Colón, Panama 350005 225372036 2008-07-13T09:53:54Z RainbowOfLight 142196 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/213.8.121.167|213.8.121.167]] to last version by 200.46.240.2 (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) {{ otheruses4|the city in Panama|the province|Colon Province }} [[Image:Colon Panama.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Colón as seen from the ocean in January 2000]] '''Colón''' is a [[sea port]] [[city]] on the [[Caribbean Sea]] coast of [[Panama]]. It is near the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] entrance to the [[Panama Canal]]. The city is the capital of Panama's [[Colón Province]] and has traditionally been known as Panama's second city. '''Colón''' was traditionally located entirely on Manzanillo Island, surrounded by Limon Bay, Manzanillo Bay and Folks River. Since the abolition of the [[Panama Canal Zone|Canal Zone]], the city's limits have been redefined to include the former Canal Zone towns of [[Cristobal]], [[Rainbow City, Panama|Rainbow City]], [[Margarita]] and [[Coco Solo]], as well as the former US military base of Fort Gulick. Colon is the registered birth place of U.S. Senator [[John McCain]]. == History == The city was founded by American entrepreneurs in [[1850]] as the Atlantic terminus of the [[Panama Railroad]], then under construction to meet the gold rush demand for a fast route to [[California]]. For a number of years early in its history, the sizable [[United States]] emigré community called the town '''Aspinwall''' while the Hispanic community called it "Colón". The name "Colón" is in honor of [[Christopher Columbus]]. The city was founded on the western end of a treacherously marshy islet known as Manzanillo Island. As part of the [[Panama Railroad]]'s construction, the island was connected to the Panamanian mainland by a causeway and part of the island was drained to allow the erection of permanent buildings. [[Image:Colónpanama1910.JPG|thumb|left|250px|Colón, circa 1910]] Much of the city was burned during a [[Colombia]]n [[civil war]] in 1885, and again in a massive fire in 1915. In [[1948]], the southeastern corner of Manzanillo Island was made a [[Colón Free Trade Zone|Free Trade Zone]]. The Free Trade Zone has since been expanded through land reclamation on the Folks River and annexation of parts of [[France Field]] and [[Coco Solo]]. During its heyday, Colón was home to dozens of night clubs, cabarets and movie theaters. It was known for its citizens' civic pride, orderly appearance and outstanding native sons and daughters. Politically-instigated riots in the 1960s destroyed the city's beautiful municipal palace and signaled the start of the city's decline, which was further accelerated by Panama's military dictatorship of 1968-1989. Since the late 1960s, Colón has been in serious economic and social decline. Nowadays, the unemployment rate is around 40% and the poverty rate is even larger than that. Drug addiction and poverty have contributed to crime and violence issues which successive Panamanian governments have neglected to address effectively. == Population == In [[1900]] the population was some 3,000 people. It grew significantly with the building of the Panama Canal, and was 31,203 in [[1920]]. In [[2000]] it had a population of about 204,000 people. With the city's economic decline, much of the city's elite and middle class left the city, reducing its former diversity and orderliness. Formerly vibrant European and American expatriate communities, as well as Panamanians of Greek, Italian, Jewish, Chinese and South Asian heritage, abandoned the city, moving to Panama City, former Canal Zone towns and overseas. Today, sizable South Asian and Arab communities live in the remaining prosperous areas of the city as well as in gated communities outside the city. The majority of the city's population are of West Indian and mestizo/hispanic ancestry. Colón was home to some of the most respectable, educated and well-heeled Panamanians families of West-Indian heritage, including the Moodys, the Beebys, the Archibolds, the Edwards, the Crowns, the Hoys, the Warehams, the Abrahams, the Mckintoshs, and many more. From these families sprang the teachers, professors, doctors, lawyers, engineers, business men, and politicians that contributed to the city's prosperity. Most of them eventually left the city for the USA or the UK. However, their influence can still be seen by the descendants that remain in the province. [[Image:Christ Church by the Sea in 2003.jpg|thumb|350px|Colón's Christ Church by the Sea, 2003]] '''Notable Colonenses include''' * [[George Westerman]], publisher and editor * [[Alberto Motta]] (1916-2006), Panamanian businessman and philanthropist * [[Pedro Heilbron]], CEO of [[Copa Holdings, S.A.]] * [[Al Sprague]], painter * [[Manny Sanguillen]], catcher for the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] * [[Fernando A. Edwards, II]], scholar and attorney in the [[United States]] * [[Victor Mckintosh]], prominent engineer in the United States * [[Eric Jackson]], publisher, journalist and talk show host * [[Rod Carew]], [[major league baseball]] player * [[Mario Campo]], olympic track star, [[major league softball]] player (MVP 1987,'88,'92,'99) * [[Ismael Laguna]], boxer, World featherweight champion in 1965 and 1970. * [[Irving Saladino]], athlete, [[long jump]] current world champion * [[Kenneth B. Clark]],psychologist,educator, his research, was crucial to the desegregation of the public schools in the United States of America, case know as [[Brown vs. Board of Education]] * [[Benjamin Oglivie]], [[major league baseball]] player, Panama's home run King (41HR in 1980) * [[Humberto V. Robinson]], first Panamanian and first Central American in [[major league baseball]] * [[Camilo A. Alleyne]], gynecologist. In 1990 performed the first successful [[In Vitro]] fertilization of Panama, Central America and the Caribbean. ==External links== * [http://www.coloncity.com/ Colon City Panama] extensive site about Colon, Panama For a historical perspective see: Mellander, Gustavo A.; Nelly Maldonado Mellander (1999). Charles Edward Magoon: The Panama Years. Río Piedras, Puerto Rico: Editorial Plaza Mayor. ISBN 1563281554. OCLC 42970390. Mellander, Gustavo A. (1971). The United States in Panamanian Politics: The Intriguing Formative Years. Danville, Ill.: Interstate Publishers. OCLC 138568. {{coor title dm|9|20|N|79|54|W|type:city}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Colon, Panama}} [[Category:Colón, Panama| ]] [[Category:Coastal cities]] [[Category:Cities, towns and villages in Panama]] [[Category:Port cities in Central America]] [[Category:Port cities in the Caribbean]] [[Category:Settlements established in 1850]] [[bg:Колон (Панама)]] [[de:Colón (Stadt, Panama)]] [[es:Ciudad de Colón (Panamá)]] [[fr:Colón (Panamá)]] [[ko:콜론 (파나마)]] [[it:Colón (Panamá)]] [[ja:コロン (パナマ)]] [[no:Colón (Panama)]] [[pl:Colón (miasto)]] [[pt:Colón (Panamá)]] [[ru:Колон (Панама)]] [[sv:Colón, Panama]] [[tr:Colón, Panama]]