du Fort Louis was built in 1941.
The town was electrified in 1963, and a seawater desalination unit was installed in 1965.
Government
Albert Fleming-Romney served as mayor of Marigot from 1983 to 2007. Joseph Péraste has been the mayor of Marigot since 2014.Demographics
John Hodge, an Anguillan who converted to Methodism, came to Marigot in 1817. He wanted to found a church, but congregation laws prevented him. He moved to Cole Bay where he preached under a tree and eventually a majority of the slaves on the island were Methodist by 1850. Jehovah's Witnesses became active in Marigot in 1945.In 1999, the three largest groups for Marigot's foreign population were 83 Chinese people, 25 South Africans, and 14 Austrians and Irish. The population of Marigot declined from 3,700 in 2007, to 3,568 in 2012, to 3,196 in 2017, and 2,911 in 2022.
As of 2022, the population density is 138.3 inhabitants per km2. There are 1,436 households and 1,324 of these households pay taxes. The median disposable income is €17,640 and 33% of the town is below the poverty line. 704 people are employed while the unemployment rate for people between 15 and 64 is 23.6%.
Notable people
- François Perrinon, French abolitionist