city in the Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica
Portmore is a large coastal town in southern Jamaica in Saint Catherine, and a dormitory town for the neighbouring city of Kingston and Spanish Town.
Portmore is built on a generally flat plain facing the Kingston Harbour with an intricate canal system which prevents flooding. Much of the land is reclaimed swamp. Port Henderson Hill, formerly known as Salt Pond Hill, is visible from neighbouring parishes and was a possible Arawak grave site because the Arawak buried their dead in caverns, which Port Henderson Hill is riddled with. The most famous cave is named "Twin Sisters".
Portmore began as a large area for schematic residential development in the late 1960s, as the West Indies Home Contractors (WIHCON) organization built thousands of prototype housing units in an effort to alleviate the over-population of Kingston; the first was called Independence City. It has since grown into a suburban city to Kingston; its large population travels into Kingston daily for work, schooling, and many other essential services via the Portmore toll road.
Portmore was granted municipality status in 2003 and has its own city council and mayor, following the British-based model of Jamaican local government. It now houses approximately 10% of the population of the Kingston Corporate Area.
Portmore has affiliations with music artists Vybz Kartel, Mad Cobra, Baby Wayne, Masicka, Flossi lyphe, Spice and many soundsystems such as "Flavor Unit" and "Areacode 876".
Portmore is served by the Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited (JUTC) which provides bus transportation for Portmore residents locally and into Kingston and Spanish Town.
The Portmore Toll Road is the major commuter Highway which connects the city of Kingston and the town, Portmore, via the Hunts Bay Bridge, and Portmore to the old capital of Spanish Town with three lanes in each direction and a speed limit of 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph).
The city is served by the Norman Manley International Airport with over 130 flights weekly.
While Portmore is not marketed as a tourist destination for the millions of incoming travelers to Jamaica every year, there are many places for entertainment, eating, relaxing and enjoyment such as beaches, restaurants, hotels and much more.