Centrally located in County Caroni on the Western coast of Trinidad, Chaguanas lies 35 km from Port-of-Spain in the North and 57 km from San Fernando in the south.

Resident population is approximately 100,000 and an intransit population of about 80,000.

Chaguanas was elevated to the status of a borough in October 1990, under the provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act No. 21 of 1990.

This was done as part of then National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) decentralization thrust with respect to local government.

The area where Chaguanas is located today was first inhabited by an Amerindian tribe called Chaguanas. The Spanish settlers called the area Chaguanas after this tribe.

After the English conquest of the island in 1779, several sugar cane and cocoa estates were established in the area and Chaguanas became an important catchment area for agricultural produce.

From these humble beginnings, Chaguanas has grown into a major, strategically placed commercial centre where banks, insurance companies, stores and varied industries can be found.

It can also boast of having the highest density of shopping malls in the island, as well as the largest and most famous outdoor flea market in Trinidad.

Housing developments in the area have burgeoned in the last five years and have contributed to forcing the pace of rapid expansion of business in the area.

There is no doubt that Chaguanas is one of the fastest growing towns in Trinidad and Tobago and definitely the place to be.

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The Borough of Chaguanas has begun its march to new and greater frontiers.

It has broken new grounds for economic growth in Trinidad and Tobago and, by extension, the Caribbean region.

Apart from the fact that it is one of the fastest growing commercial centres, it can also claim true development due to its all-round activity in the social and cultural sectors of its people.

But can you recall when, a few decades ago, Chaguanas was just a big village at the end of the Princess Margaret Highway?

It was bounded on the west by Felicity; on the east by Montrose/Longdenville; on the south by the villages of Edinburgh and Chandernagore and on the north by Munroe Road and Cunupia.

In those days, the animal-drawn carts would take loads of cane to the Woodford Lodge Estate Factory and you could tell that it was 7 a.m. every morning by the blast of the whistle marking the change in shift for workers.

The Sugar Factory and the estates were the main source of employment and were owned by the late H. E. Robinson, who later sold the estate to Caroni Limited.

The Market Square was really a park with trees and Mohansingh Dada and Mr. Shafie Hosein held Ramleela and Independence Day Parades with a flag raising ceremony.

And how about when Ramsaran Park was only canefields, where mist settled thick and white on a Christmas morning and Orchard Gardens were De Verteuil's coconut estate and pasture.

Do you recall when the Caparo River ran clear and cool and every Friday evening there was maticoor (a pre-wedding ceremonial procession) with flambeaux?

And by the way did you know that Jubilee Cinema was once destroyed by fire in the early forties?

Although a "tent" cinema was erected opposite the market to suffice the needs of movie lovers, many still walked to Carapichaima, some six miles away, to view their shows in comfort.

Those were the days when the sun rose above the coconut trees and set behind the factory. Those were the golden days long gone, but hopefully not forgotten.

Today, Chaguanas has a new face. One filled with bright prospects and dreams for the future.

There is now an unbroken line of business places from Montrose Junction into Chaguanas, overflowing unto the pavement and spilling onto the roadways.

The area has moved eastward commercially with flourishing businesses and a population expansion.

At the Chaguanas Market people from all walks of life converge. The numerous housing developments such as Edinburgh Gardens Phase 1 and 2, Orchard Gardens, Penco Lodge and Edinburgh 500 all make Chaguanas a multi-cultural, multi-religious society.

This is the Chaguanas one can boast freely with pride, with all peoples living together in harmony.

Just take a stroll down Chaguanas during the Christmas Season and you can find almost everything. And you know why? The bargains here are the best.

As the saying goes, Chaguanas is indeed the bargain centre of the Caribbean.

One cannot forget the Divali Nagar site, which draws thousands of people yearly during the annual Divali Nagar celebrations. People from every race, class and social status can be found at that event.

Construction work has also already started on the opening of the Mulchan Seuchan Link Road, which will not only ease the traffic congestion, but no doubt sprout the entry of even more businesses into the area.

Full points for the ingenuity and entrepreneurship of its people.

Oh Chaguanas, you have worked hard for your success and your people will continue to stand by your side in this, the Seventh anniversary of Borough Day and the ensuing years.

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