Eleuthera
Birth place of Lenny Kravitz.
The original population of Taino, or Arawaks, was deported by the Spanish to work in the mines of Hispaniola, where they died out by 1550. The island was unoccupied until the first European settlers - puritan pilgrims- arrived in 1648 from Bermuda. They gave the island its current name, meaning 'freedom' in Greek.
The island was quite prosperous in the period from 1950 to 1980, attracting several prominent American industrialists such as Arthur Vining Davis, Henry Kaiser, and Juan Tripp. Frequent visitors included movie stars like Robert DeNiro as well as The Prince of Wales and a pregnant Princess of Wales.
Due to changes in foreign ownership policy when the Bahamas becoming independent in 1973, all of the large resorts and agricultural businesses were abandoned or compelled to be sold to government-favored Bahamian interests. Without exception, these businesses failed during the period 1980 to 1985.
Present-day Eleuthera has one 23 room resort, from a historic high in 1970 of over 1000 rooms in fifteen resorts. Unemployment on the island is near 80%, with most employment derived from government jobs, and domestic service and construction trades primarily concentrated in a growing foreign second-home market.
Despite continuing economic malaise, the islanders are still lively and exuberant. The main island is a unique destination for tourists, without the trappings of casinos and mega resorts. Natural attractions include the Glass Window Bridge, Hatchet Bay cave and Surfer's Beach in the north, and Ocean Hole and Lighthouse Beach in the south.
The principal settlements are Governor's Harbour (the administrative capital) Rock Sound, Tarpum Bay (the last remaining fishing village) Harbour Islandwith its unusual pink sandy beaches, and Spanish Wells, home of what are considered throughout the Bahams as the most industrious people in the nation. The island is particularly noted for the excellence of its pineapples and holds an annual Pineapple Festival.
