Gressier

Gressier is a commune of the Port-au-Prince Arrondissement in the Ouest Department of Haiti.

Gressier is a small town within the outer southwest reaches of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. It covers a distance of 89.8 square kilometers and is located at an elevation of 52 feet. As per 2015 data, it has a population of 35,000. It is located with the coordinates 72°31’0 West and 18°33’0 North.

It should be noted that some areas of the town still have traces of the time of the Indians. However, the city itself was founded as early as the 19th century, that is to say, about 1800.

The municipality of Gressier is located less than 40 km west of Downtown Port-au-Prince. It is bounded on the north by the Gulf of Gonâve, on the west by the Léogâne Plain, on the south by the Selle Massif, whose ridge serves as the boundary between the department of the west and the department of Sud, and on the east by Carrefour. The commune of Gressier, one of the eighteen communes of the Western Department, is a coastal city with three communal sections. The relief of the city is the plain and the dominant relief of the communal sections is mountainous. Tropical wet and hot climatic conditions are experienced in the region much like the rest of Haiti. Since it is located at a modest altitude, it is actually quite cooler despite being located near the coastal area which otherwise experiences a humid climate. Its inhabitants bear the name of Gressiérois. In 1998, the population of the commune of Gressier was estimated at 17,491 inhabitants and this population doubled in 2015. For an area of ​​0.7 Square miles (1.75 km2), the city center’s density was 31,143 per square mile (12,386 inhabitants / km2).

Enviornment: Despite its proximity to the sea, Gressier does not have a humid tropical climate. The average temperature in Gressier for three fourths of the year is about 86° F (30° C). The temperature drops between December and January to 81° F (27° C). As with most of the Haïtian countryside, Gressier is also mountainous. About three fifths of the total land area is above 656 ft (200 m) in elevation. The soil, is for the most part, siliceous and porous limestone. The locals often use these resources as building materials for their houses.

For the Economic and Financial Infrastructures, five hotels, five restaurants, a credit union, twelve borlette banks (annexes), and six business houses were inventoried in the commune. Although the proximity to Port-au-Prince has long meant that Gressiens have nearby access to money transfer agencies (the town has at least six money transfer businesses), there is currently no functional system of mobile money transfer for rural Gressier. Agriculture, livestock and trade in general are the main activities of the municipality. Two building materials, two food supply centers, three gas stations, two private morgues, four phamarcies, a beauty studio, small market and photography studio form the economic and commercial establishments of the municipality.

Subsistence farming is practiced on a large scale by Gressier inhabitants. Millet, sugarcane, maize, coffee, manioc, yam and rice are largely cultivated here. Three fifths of the land is arid and the remaining two fifths is very fertile due to the many springs, streams, and rivers. Those water resources help to support the market economy of Gressier that is largely based on agriculture.

Prospects: According to the CAGH (Committee for the Advancement of Gressier, Haiti), Gressier could easily be the garret of Port-au-Prince if its land was properly cultivated. To strengthen its economy, Gressier can to do several things. First, Gressier could begin the fight against erosion by planting more trees and building irrigation canals. A sound environment can lead to more fertile land, which may be used for agriculture. Secondly, an increase in tourism may also strengthen Gressier’s economy. This increase in tourism could be achieved by attracting people to its magnificent beaches and its beautiful landscape.

Transportation: For Gressiens, the issue of transport is largely a moot point. Its proximity to Port-au-Prince and its location on the major thoroughfare (Route Nationale 2) means that Gressier’s merchants have essentially unlimited access to public transport carriers.

There is no airport in Gressier. Travelers can also make the most of the Port Au Prince Airport located at a distance of 25 kilometers from Gressier.

Education: The Ministry of National Education of Youth and Sports is not represented in the town of Gressier. Information on the number of primary schools is not available. At secondary level, six schools including one public, four private and one congregational have been identified in the municipality. There are also three vocational schools.

Health: The Ministry of Public Health and Population is represented by a communal office. Six doctors, two dentists, four nurses, four auxiliaries, a certified matron and a laboratory technician train the health personnel of the commune.

Utilities: For the water supply, the municipality of Gressier has four rivers, one of them is collected for the irrigation of more than fifty hectares of land, six springs, a lagoon and ten wells. The town of Gressier and various surrounding localities are electrified.

Security: At the level of Administrative and Judicial Infrastructures, the municipality of Gressier has a police station, a court of peace and a registry office.

Religion: On the religious side, 48 temples have been identified in the commune. Church of God turns out to be the most numerous.

Organizations: The municipality of Gressier does not have representation of political party. However, it has twelve popular organizations, two peasant groups and one NGO.

Communication: Previously, the town had no phone. Gressier has benefitted from the recent cell phone revolution, to such an extent that all the population now has access to telephone. The town has no radio station, no newspaper / magazine, nor television station.

Leisure: As for Leisure, the municipality of Gressier does not have a library, cinema hall, museum nor theater. The practiced sport is soccer.

For monuments and sites, the town has a natural cave and has the largest number of beaches in the region.

After The 2010 Earthquake: Gressier is situated on its western side, the Momance River to its south and Carrefour lies to its east. Petit Boucan, Morne Chandelle and Morne à Bateau form the three sections of the municipality. The January 2010 earthquake affected the town greatly.

Efforts to rebuild and provide relief were made by the Japanese army set up in Gressier. A Committee for the Advancement of Gressier, Haiti, CAGH, was founded with the purpose of rapport building with Gressier supporters, encouraging people to take part in the region’s development and encouraging progress in economic, cultural, athletics, education and health.