The Bight Providenciales

The Bight is a residential community on the island of Providenciales, and located inland and between the Turtle Cove and Grace Bay areas. The enclave was one of three original settlements on Providenciales, and today is home to a mix of lowdensity residential development and small shops, with some resorts and vacation villas.

The popular Thursday Fish Fry is held at Stubbs Diamond Plaza near Kingston on the eastern side of the Bight.

History

There’s no clear evidence, yet it’s likely that The Bight was the last of the three old settlements (the other two being Blue Hills and Five Cays) on Providenciales to take hold. Sometime after the establishment of the Cheshire Hall Plantation cotton plantation, this “village” formed and supported a small subsistence farming and fishing community.

Ruins and buildings in the area suggest that the modern settlement of The Bight may have shifted further east and more inland than the original site.

As is usually the case throughout world history, the Bight settlement formed due to the natural resources present. After the decline of the Loyalist plantation area, the inhabitants and field workers in the country had to turn to fishing and farming to sustain life, and as far as the terrain of Providenciales allowed for, the Bight was a decent location for these activities. The shallow seagrass beds in the area supported conch, and the barrier reef offshore teemed with fish.

Freshwater was another critical consideration. Due to the extensive sand plane and semi-lithified bedding of the Grace Bay and Bight regions, a nearly freshwater lens is found relatively close to the surface. It was far easier to dig a well to this water source than it would be in the case of the limestone rock elsewhere on the island, where the water lens salinity would likely be even higher as well.

Kingston

Kingston (not Kingstown) is a small area in the eastern Bight region. The main Bight Road terminates here. In the past, a sandy track continued on to Grace Bay, but vegetation has taken over and the enclave is formed around a dead-end turn around.

Kingston on Providenciales has a Rastafarian influence and is named after the city of Kingston in Jamaica, that nation’s capital.

Resorts and Villas

Restaurants

Crime Risk

The Bight is generally a safe area, yet it’s important to be aware that a few robberies have been committed against pedestrians in the area, during the evening and night hours. Please exercise caution, and consider driving when visiting the region’s restaurants or establishments.

Reconsider walking at night to restaurants and accommodations in the area.