George Town
George Town is the hub of the island. To really know the island you’ve got to tear yourself away from the white sands of Seven Mile Beach (at least for a little while) and explore this community. As the capital of the Cayman Islands, it is home to over half of the 30,000 residents of Grand Cayman and the base for most of the business and government activity. Don’t look for a bustling city, however; George Town is still very much an island community where you’ll feel at home strolling the streets, eating at a seaside diner, and enjoying watersports just as you would in the resort areas of Seven Mile Beach.
George Town, on the island’s southwest corner, faces west and overlooks Hog Sty Bay and the George Town Harbour, a busy port where on any given day you’ll probably find cruise ships, as well as working vessels.
Much of the activity in George Town takes place along North and South Church Streets, which run north-south parallel to the shoreline. These roads face out to the harbor and are lined with dutyfree shops, restaurants, and tourist-oriented businesses. The traffic light where South Church Street forks right onto Shedden Road or continues onto North Church Street (an intersection near the cruise terminal) is the heart of town. Just north of the cruise terminal, you’ll see the intersection of Harbour Drive and Cardinal Avenue. Cardinal Avenue is the home of many duty-free shops.
Just south of the intersection with Cardinal Avenue lies the Shedden Road. Shedden Road heads east and soon becomes Crewe Road, which intersects with Owen Roberts Drive, the road to the airport. If you don’t take the Owen Roberts Drive fork but veer right, you can stay on Crewe Road and head to the eastern part of the island.
East of the shoreline, government buildings and banking centers carry on the work of the Cayman Islands, helping the nation hold its spot as one of the major monetary centers of the world. Farther east is the airport, on the edge of North Sound, the shallow body of water that divides George Town, Seven Mile Beach, and the West End from the less developed East End of the island.
South of town, South Church Street winds its way through elegant residential districts, lined with beautiful seaside homes and a few quiet businesses.
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