Charlotte

Charlotte Parish covers Saint Vincent's northeastern windward coast, the most exposed to Atlantic hurricanes that periodically devastate this small island nation. Hurricane Beryl (July 2024) caused $230.6 million in damages—22% of national GDP—with Charlotte's agricultural communities particularly affected. The parish includes Georgetown, historically the second town after Kingstown, established as an early colonial sugar port now struggling with youth emigration. Charlotte's economy reflects the national pattern: banana cultivation collapsed from 80,000 tons annually (1990s) to under 31,000 tons after the loss of preferential EU market access, dropping from 2.6% of GDP to 0.3%. Arrowroot production—Saint Vincent was once the world's largest producer—persists in small-scale farming. The parish's terrain limits tourism development compared to the leeward coast, creating a source-sink dynamic where working-age residents migrate toward Kingstown or the Grenadines' resorts. With national GDP per capita at $11,500 (2024), Charlotte represents the agricultural hinterland supporting a tourism-dependent economy that achieved 120% of pre-pandemic visitor arrivals by 2024. By 2026, Charlotte's viability depends on climate-resilient agriculture and whether banana farmers can transition to higher-value crops.